With the tying run on base and one out in the top of the seventh inning, Foresthill starting pitcher Lynnsey Drone shut down the threatening Denair offense to cap off a complete game and secure a 7-6 win in Saturday’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII softball title game.
It was par for the course for Drone, a freshman who has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the section. After surrendering a one-out walk to Hayden Stucker, Drone induced a flyout, and after Stucker advanced to third on a pair of steals, earned her 75th strikeout of the season to end the back-and-forth affair between the top-seeded Wildfires and No. 2 Coyotes at the Modesto Junior College field.
Denair’s dream season ended at 14-10, while the Wildfires improved to 11-5 and collected a blue banner for their gymnasium.
“It does hurt,” said Denair head coach Andy Dayton. “But I believe in this group, they’ve come so far and they believe in themselves, so I have a firm belief that they will be back here.”
Saturday’s contest marked the first section championship game in the history of the Denair High softball program.
Amid the roaring support they were met with by the Denair faithful after the game, the sting of defeat persisted, especially considering the Coyotes led for most of the afternoon.
Serving as the visiting team at the neutral site, the Coyotes jumped out ahead in the first inning when junior third baseman Braelyn Marroquin smacked a two-out, RBI double in between the center and right fielders. The Wildfires answered immediately with runs in the bottom halves of the second and third innings before the Coyotes put up five runs in the fourth inning.
The rally began with pitcher Makayla Dayton working a one-out walk, and pinch-runner Grace Alvarez scored on a double to deep right-center field by Kenzie Prine. Prine, a sophomore, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on a single by sophomore Aaliyah Rodriguez. The Coyotes eventually loaded the bases, followed by a walk by junior Daisy Rosas. Two more runs came across when a Foresthill defender couldn’t quite handle a sharp grounder off the bat of Stucker.
The 6-2 lead would last just an inning. In the sixth, Dayton hit the leadoff batter with a pitch, and gave up consecutive singles to set the table for Ashlyn Keon, who blasted a bases-clearing triple to deep right field. After another walk, the tying and go-ahead runs scored on a double by Fallon Parks.
Prine entered in relief to retire the side in the sixth, but Drone proceeded to quiet the Denair bats. Stucker marked the lone hitter to reach for the Coyotes in the last two innings.
After the final out and the ensuing celebration by Foresthill, the Denair skipper expressed pride in what his team was able to accomplish, as well as the community support that increased steadily throughout the season.
They’ll try to use the loss as fuel in the offseason and into 2026.
