Pitman High starting pitcher, Alexis Mettler tossed a no-hitter and jacked a two-run homer in the fourth to put her team up 7-0, then after that it seemed like everybody for the Pride of Pitman were on as they tacked on five more runs.
The game would end after the fifth inning by way of the ten-run rule with a 12-0 shutout in favor of Pitman on Thursday at Turlock High against the struggling Bulldogs.
With the win, Pitman has now won four straight and six of their last seven games, topping out with a 7-3 Central California Conference posting heading into Tuesday’s matchup against the first place team in Merced High.
“We have been doing a real good job with getting the bats going. You have to have solid pitching, but great hitting to back it up,” Pitman head coach Joe Lewis said. “We’ve finally been hitting in that streak heading into the matchup against Merced. We want the bats to keep going.”
Mettler tossed five innings and struck out 12 and her two walks were by way of hit-by-pitch as she kept the Turlock hitters in check, striking out six consecutive to end the game.
“I just kind of play every game one at a time. I just try and do my best, help the team out the most I can because it’s a team sport, doesn’t matter who we play it’s how we do as a team,” said Mettler.
Aside from her sensational pitching performance, Mettler would go 2-for-4 from the plate with three RBI and three runs scored aside from her home-run.
“You can’t get any better than that,” Lewis said when asked about Mettler’s performance. “The girls played great today and that’s all I can ask is to come out and be aggressive at the plate and good things will happen.”
Turlock also saw their fair share of opportunities quickly diminish early on after a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the second with no outs transcended into no runs for the Bulldogs.
Again it would be Mettler — cool and calm at the mound — that overcame any obstacle the Bulldogs could muster as she struck out two straight then forced a groundout to end the inning.
“To me when I play I try not to think of who the other team is, I just let my reactions go with it because if you think too much you won’t perform the best you can,” said Mettler.
Unfortunately for a Turlock team that has been on the downside of things this year, now losing ten straight, they could not overcome this deficit as the Pride added on nine more runs in the next three innings, with a five run performance in the fifth.
“We had a few errors but Pitman hit the ball really hard and put it in play and we didn’t execute on defense, they got their runs that way,” Turlock head coach Jill Ogden said. “I feel we could’ve been better at everything, were not taking what we learn in practice into games and Pitman shined today.”
Nicole Bailey was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double while Aly Hagen added on a 2-for-3 day with two runs scored and also a pair of RBI.
“We are on a roll and I think we can do well against Merced if we keep this momentum going,” said Mettler. “We just need to keep swinging the bats well because our defense is solid, we just need to keep our heads in the game, not be intimidated by where these girls are going to play college ball.”
Pitman looks to continue its winning ways as they will travel to Merced High to square off against the first-place Bears at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“I think our girls know they can compete with Merced. All the respect for them we know how good they are, but we also know how good we are and if we can play like we have in this stretch we will be right there next week when we play them,” Lewis said.
The Turlock Bulldogs next game will be at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Atwater against the Falcons.
