Second straight win for Pride softball after 7-1 romp over Modesto
Pitman softball scored five runs in the first inning and the Pride went on to topple Modesto High in the team's final scheduled preseason contest, 7-1.
“We just need to keep this going,” said Pitman head coach Joe Lewis.
Denae Finney started the game for Pitman and tossed a seven-inning complete game with four strikeouts and allowed one earned run.
Junior Alanah Laupua drove in four runs, senior Starr Russo was 1 for 4 with two RBI and Morgan Aguiniga was 2 for 3.
Holland Henson, Claire Fountain, Michelle Robinson and Lehua DeLeon all had a hit each for the Pride and Finney was 2 for 4 from the plate.
Pitman went on to win their third game in the last four contests and their record improves to 6-7 heading into their crosstown showdown with Turlock.
Pitman will host Turlock at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Bulldogs fall to Clovis East in extra innings
Turlock softball was playing their make-up preseason game against the No. 76 team in the state on Monday in Clovis East, but the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome in a long game that went into extra innings.
In the end, the Timberwolves tacked on the tying run in the bottom of the eighth and went on to end it, 5-4, after a two-run inning to walk it off.
The Bulldogs out hit the Timberwolves nine to five. The T-wolves also committed two errors but the Bulldogs were unable to notch their second straight win and have now lost two of their last three.
At 8-5-1, the Bulldogs will now take on their crosstown rivals, Pitman, who have the same Central California Conference record at 1-3.
Pitman's Chris Martinez gets offer from Nevada-Reno.
The University of Nevada-Reno has returned to Pitman High, this time looking for some protection on the line.
Once captained by former Pride quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the Nevada Wolf Pack have offered junior tackle, Chris Martinez, a full-ride scholarship.
Martinez is a 6-foot-4, 260-pound tackle that saw playing time on both sides of the ball for the Pride line that is led by head coach Tom Tyler.
Martinez was also named to the Central California Conference all-league first team as a left tackle this past fall.
It is the first offer for Martinez, but one he hoped to receive with his brother Dominik currently enrolled as a student at Nevada.
“It was exciting, definitely,” said Martinez, who was primarily recruited by assistant coach Lester Erb. “Of course, it changed my life. Nevada was my No. 1 option because my brother goes there.”
Turlock varsity track sees upside results in weekend trifecta
It was a busy weekend for Turlock varsity track and field as the team sent a plethora of athletes to various competitions this past weekend.
The varsity boys 4x400 team hoped to continue the success from last year’s squad as they posted an impressive time of 3:31 at the elite Stanford Invitational.
“Jeff Ikari, John Hilgen, Bailey Vandergriff, and Gali Farias joined forces to garner a top 25 finish in the field of teams that proved to be some of the best in the state,” said Turlock coach JoAnn Davison.
In the women’s races, Cassie Derdivanis, Hope Salsig, Ade Fredeen, and Maria Varela ran a personal team record of 13:37 in the Distance Medley, finishing 27th overall.
“That race was against some of the top schools in the nation,” said Davison.
Turlock's Katie Green and Alex McKeon represented the Bulldog throwing crew at the elite West Coast Relays in Fresno, held at the home of the California state meet site at Buchanan High School.
Green threw the discus at a personal best of 113'2, good enough for a 4th place finish, while Alex McKeon hurled the shot put an impressive 42'7", grabbing a 16th place overall ranking.
Turlock gears back up for the Hughson Invitational held at Joe Debely Stadium at 9 a.m. Saturday.
