Solid efforts on the softball field netted Escalon’s varsity Lady Cougars one win in three contests this past week.
They played at Calaveras on March 4 and fell by just a 2-1 final.
Genevieve Casazza got the start on the mound and took the hard luck loss.
“She did a great job keeping their hitters off balance and limited them to only four hits,” said head coach Caitlin Schulte. “Offensively, Madison Babasa and Arianna Velasco were able to work together and squeeze a run through.”
Babasa was 2-for-3 in the game with a stolen base; Velasco was 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
On Thursday, March 6, the girls were supposed to be on the road but ended up with a home game, welcoming former TVL team – now Mother Lode Leage competitor – Riverbank to town.
“It was supposed to be away but due to rain the previous day their fields were not playable,” Schulte said. “We were able to switch it to a home game last minute.”
The game was a good one for Escalon, as they shut out the Lady Bruins by a 5-0 final.
“Freshman Kaylynn McCutcheon threw a one-hit shutout with five strikeouts,” said Schulte. “Offensively Madison Babasa went 2-for-3 with an RBI.”
Both of her hits were triples, but she parlayed one into an inside-the-park home run, coming around to score when the ball was bobbled in the outfield, never breaking her stride.
Arianna Velasco was 1-for-2 with an RBI and Lizzy Allan was also 1-for-2.
“Friday we played a tough Manteca team. We lost 19-5,” Schulte said.
Babasa was 2-for-2 with two walks, Allan went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jayci Trimble was 2-for-3, Casazza was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
“Defensively we made a few costly errors but overall pitching was our downfall during the Manteca game,” the coach said.
The varsity girls were slated to play Gregori on March 10 and at Summerville on March 11 to close out the preseason schedule. They are slated to host Hughson in the Trans-Valley League opener – weather permitting – on Thursday, March 13. Game time is 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the JV girls have had a rough preseason campaign, getting just a couple of wins. They defeated Buhach Colony by a 16-8 final in their first game, then took losses to Livingston, Lincoln, Turlock and Calaveras before getting a 16-2 win over Riverbank. They then lost to Manteca and are scheduled to play at home against Hughson on March 13 to start TVL action.
