Story & photos by Jennifer Corriea
COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Fresh off a win at their own Randy Watt Invitational where they blew out the competition, the RedHawks prevailed over some tougher opponents last week when they took a pair of Sacramento Valley League games from Paradise, then outlasted Marysville in a wild non-conference affair.
In what was the best game last week by far, Colusa edged visiting Paradise 1-0 as the RedHawks’ Ava Garcia out-dueled the Bobcats’ Nyah Barker in the circle on Mar. 11.
While both pitchers yielded just two hits, Garcia held the advantage in strikeouts, recording 15 to Barker’s eight.
Coach Jamie Lay also pointed to the defense his team played, saying that it was their best performance to date.
Colusa put the games’ only run on the board in the second inning when after Abril Guzman drew a walk, pinch runner Olivia Nair eventually came around to score on an error.
Elli Santana and Eliza Mitchum accounted for the only RedHawk hits in the game.
Completing the series on the road in Paradise on Mar. 13, Colusa staged a late-inning comeback to down the Bobcats 6-2.
With the score 0-0 going into the home half of the fifth inning, Paradise went up a run, but the RedHawks responded in the top of the sixth after consecutive singles by Edith Anderson and Guzman and a walk to Elle Faris set the table for five runs to score.
Garcia went the distance in the circle striking out 10 and did not surrender an earned run, then also picked up two hits at the plate.
Colusa had greater success with the bats in the second meeting between the two teams as Cece Mitchum also finished with a pair of hits, while Guzman, Anderson, Santana, Eliza Mitchum and Addison Lay had one apiece.
To round out the week, the RedHawks made their way to Marysville where they went to extras and edged the Indians 14-13 after putting five runs on the board in the sixth and four more in the eighth.
In addition to capitalizing on 11 free passes and six Marysville errors, Colusa got two hits each from Garcia and Makayla Scortino, while Santana, Anderson, and Cece Mitchum each had one.
Marysville did have a chance to tie or perhaps win the game outright, but had a runner called out at home to bring an end to the contest.
This week the RedHawks (8-0) faced SVL opponent Live Oak at home on Mar. 19, then hit the road the following day to complete the series with the Lions.