NICOLAUS, CA (MPG) – For more than a decade, the Colusa and East Nicolaus softball teams have engaged in some epic battles on the diamond, but as of late, it has been the Spartans who have had the upper hand, winning nine straight coming into the most recent series which began on Apr. 29.
176 on the season.
And while East Nicolaus extended the streak to 10 after besting Colusa 4-2 last Tuesday, the RedHawks turned the tables three days later when they posted a 6-0 shutout victory, their first against the Spartans since 2017.
In the first game, as expected the visitors came out swinging on the RedHawks’ home field, putting three on the board in the top of the first, but it was all they would get until they tacked on an insurance run in the seventh.
With pitcher Ava Garcia settling in and holding the East Nicolaus batters in check, Colusa made things interesting in the home half of the sixth when Caeden Agnew hit a hard ground ball to the right side that was misplayed and allowed Garcia, who had walked to lead off the frame, to score from third.
Yet, as the Spartans compounded the mistake, Addison Lay, who had reached on a single, beat the throw home with a sprawling dive across the plate, cutting the deficit to just one.
29 at home.
However, unfortunately for the RedHawks, they would get no closer as East Nicolaus pitcher Stevie Knight minimized the damage and went on to retire the side in the bottom of the seventh.
Agnew led the way at the plate going 2 for 3 with an RBI, while Lay, Braelyn Santana and Marlie Berry accounted for the only other hits.
In the circle, Garcia scattered four hits and struck out 11.
Despite being disappointed in the first outing, the loss proved beneficial as head coach Jamie Lay explained, “We noticed we could exploit their corners on bunts and that their second baseman played towards second so it was difficult for her to cover first. Their pitcher, being a lefty, also worked in our favor on a bunt.”
was called out, ending what could have been a big inning for the Spartans.
As a result in last Friday’s contest, Colusa put the pressure on the Spartan defense by playing small ball and combined that with successful situational hitting at the plate.
In the aftermath of the contest on May 2, Lay mentioned that he was pleased with the approach, specifically pointing to the efforts of Santana, Olivia Nair, Abril Guzman and Bella Romero.
“Braelyn definitely saw the ball well today,” said Lay. “Olivia was also a key player on offense laying down three beautiful bunts, while Abril and Bella also had some key at bats. We worked really hard this week with our two strike approach and it showed throughout the whole lineup.”
Santana ended the day as the RedHawks’ top hitter after going 3 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI, while Guzman had the only other hit.
Still, another component of the game was containing the Spartan lineup, which according to Lay, Garcia did in one of the best outings of her career.
“After the first game, we noticed some holes in their swings,” said the longtime coach. “Ava did a great job staying with the game plan. She gave up two hits and hit one batter, but attacked the zone the whole game which also limited her pitch count.”
Garcia, who is fourth in the Northern Section in strikeouts with 176 this year, fanned 12 in the complete game victory.
Now sitting tied atop the SVL with East Nicolaus, Colusa (17-6, 9-1) rounded out the regular season with a series against Pierce, having made its way to Arbuckle on Tuesday before returning home for Senior Day this afternoon.