COLUSA, CA (MPG) – Making an appearance in the championship round for the first time since winning it in 2017, the No. 1 seeded Colusa RedHawk softball team made a valiant effort to fight back from five runs down, but ultimately came up one run short as it fell 4-5 to No. 2 U-Prep in the Northern Section CIF Division IV title game played on its own field last Saturday afternoon.
Having beaten the Panthers 9-2 back in March and more recently 2-1 just two days prior, U-Prep came out swinging, putting crooked numbers on the board in each of the first two innings and jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
However, they were the last runs the Panthers would score, giving Colusa a chance to make up the ground, which they did, beginning in the fourth inning.
In the home half of the frame, Abril Guzman smoked a one-out double into the gap in left center to get things rolling.
on May 24. Huskey threw out a runner at the plate on the play.
Following a fly out to center, Addison Lay singled up the middle to plate Caeden Agnew, who had come in to run for Guzman.
Although the RedHawks were unable to get anything else in the inning, pitcher Ava Garcia responded with a shutdown top of the fifth allowing her team to get back in the dugout.
Pinch hitter Bella Romero, a late season call-up, singled to lead off the bottom of the frame.
Then after Elli Quintana reentered she advanced to third on single off the bat of Elli Santana.
The next batter, Braelyn Santana drove in Quintana with a sacrifice fly to right, but once again, U-Prep pitcher Hailey Pebley minimized the damaged making the score 2-5.
With Garcia working around a single and stranding the runner at third in the top of the sixth, Colusa drew closer when Olivia Nair came through with a clutch hit to plate Peyton Miller, who led off the inning with a single and stole second to put herself in scoring position.
But once again, the RedHawks were held to just one, setting up the dramatic final inning of the game.
Two good defensive plays on the corners and a strikeout saw U-Prep go down in order, but Colusa was still chasing two runs.
After two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, Garcia reached on an error, bringing Guzman to the plate and in her final at bat doubled again to pull the RedHawks within one.
Yet, it wasn’t meant to be as the game ended on a groundout to the shortstop.
Garcia, in her last appearance for the RedHawks struck out six and allowed five hits in the circle then additionally went 2 for 4 at the plate.
Guzman doubled twice and made an outstanding catch in foul ground, while Miller collected a pair of hits as well.
For Coach Jamie Lay, it was a tough loss to take, but he credited his team for refusing to quit, saying, “I’m just super impressed with our seniors for fighting back. Abril, Elli (Santana), Ava, Addison, Ollie (Huskey) and Olivia all contributed either offensively or defensively today.”
In spite of the disheartening loss, Lay pointed to a core of returners led by Braelyn Santana, Agnew, Romero, Miller and Marlie Berry that will leave the RedHawks in good shape next season.
To get to the championship game, Colusa downed No. 4 Winters 13-0 on May 20, then went on to edge U-Prep on May 22 in the first ever Super Regional format used in NSCIF Division IV softball.
Colusa finished the year as the Sacramento Valley League co-champions and an overall record of 21-8.