After sweeping through the District 2 Tournament over two weeks ago, the Colusa Junior girls softball team found the competition a little tougher at the section tournament, where they were defeated twice by host Walnut Creek and were eliminated.
Playing doubleheaders on July 10 and 11, Colusa suffered a hard luck loss in its opener, falling 3-2, and dropped into the losers bracket.
Addison Lay gave Colusa the lead in the fourth inning when she doubled off the wall to drive in a pair of runs. However, Walnut Creek had things go its way in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off bloop single to win the game.
In the circle, Ava Garcia turned in a noteworthy performance, scattering three hits, while allowing just one earned run and striking out 10 over six and one-third innings.
Colusa bounced back later that day with a 20-4 blowout win over Turlock, behind a big game from Eliza Mitchum at the plate.
Mitchum went 3 for 3 with a double, triple, four RBIs and four runs scored. Lay smashed two more doubles and knocked in four runs, while Edith Anderson doubled and had four RBIs as well.
Colusa began the second day of play by routing Oroville 14-4 to force a do-or-die showdown with Walnut Creek.
Against Oroville, Makayla Sciortino finished 2 for 2 with a triple. Bella Badaluco was 2 for 2 with a double. Lay doubled as part of a two-for-three days, while Anderson also recorded two-bagger.
Garcia and Mitchum combined for the win in the circle.
In the nightcap, Garcia kept Colusa in the game, yielding just three hits and three earned runs, but the offense managed just two hits and suffered a 5-0 loss that eliminated them from the tournament.
Anderson delivered one hit, with the other coming off the bat of Abril Guzman. –