Tiger Softball Wins Three In The Week, Including Extra Innings Over Porterville

Despite three road wins last week, the Reedley College Tiger women's softball team is in second place in the Central Valley Conference, one-half game behind first-place College of the Sequoias Giants.

Reedley improved to 5-1 in the CCC and 18-3 overall with a come from behind 5-4 eight-inning win in Porterville last Thursday after sweeping a doubleheader in Taft by scores of 9-3 and 8-4 two days earlier.

The Lady Tigers needed to score three runs in the top of the seventh inning at Porterville to stay alive before the Pirates scored a run in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Aunika Castellanos started the eighth inning with a single and eventually scored on a hit by Bobbie Falcon.

Samantha Lizaola had a two-run double in the seventh inning rally while pinch hitter Shelby Ford added an RBI single. Karlie Fien and Falcon both had two hits in the win.

Emily Grimbeby was the winning pitcher in all three wins, improving to 12-3 on the season. The sophomore pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts in seven innings in the first game at Taft.

Reedley jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the opener with Taft before Allie Dobbs hit her state-leading ninth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth. Lizaola joined Amanda Beltran with four hits to lead a 17-hit attack. Castellanos drove in three runs for the winners before recording three hits in the second game.

The next five scheduled conference games are at home for the Tigers. It starts with a Tuesday, March 19 doubleheader with the last place Cerro Coso Coyotes before a 2 pm matchup with Merced on Thursday, March 21. Fresno City comes to Reedley for a 1 pm doubleheader on Tuesday, March 26.