Two home tennis matches in the same week and a first winning home softball game of the season dotted the sports calendar over the past week in Riverbank.
The co-ed RHS Tennis team hosted the Escalon Cougars on Tuesday, April 14, then faced the Ripon Indians on Friday.
Against Escalon, the Bruins won by the closest of margins, 5-4, then they beat Ripon 7-2 to close out the successful week on Friday.
Facing the Cougars, boys number one singles Alex Alfaro won in two sets, 6-0, 6-0. Number two Nathanial Martinez won 6-2, 7-6.
Girls first seed Linda Erazo lost, two sets to one.
Against Ripon, Alfaro won, 6-1, 6-0, while Erazo won also, 6-0, 6-0.
In boys doubles action against the Cougars, the team of Eliseo Gonzalez and Rigo Garcia won easily, 6-2, 6-1. They beat the Ripon duo 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, and remain undefeated 7-0 in TVL play.
Next up for the Bruin netters, they were to travel to Mountain House on Tuesday, April 21, then play at Modesto Christian on Friday, April 24, before finishing the regular season hosting Hughson on Tuesday, April 28.
SOFTBALL
While the tennis team was victorious at home on Friday, the Lady Bruin softballers won their first home game of the season, 11-1 against Hilmar, bringing their league record to 4-4, 8-7-1 overall. The girls are scheduled to play next at Escalon, today, April 22, then travel to Ripon on Friday.
Their final games at home will be Wednesday, April 29, hosting Modesto Christian, then Friday, May 1, hosting Hughson. Their final regular season game will be at Hilmar on May 6.
BASEBALL
Last week saw two games against Hilmar, home and away, for the Bruin baseball teams. In the Tuesday, April 14, game, Riverbank hosted the Yellowjackets, losing, 14-3, but the score for the game at Hilmar on Thursday had not been reported as of presstime.
The JV baseball team beat Hilmar 15-5 at home on Tuesday.
Bruin baseball was scheduled for three in a row this week, Tuesday through Thursday, at Escalon on April 21, hosting Mountain House for a JV game only on April 22, then traveling to Ripon on Thursday, April 23. The next week three games are scheduled for home on Tuesday through Thursday.
SOCCER
Riverbank struck first on Thursday, Darlene Albor scoring a goal as the Lady bruins hosted Escalon on April 16. The teams tied 0-0 when they met previously. Riverbank took the lead within the first three minutes of play but got only that one goal and ended up allowing three to the visiting Lady Cougars, who got their first league victory with the 3-1 final.
TRACK AND FIELD
The following information was provided by head coach Monte Wood:
The RHS Track and Field team had a great week this week. At the dual meet against defending TVL Champion Hughson Huskies the girls team won a nip and tuck meet 69-67. Who says track and field isn’t a team sport? Mikala Stewart had sectored her first three throws and on her fourth throw she set a personal record and placed second to grab three big points and bumped Hughson down two points. In the 100 hurdles, Haley Richardson got off to a slow start and was sitting in third but kept focused and ran a clean race and won the race by .1 of a second. In the 400, freshman Valeria Aguiniga was sitting in third coming down the home stretch and charged home in a personal record time to take second. Going into the 200 Riverbank had 68 points, and it takes 69 to win. Miranda Alcantar ran a season best in the 200 to finish third and pick up the points needed to win the meet. The 4x100 relay team of Lydia Hodges, Miranda Alcantar, Sarah Vazquez, and Sierra Nabors won their event. Karina Cajero won the shot put and discus. Haley Richardson also won the triple jump and the pole vault. Kim Ruvalcaba won the 1600 and 3200. Sabrina Garcia won the 800.
“It was a great team effort and puts us in the driver’s seat to take back the TVL championship,” Wood said.
On the boys side, Hughson won the day, but the boys battled hard. The distance runners really took it to the Huskies. Riverbank went 1-2 in the 1600 and the 3200 and went 1 and 3 in the 800. Ruben Paredez won the 1600 and the 3200 and Carlos Martinez won the 3200. Also winning events were Jose Ariza-shot put, Martin Cornejo-discus, Nathan White- 300 hurdles.
On Friday night, Sabrina Garcia and Kim Ruvalcaba ran in the prestigious Woody Wilson Invitational at UC Davis. Sabrina Garcia finished fourth overall in the 800 in a personal record time of 2:22. Kim Ruvalcaba was sixth in the 3200 running a PR of 11:36.
“If an athlete places in the top six at Woody Wilson, they are doing something special,” noted Wood.
On Saturday, the boys continued their upward swing by placing second in the Hughson Vintage Invitational. The boys distance runners again showed up ready to race. They convincingly won the distance medley relay. Adan Chavez ran 3:31 for the 1200, Noah Glynn ran 56 for the 400, Carlos Martinez ran 2:09 for the 800 (a huge PR) and Ruben Paredez ran 4:41 (another PR) for the 1600. Carlos Martinez had already set an 8 second PR earlier in the day in the mile. Jose Ariza was second in the shot put. Marty Sveen was second in the pole vault and after battling an injury for a month ran his first hurdle race and set a personal record. Joe Crosby set a PR in the triple jump.
On Wednesday, April 22 the Bruins travel to Hilmar for another TVL dual meet.
Riverbank’s next home meet is scheduled for May 6 against Ripon, with league and divisional meets after that.
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