Spring sports teams remain busy as the final few weeks of school wind down in Riverbank.
Recent action saw baseball and softball players take the field, as well as the tennis team taking part in the Trans-Valley League tournament. Following are recaps of various contests.
BASEBALL
It was a pair of losses to Hughson for the varsity Bruins, as they hosted the Huskies on Wednesday, April 30 and traveled for a Friday, May 2 contest. Allowing five runs over the first two innings on Wednesday, Riverbank ultimately lost a 7-0 decision. Hughson belted out 14 hits while limiting the Bruins to two. On Friday, Riverbank got on the scoreboard, getting a run on two hits, but giving up 13 runs on 13 hits to Hughson.
The JV team closed out its season with a pair of identical 6-5 games, both losses to Hughson. They had a 3-0 lead in the April 30 game before Hughson scored three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to win. Friday, the Riverbank boys were trailing but the JV squad battled back to score three times in the sixth and take a 5-4 lead. Hughson tied it up in the seventh and the teams went nine innings before Hughson pushed a run across to take the win in extra innings.
SOFTBALL
With a 4-2 loss to Ripon at home on April 30, the varsity girls traveled to Hughson and fell in an 8-2 contest on Thursday, May 1. Their finale, originally on the schedule as a home game against Modesto Christian, goes as a forfeit win as the Crusaders folded their team prior to season’s end. In the 4-2 loss to Ripon in their regular season home finale, the Lady Bruins got seven hits, with a pair from Stephanie Argumedo and one each from Toni Adams, Chloe Arnold, Jenny Verdin, Joslyn Beliera and Briana Allen. Verdin and Argumedo had runs batted in for the team. The girls ended with a 3-9 mark in the TVL, 8-11 overall.
SOCCER
The final game of the season for the varsity Lady Bruins on the soccer field was a 3-2 loss to Modesto Christian. The game, at MC on Wednesday, April 30, saw the host team take a 1-0 lead at the half. The teams traded tallies, 2-2, over the final 40 minutes but Riverbank could not get the equalizer and took the loss.
TRACK AND FIELD
Riverbank was on the home course for a Thursday, May 1 TVL match with Hilmar and came away with some solid performances. The JV team was due to participate in the Rotary JV Meet hosted at Escalon on Monday, May 5 and additional league action is scheduled with Modesto Christian and Orestimba on Thursday, May 8.
TENNIS
In the Trans-Valley League tournament hosted Friday at the SOS Club in Modesto, Linda Erazo took second place to Escalon’s Taylor Laugero in girls singles action, Erazo defeating Kaitlynn Mayfield of Escalon 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and taking down Biggs of Hughson in the semifinals before losing in three sets to Laugero, who was named the TVL MVP.
Boys singles saw Nathaniel Martinez advance from the qualifying round, while both Martinez and teammate Juan Alfaro victorious in the quarterfinals before both fell in the semifinal round. Alfaro lost (6-1, 5-7, 4-6) to Bryce Coutrakis of Ripon, who went on to claim the boys crown. Martinez lost in three sets (two went to tiebreakers) to Ashton Redberg of Escalon, who was runner up for the TVL title.
Rigo Garcia and Elesio Gonzalez of Riverbank bowed out to an Escalon duo in the boys number one doubles semifinal round; Gracie Meza and Ashley Murillo of Riverbank lost in the quarterfinals of the girls number one doubles.
In number two boys doubles, Martin Baltazar and Eduardo Estrada made it to the finals before losing to Derek Cao and Enzo Gomes of Modesto Christian while the mixed doubles tandem of Marcos Viera and Jessica Vasquez lost in the quarterfinals, 2-6, 1-6 to opponents from Hughson.
