While their losses in Mother Lode League play included a blowout this week, the softball team at Riverbank High did have a reason to celebrate.
Senior Maya Guzman notched strikeout number 500 of her career, coming in a Friday, March 27 home game against Calaveras. Riverbank took a 13-3 loss but Guzman had a home run and drove in all three runs for the Lady Bruins while also hitting the milestone on the pitching mound. Janelle Montoya had a hit as well. Earlier, in a game at Calaveras, the girls lost 3-0 on March 24, with Guzman striking out 15 in that game. She also had two hits; Montoya had a hit and they each had a stolen base.
The JV girls lost 23-0 and 25-1 in their games against Calaveras.
BASEBALL
Done in by a 13-run inning, the Bruin varsity baseball team lost by a 14-4 final on March 24 at Calaveras. The boys gave up 13 runs in the second inning; they scored one run in the fourth and three in the fifth but couldn’t get any closer. Keegan Loe was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a double; Xavier Lopez was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Friday, the team hosted Calaveras and lost in shutout fashion, 15-0, with the Bruins getting just two hits. Loe and Isaiah Deras had one hit apiece.
TENNIS
The first half of the season has wrapped up for the Riverbank co-ed tennis team, and the squad is locked in a battle for first place in the Mother Lode League.
Head coach Bruce Edwards said Summerville, Bret Harte and Riverbank are fighting for top honors, with a total of five teams in the league.
“The other two teams, Linden and Calaveras, are not in the running as they are quite young and inexperienced,” noted Edwards.
Riverbank and Bret Harte each went 5-1 through the first half, with Bret Harte losing to the Bruins and Riverbank losing to Summerville, while the Bears lost to both Bret Harte and Riverbank to close out the first half at 4-2. However, Summerville was missing some players early, and they likely will be a tougher opponent the next time around, Edwards said.
“All the matches with the top three have been nail biters and were won in tie breakers,” the coach added.
Top players for Riverbank include Nathalie Garcia, 6-0 at girls number one singles, with three matches going to tie breakers; Emily Ramirez is 6-0 at girls number two singles and has come from behind to get some of those wins.
Girls number one doubles Isa Fernandez and Ava Maez are 6-0, with their toughest win against Bret Harte, while the number two girls doubles Danielle Garcia and Esmeralda Gomez are 5-1 after losing in a tie breaker to Summerville.
“Mixed doubles are 6-0, we have played different players but our best team is Felix Pasillas and Noemy Torres,” Edwards said. “The boys are good but not as good as the top players at Bret Harte and Summerville; they are closing the gap and improving each week.”
Boys number one singles Victor Jacobo is 4-2, number two Elijah Zamora is 3-3.
Boys number one doubles is anchored by Omar Gomez, teaming up with several partners, going 3-3, with brothers Eduardo and Diego De La Santos both fighting for the permanent position.
Boys number two doubles have gone 3-3, with Mateo Ibarra and Jeancarlo Torres the pair that seems to work well together.
“Each match against the tough teams is getting closer,” Edwards said.
The second half of the league season is scheduled to kick off this week.
TRACK AND FIELD
Riverbank had two first place finishes during the multi-school ‘County Clash’ meet hosted at Oakdale High School this past week. Coach Sam Gong reported that the boys 4x800 relay team (Gustavo Ortiz Rodriguez, Eder Ramirez Ventura, Alejandro Ochoa Silva, Armando Garcia) won with a time of 8:24.4.
Giselle Fernandez won the girls 800m race in a time of 2:22.01 and Gianna Cruz finished in second place in a time of 2:26.18.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
On the road for a game March 25 at Big Valley Christian, the Riverbank varsity volleyball boys fell to the Lions in straight sets, 13-25, 11-25, 11-25. They also played at Ripon on March 30 and were swept by the Indians, 11-25, 7-25, 6-25.
Editor Marg Jackson contributed to this report.
