Giants open CVC play Feb. 27 at home vs. Merced
By Nick Giannandrea
COS Athletics
College of the Sequoias' softball team will begin its quest for a third straight Central Valley Conference title on Feb. 27 when it hosts Merced.
First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Giants enter 9-7-1 through the bulk of their nonconference schedule after going 2-2 last week. The Blue Devils are 1-9.
COS swept a doubleheader against Modesto (4-4) on Feb. 20.
A two-run home run by Emily Ibarra (Redwood High) got the Giants rolling in the first inning, and her run-scoring single in an eight-run fourth inning capped the scoring during a 15-0 win in five innings during the first game.
Kayla Matus (Dinuba) ripped a three-run triple and Maddison Servadio (Mission Oak) added a two-run double for COS in the fourth.
Olivia Aguigam earned the win, allowing two hits over five scoreless innings. She struck out six.
In the second game against Modesto, the Giants erased a 3-0 deficit with an eight-run bottom of the third inning that was highlighted by two-run singles from Alexis Garcia (Orange Cove) and Felicity Morales (Dinuba) and an RBI single by Audra Pratt (Golden West).
COS hosted a pair of Northern California powers on Feb. 22.
The Giants were done in by an eight-run inning during an 8-6 loss to NorCal No. 10-ranked West Valley (9-2).
A two-run home run by Pratt in the third inning, a two-run single by Matus in the fourth and a sacrifice fly by Genesis Rodriguez in the fourth helped COS build a 5-0 lead.
But two-run singles by Sierra Hilman and Zoe Mendez in the sixth turned the Vikings' 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead.
COS also lost 7-3 against state top-ranked San Mateo (18-2).
Callie Vincent (Woodlake) had a run-scoring double in the third, Rodriguez had an RBI single in the fifth and Garcia added a run-scoring triple in the sixth for the Giants.
After opening against Merced on Feb.27, COS continues CVC play with a doubleheader at Fresno City (6-6) on March 3rd (games scheduled to start at 1 and 3 p.m.), and a single game at 2 p.m. March 5 at Reedley (4-10).
The Giants' will then play their final two nonconference games March 6 when they host Siskiyous (3-8) in a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m.
