COS softball sweeps doubleheaders vs. Taft, Reedley
By Nick Giannandrea
COS ATHLETICS
College of the Sequoias' softball team made life a little easier for primary pitcher Olivia Aguigam last week.
The Giants won four games -- all shortened by the mercy rule -- to improve to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the Central Valley Conference, two games behind first-place Fresno City (10-4, 8-0).
Aguigam (El Diamante High) has pitched 54 1/3 of the 59 innings Sequoias has played so far this season, including 19 last week while giving up two earned runs in doubleheader sweeps of Taft and Reedley.
Sequoias opened the week at Taft on May 4 as Aguigam pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts during a five-inning 9-0 win during the first game.
Audra Pratt (Golden West) had a two-run triple -- scoring Monica Meza (Caruthers) and Emily Ibarra (Redwood) -- to highlight Sequoias' six-run first inning against the Cougars (1-7, 1-5).
Emily Juarez (Hanford) contributed a two-run double in the third, and Yennifer Gaitan (Mission Oak) added a run-scoring groundout in the fifth to round out the scoring.
In the second game, Juarez and Ibarra hit home runs to back Aguigam's four-hit pitching as Sequoias won 8-0 in five innings.
Juarez connected on a two-run shot and Ibarra followed a batter later with a solo shot in the fifth inning to give the Giants an eight-run lead and enact the mercy rule.
Sequoias also received RBI singles from Mariah Guerrero (Redwood) in the third and Alyssa Grijalva (Selma) in the fourth.
Against visiting Reedley on May 6, Juarez walked the Giants off a 10-2 winner in the first game when she scored on Ibarra's fielder's choice grounder in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Pratt erased a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first with a two-run single, and Ibarra put Sequoias ahead to stay with a two-run double in the second.
The Giants also received run-scoring doubles by Pratt and Maddison Servadio (Mission Oak), RBI singles from Guerrero and Grijalva and a run-scoring fielder's choice from Meza.
That was plenty of support for Aguigan, who allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out eight.
In the second game, Servadio scored on a double by Guerrrero to give Sequoias a 12-4 walk-off win in six innings over Reedley.
The Giants' game-ending three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth also featured an RBI triple by Pratt and a run-scoring groundout by Grijalva.
Pratt finished with three of Sequoias' 14 hits, including a RBI double in the first and a two-run double in the third.
The Giants also got run-scoring doubles from Servadio and Ibarra, RBI singles from Grijalva and Juarez, an RBI fielder's choice from Gaitan and a sacrifice fly from Juarez.
Aguigam (7-2) was the winner, allowing one earned run over four innings while striking out three against the Tigers (3-7, 2-4).
Sequoias will host Merced (1-8, 1-7) in a Central Valley Conference doubleheader May 11. Games are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m.
