Following a loss to the Oak Park Eagles, the West Ranch Wildcats bounced back in Foothill League softball play with a 19-1 win over the visiting Castaic Coyotes on Thursday and secured their 16th win of the season.
“We hit the ball well and hit the ball on the ground and in the gaps. That’s where we are the most productive,” said West Ranch head coach Michael Merrilees in response to the Wildcats’ offensive display.
The Wildcats (16-6, 7-1) tallied 17 hits across five innings of play with nine players driving in a run. And while the Wildcats showcased their offensive output, sophomore Gretchen Roen limited the Coyotes’ offense to a lone run in the first inning.
Roen, who allowed one run in the first inning, held the Coyotes scoreless for the rest of the game as she allowed three hits total while striking out four.
After the game, Merrilees said that Roen has really improved from her freshman season and has a team-first mindset that leads the Wildcats to having big offensive days.
“She’s now in year two and she does what she does. She generates ground balls and gets us off the field,” Merrilees said. “That’s all we’re really asking our pitchers to do and that’s get us out of innings so we can start swinging it.”
The Wildcats improved to 7-1 in league play and remained in second place in the Foothill League standings while the Coyotes dropped their sixth game of the year.
The Coyotes remain in sixth place in the standings.
Merrilees is looking for his Wildcats to have a strong finish to the league season but will have his team looking at the next game instead of ahead.
The Wildcats play again on Tuesday against the Canyon Cowboys at home with first pitch scheduled for 3:15 p.m. and match up with the first-place Saugus Centurions on Thursday.
“Every game is momentum for us,” he said. “We have some stuff to work on and we’re not going to look ahead to anybody. One game at a time and one team at a time.”
The Coyotes will look to bounce back at home on Tuesday against the Golden Valley Grizzlies with the game set to begin at 3:15 p.m.
After Thursday’s games, here are scores from around the Foothill League:
Saugus 9, Canyon 1: The Saugus Centurions (13-7, 8-0) secured their eighth Foothill League win of the season following a road victory over the Canyon Cowboys (6-15, 1-7).
The Centurions’ Savanna Smith broke the all-time hits record at Saugus High School. Smith has totaled 131 career hits and passed Cayla Kessinger, who held the record beforewith 128.
Smith is a commit to California State University, Northridge, and went 3-for-4 at the plate in the win over Canyon with one run driven in.
The Centurions play again in the Foothill League on Tuesday at home against the Valencia Vikings while the Cowboys will look to bounce back at West Ranch against the Wildcats.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m.
Hart 14, Valencia 3: The Hart Hawks (10-10, 5-3) secured their fifth Foothill League win on senior night at the Hart Pony baseball complex over the Valencia Vikings (8-6, 4-3).
The Hawks were led by sophomore Hannah Cook, who went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and four runs driven in.
The Hawks play on Thursday against the Grizzlies at Golden Valley High School while the Vikings will look to rebound in a Tuesday matchup against the Centurions at Saugus High School.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m.
