Prep softball championship: Lights out! Bullard ends 19-year title drought
It had been awhile since the Bullard High softball team last won a Central Section championship.
Try 2003.
That wait came to an end Friday night at Margie Wright Diamond.
The Knights scored two runs apiece in the third and fifth innings to back strong pitching by Hanna Dobbs in a 4-3 victory over Hanford.
“It’s been a little while,” Bullard coach Jaime Maxey said. “It feels good.”
The win gives Bullard its fifth section championship, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
The Knights won titles in 1993, 1999, 2001, 2003 and now 2022.
A long wait for Bullard extended 30 minutes by a delay because some of the lights at the stadium went out.
The Knights struck first when Besty Woodward scored on a wild pitch in the third inning. Haley Reeve followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
Sarah Moite added a two-run double in the fifth inning for a 4-0 lead.
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Hanford scored twice in the sixth inning and added a run in the seventh.
“We love pressure,” Maxey said. “We talk about how we love adversity. We know it’s coming and we found a way to win.”
Bullard sophomore Julianna Martinez, who scored twice, admitted she was nervous in the seventh inning but had confidence in Dobbs: “Hannah worked hard for this moment, and she deserved this a lot.”
Hanford roster: Lilliana Garcia, Vanessa Zapeda, Maddie Benedict, Alyssa Maldonado, Duregan Davis, Juju perez, Jadyn Enriquez, Kayhlen Boring, Genevieve Almanza, Alyssa Aguirre, Ayden Stone, Kinzi Ayala, Nyzeth Gonzalez, Maddie Lujan, Kaydence Hernandez, Tagen Morales, Bella Uuhlik
Bullard roster: Katie Spino, Emily Hinchey, Tabitha Andrews, Karisa Hawkins, Katelyn Weaver, Julianna Martinez, Bella Gallegos, Kendall Nelson, Haley Reeve, Sanai Jones, Betsy Woodward, Miliani Gonzales, Emily Madrigal, Hanna Dobbs, Sarah Moite, Emma Galicia
Monache wins third section title
Monache junior pitcher Morgan Hunter was just too dominant for Wasco.
Hunter pitched a one-hitter and struck out nine to help the Marauders to a 2-0 victory over Wasco in the Central Section Division III championship, Monache’s first section title since 2017 and third in school history, Barnett said.
The Marauders scored twice in the fourth inning. Jessica Batres knocked in Sophia Mendoza for the first run, followed by sacrifice fly by Aleyha Mendoza who scored Hunter.
Monache roster: Monea Posadas, Sophia Mendoza, Sonia Castillo, Sid Barrios, Arianna Rivas, Bryton Loflin, Kaylee Lisenbery, Pricila Valencia, Makenzie Haslam, Morgan Hunter, Sereena Lemus, Aleyah Mendoza, Alli Andrighetto, Jessica Batres
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 10:06 PM.
