With the Los Medanos College softball season coming to an end, the sophomore Stangs were honored in a pregame ceremony conducted by an emotional head coach Tim Rognlien, summarizing each player’s attributes and efforts this year. Sophomores Corina Salinas, Marie Rios and team captain Ryann Yelder, all played their final game in an LMC uniform in a doubleheader loss against first-place Yuba College.

Though always displaying a never-give-up performance in every game in their 2017 campaign, the team finished in third place with a 6-9 record.

Game one of the two-game series began with pitcher Sylvia Chavez quickly ending the first yet allowing an early run. Second baseman Alex Tellez was the first player on base and top leader in batting average of all conferences. Ashley Derby got herself a base hit. Outfielder Skye Lee began her impressive offense showing in both games with a two-run single and a 2-1 lead at the end of the first inning.

Chavez continued her strong start by not allowing a hit or run, keeping the team’s lead.  Sophomore outfielder Marie Rios smashed a hard-hit double to left field in her first at bat of the game. Fellow sophomore and team captain Ryann Yelder brought Rios to home plate with an RBI single and made the score 3-1 through the first two innings.

But the lead wouldn’t last long, Yuba’s offense tied the game with a two-run double and won the advantage back with another double that brought in two runs at the top of the third, putting them in front, 7-3. The Yuba 49ers had an absolute blowout with nine runs scored in the fifth inning, making the game unreachable for the Stangs to comeback.

The score was 16-3, but the efforts by LMC never changed and they played the game as if it they were close to tying it. Lee’s powerful swing with two outs made it over the 200- feet wall to left field for her first homerun of the year.  Catcher Brittany Bangert got her first hit of the game with a single and sprinted with all her speed to second base to extend it to a double after a defensive error.

However, that would be the last hit of the game and the Mustangs chalked up their eighth loss of the season with a final score of 16-5 after five innings.

In the second and final game of the season, Derby was the starting pitcher while freshman Elizabeth McLaurin took her spot at first base. The batting lineup also changed as the first three up were the sophomore Stangs.

Yuba immediately got on the scoreboard and lead 5-0 after two innings.

Meanwhile, a lead-off single in the middle of the infield by Derby brought Lee to the batter’s box in the bottom of the second. In a Déjà vu moment as Lee homered again for her second of the day and the season.

Still the Yuba 49er’s bats couldn’t keep quiet, as they scored five more runs at the top of the third inning, giving them a solid lead on 10-2.  Although LMC was down by eight runs again, it didn’t stop them attempting to finish on a high note. Singles by Rios,

Derby and Lee, got the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the third.

Moments of luck appeared, as Bangert and outfielder Danielle French nabbed an RBI of off errors by the Yuba defense. Tellez would also get a run with a base hit and the Stangs were down by five again at the end of three innings, 10-5.

Eventually the 49ers again displayed ruthless hits and runs and proved why they’ve been undefeated the whole season by finishing the game on top 19-5 after five innings

“Too many errors, bad throws and not enough hits has just been the story of our season,” said head coach Tim Rognlien, as LMC finished third in the Bay Valley Conference.

The coach praised his players for their tenacity saying, “The kids always work hard even though we were losing by a heavy sum and that’s what the game is all about.”

The team ends their 2017 season with a 6-9 record.