Taft Softball falls at Merced
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
|
|
1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | X | 12 | 9 | 2 |
Taft built an early three-run cushion, but Merced flipped the game with a six-run fourth inning and went on to hand the Cougars a 12-6 loss Thursday in a seven-inning game at Merced College.
The decisive stretch came after Taft carried a 4-1 lead through the top of the second. Merced pulled even with three runs in the third, then broke the game open in the fourth, using multiple RBI plays and a Taft error to surge in front 10-4. The home team added two more runs in the fifth for a 12-5 advantage, and Taft's late push in the seventh only trimmed the final margin.
Taft started fast. Katelynn Moore helped spark a three-run first inning with a single and aggressive baserunning, stealing bases as the Cougars jumped ahead 3-0. Merced answered in the bottom half when Haiden Priddell doubled home Maisen Priddell. In the second, Moore struck again, lining an RBI double that brought in Jaycee Edgar and extended the Taft lead to 4-1.
Moore turned in Taft's top offensive performance, finishing 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs scored, one RBI and three stolen bases. Taft collected 11 hits in the loss, but Merced made the most of its chances by drawing eight walks and capitalizing on six Taft errors. The Cougars added a run in the fifth and another in the seventh, when Moore doubled and later scored, but could not string together the bigger inning they needed.
Merced's lineup was led by Maisen Priddell, who scored four runs and drove in two, and Ava Oberti, who scored three times, had two hits and added an RBI. Haiden Priddell earned the win with a complete-game effort, allowing six runs on 11 hits over seven innings while striking out five on 76 pitches. Taft pitchers worked six innings and recorded three strikeouts, but Merced's rally innings proved too much to overcome.
After controlling the game early, Taft was undone by Merced's middle-inning surge, especially the six-run fourth that turned a tie game into a multi-run deficit. The Cougars showed life to the final out, but Thursday's turning point remained the fourth inning at Merced College.