Pair of Cats win top honors
The 2017 Imperial Valley League softball season proved to be another exciting affair of athleticism and grit between local teams and athletes.
This year, the IVL crown came between Brawley Union High and Imperial High, who each finished the IVL season with identical records of 10-2.
Overall, the Wildcats went 13-15, while the Tigers finished 17-12, with both squads advancing to the CIF-San Diego Section playoffs in their respective divisions.
Helping both teams to their strong seasons was a handful of standout players, who were also named to this year’s All-IVL First Team list.
Securing the top spots on the First Team list were Brawley’s Aubrey Ruelas and Savannah Contreras, who earned Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year honors, respectively.
Ruelas led local teams in wins with eight and had the third-most strikeouts with 45 this year.
Ruelas spent four seasons on the Wildcats’ varsity roster and put in solid work for the team each year.
In her career, Ruelas amassed 33 wins and 141 total strikeouts for a 2.92 ERA and a .982 fielding percentage.
Also finishing the season with a strong fielding percentage was Contreras, who has held down the shortstop position for the Wildcats since her freshman campaign.
As a sophomore, Contreras put up a .935 fielding percentage and tallied 49 assists and 52 putouts this season.
Contreras was also effective offensively for Brawley appearing at the top of the lineup and finishing with a .348 average, 31 hits, 14 RBIs, 23 runs scored and two home runs.
Joining Ruelas and Contreras on the First Team was teammate and senior designated hitter Taylor Carranza.
Carranza a four-year varsity veteran proved efficient in her final season totaling 26 hits, 18 RBIs and 13 runs scored for a .313 average.
Carranza finishes her career with 61 hits, 46 RBIs, 26 runs scored, six home runs and .300 batting average.
For the Tigers, both Cassandra Valle and Priscilla Silva earned first team honors.
Valle, a three-year varsity veteran for the Tigers, closed her junior season as the team’s and one of the league’s top all-around player.
The junior shortstop had a .940 fielding percentage, tallying 47 assists and 62 putouts.
Offensively, Valle hit .352 with 32 hits, 20 RBIs, 19 doubles, three triples and four home runs.
Valle also scored 25 runs on the season.
Closing out the First Team selectees for the top two IVL teams was Imperial’s Silva.
Silva held down the hot corner for Imperial her senior season after serving as the starting catcher last year.
Silva posted a .910 fielding percentage tallying 36 assists and 25 putouts. At the plate, Silva also flexed her strength hitting .363 on the season with 33 hits, 12 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Silva finishes her high school career with a .331 batting average, 102 hits, 49 RBIs and 77 runs scored.