YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK CONTINUES
One of the reasons that the Aztecs’ 12 and under softball team finished with a 9-2-1 record in the regular season was because of pitching.
In the Lodi Boosters of Boys and Girls Club Sports’ 12U championship game at Salas Park on Wednesday, the pitching continued to play a role in the Aztecs’ 10-7 win over the Ducks for the crown. The Ducks finished their regular season at 5-7.
Aztecs’ pitcher Hannah Escalante struck out 13 Duck batters in six innings of the contest. She held the Ducks to only three hits.
The game was tied 5-5 going into the bottom of the third inning. That’s when the Aztecs scored five times for a 10-5 lead. Leading the offensive attack for the Aztecs in that inning were Donna Casey and Abbey Rusch and Natalie Snowden, all of whom had singles. Two walks were issued to Hattie Ellison and Escalante.
But the Ducks made some noise in their final at-bats in the top of the fourth and fifth frames. Lila Colwell walked and scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-6 in the fourth. Bailey Maynard was hit by a pitch the following inning, stole second and scored on Isabella Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly for a 107 score.
The Aztecs led 5-0 until the top of the third. That’s when the Ducks’ first five batters in Riley Lewis, Amanda Herrerra, Reese Hohen-
thaner, Bailey Maynard and Mia Mackey doubled, singled and walked; Herrerra had the double.
Leading 2-0 entering the bottom of the second inning, the Aztecs scored three times to make it 5-0. Rusch doubled, while teammates Casey and Snowden had singles.