Reedley wins conference in thriller

By Jacob Rayburn, The Exponent

jacob@midvalleypublishing.com

Reedley College's softball team successfully defended its Central Valley Conference title in an instant classic, walk-off 5-4 win on April 21 against Fresno City College.

Sophomore Marissa Rendon drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to send the Lady Tigers storming onto the field in celebration.

 It was Rendon's first hit of the season after she broke her ankle in October, said head coach Kathy Kuball.

"And it was a rope," Kuball said, smiling.

It was the end to a marathon day of softball.

The Lady Tigers started the day needing only to split a doubleheader against their rival in order to secure the program's third championship since 2011.

"This is the first team we've had in our history to win back-to-back [championships]," Kuball said. "That in itself is super hard to do and  super cool. And there couldn't be a better group to experience that."

Sophomore Morgen Blanchard added: "We worked so hard for it. Coming into today we had it in our minds that we could make history. We just wanted to get it done."

For much of the day it looked like the title would elude the Lady Tigers.  

Reedley College dropped the first game in frustrating fashion.

The Lady Tigers lost the game because of defensive miscues, Kuball said.

With the first game going to the Rams, the second became a de facto championship game.

The Lady Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning but quickly lost it in the second. From there, Fresno City built a 4-1 lead.

Reedley College got back a run in the sixth and it was 4-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Blanchard stepped into the batter's box as the leadoff hitter with the mindset of simply getting on base, she said.

Instead she sent a rocket over the center field fence that sent the dugout and stands into a frenzy.

Then, improbably, freshman Jaylee Villareal followed Blanchard with a smashing home run to nearly the same spot.

Sophomore catcher Stephanie Cantu said the team never stopped believing a rally was possible.

Before Blanchard went to the plate, Cantu remembered that Rendon told the team, "Miracles do happen."

And like that, the game was tied.

"They never quit fighting," Kuball said. "There was a little smidgen of doubt there, but bang we kicked it into another gear. Once we tied it up I really felt like, 'We're going to get this thing.'"

It took four more innings to finish the job. 

On the mound for the Lady Tigers was their staff ace, freshman Elizabeth Flores.

From behind home plate, Cantu watched Flores get stronger as the game dragged on, despite the fact Flores also pitched all seven innings of the first game.

"She's a trooper," Cantu said, smiling. "She really just pushed through."

Flores kept the Rams in check long enough for Reedley College to win the game.

The Lady Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the 11th and Rendon came to the plate with one out.

The player who'd kept up a chant of "I believe" in every inning of both games smacked a line drive into the gap.

"She is one of those people that just has the drive," Blanchard said. "She has faith. So, when coach made that change [to have Rendon hit], I was like, 'All right, let's do this. It's going to happen.'"

Kuball said the plan was for Rendon to hit earlier in the game, but the coaches wanted to talk to her first.

Kuball said she was worried that Rendon would be too energized in her first at bat of the season.

If she was nervous, Rendon didn't show it.

Her only hit of the season delivered a conference championship to Reedley College.

http://www.reedleyexponent.com/articles/2015/04/22/sports/doc5537dd6634a6f930932730.txt