Pedraza's inside the parker lifts Orange Coast past Modesto

SARATOGA, Calif –  Down for the duration of the game, Orange Coast's Olivia Pedraza delivered the game's biggest hit – a three-run inside-the-park homer to steal the lead and momentum en route to an 8-6 win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Katelyn Bridgeman opened the scoring with a double into the left center field gap. She scored Kayleen Zayehmour who hit a two-out single to spark the rally. Bridgeman, trying to stretch the hit into a triple, was caught in a pickle to end the inning with a 1-0 Modesto advantage.

Orange Coast tried to mount its own two-out rally with a Jas Morales double off the wall. Big 8 Pitcher of the Year Brooklyn Heffernan got Kimora Tuipala swinging to end the threat.

Modesto poured it on in the third, a three-run top half of the inning put MJC up 4-0. The top of the order got it going with back-to-back line drives to left – a Sophia Coronado double and Kesaia Faasisila single. A successful squeeze attempt and single rounded out Modesto's scoring spree. 

OCC answered the Modesto big inning with one of its own. The Pirates of Orange Coast started their three-run rally with an Olivia Pedraza RBI double. A batter later, Kelsey McNair smoked a single to center that kicked off the centerfielder. While the run would have scored regardless of the error, McNair coasted all the way to third on the blunder. She scored later in the inning on a dropped third strike. 

Modesto added an insurance run in the top of the fifth behind a pair of walks, single and a hit by pitch. Frankie Paz was credited with an RBI on her one-out walk. 

Orange Coast took advantage of Modesto mishaps in the fifth. After scoring a run to cut the deficit to 5-4, a dropped third strikeout to end the inning was erased with the first baseman missing the bag while fielding the throw from the catcher. Pedraza scored on the play to tie the game after five.

Heffernan helped her own cause in the top of the sixth, giving Modesto the lead at 6-5. With the bases juiced, the pitcher knocked a deep fly ball to center to bring home the go-ahead score. 

Kelsey McNair of Orange Coast was tasked with a relief role in a no-out bases loaded situation and limited the damage to one with a pair of punchouts. McNair is one of the state's top strikeout arms, striking out 11.1 hitters per seven innings. 

Orange Coast captured the lead and the momentum in the bottom half on a Pedraza three-run inside-the-park home run. A scorching line drive to center got by the diving center fielder and rolled to the wall – Pedraza's speed led to an easy score and 8-6 lead – OCC's first of the game.

McNair closed the door in the seventh for her sixth win of the season.

@OCCFastpitch comes from behind to pick up the 8-6 win over Modesto! Liv Pedraza on her go-ahead 3-run inside-the-park homer in the sixth! pic.twitter.com/lXvajVtc9J

— 3CFCA (@3CFCA) May 15, 2025

UP NEXT

Orange Coast moves into the winner's bracket with the win and will face San Mateo at 11 a.m.

Modesto falls into the loser's bracket and faces Palomar in a win-or-go-home game at 11 a.m. at San Jose City College.