No. 10 COS Softball Clinches Share of CVC Title with 4-3 Comeback Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | X | 4 | 7 | 3 |
VISALIA, Calif. – The No. 10-ranked College of the Sequoias softball team (29-9, 13-2 CVC) capped off its conference schedule with a 4-3 win over Taft College on Tuesday, securing at least a share of the Central Valley Conference (CVC) championship for the second consecutive season. Prior to the game, they honored their sophomores for their contributions to the team's success.
The Giants got on the board early in the second inning when Taylor Hastin (Tulare Union HS) launched a solo home run, her 8th HR on the season, to left field, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. That advantage held until the top of the sixth, when Taft strung together four hits to score three runs and take a 3-1 lead.
COS responded immediately in the bottom half. Elaine Duran (Tulare Western HS) led off the inning with a single, and two batters later, Grace Chojnacki (Mission Oak HS) delivered with a two-run homer to left field to tie the game at 3-3.
Hastin then worked a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Emilee Santos (Corcoran HS), and came around to score the go-ahead run on a RBI single to right from Skye Gomez.
Taft threatened in the top of the seventh, placing the tying run on second following a fielding error and sacrifice bunt. But Hastin, who went the distance in the circle, shut the door with a strikeout and flyout to end the game. She finished with six strikeouts and no walks, earning her 16th win of the season.
With the victory, the Giants wrapped up their CVC schedule at 13-2 and remain in position for either an outright or shared CVC conference title, continuing a run of success under head coach Cori Janelli.
Notable Performances
Grace Chojnacki (Mission Oak HS): 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs
Taylor Hastin (Tulare Union HS): 1-for-2, HR, RBI, BB; 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 6 K
Skye Gomez (El Diamante HS): 1-for-3, Go-Ahead RBI
Elaine Duran (Tulare Western HS): 1-for-3, R
Emilee Santos (Corcoran HS): 1-for-2, Sacrifice Bunt
Up Next
College of the Sequoias has closed out CVC play, finishing with a 13-2 conference record. The Giants now await the release of the 3C2A Northern California playoff brackets, which are expected to be announced on April 26. The opening round of postseason play is scheduled to begin May 2-3, where COS will look to build on its strong season and make a deep playoff run.
