On April 22, the Mustangs faced off against Modesto, losing 3-1 and ending the season with a 20-14 record.
The game took place on Sophomore Day, which honors all the athletes transferring after the season.
Freshman pitcher No. 10 Lily Alamillo pitched all seven innings, gave up three runs, but also had three strikeouts.
She said consistency is key and praised her defense.
“I feel like if you’re not consistent, it’s hard for the defense to work for you. As a pitcher, you have to think you are working for your defense. If you’re all over the place, it will take a toll on your defense, too. It’s not just you on the mound; it’s everyone.” Alamillo said, “I feel like the season went good. I had a lot of ups and downs, but I feel like I’ve really improved, and I like how the team came together.”
Delta had a hard time on the offensive end, only logging two hits. Modesto’s pitcher went all seven innings as well.
The Mustangs first hit came from catcher No. 9 Hailey Bacon, who hit a double in the 5th inning.
In the last inning, the Mustangs’ first batter was hit by a pitch and Delta got a little run going.
2nd Baseman Tara Fornaciari hit a double that knocked in the Mustangs’ only run.
“It felt good because I realized we still had a lot of games to play and I owed the team a lot to hit. I was glad to do it to prove to the team that I could do it and at least get something on the board to show that we have a chance.”
She said the season was good and looks forward to her future.
“‘It gave us all learning aspects we play as a family and we all made a lot of great friendships on this team which was a pure blessing to have these girls to play with,” Fornaciari said.
Unfortunately, she was left on base, ending the game, but both players praised the team’s consistent defense throughout the season.
One of the best was shortstop No. 4 Brooklin Preece, who made great plays throughout the game, either throwing runners out at 1st or catching fly balls and line drives.
“I think it is very important to play defense because we stop the other team’s runs from scoring. That’s my greatest thing that I have when I’m struggling with hitting, that’s the one thing that I have consistently been good in.”
Pitcher No. 5, Ariel Nava, has committed to play for the University of Pacific
All three players mentioned that it was great to play back at home after 2.5 years of being at the
University of Pacific but felt bad that the baseball field isn’t done yet.
It is expected to be finished in May, but that will be after the baseball season so it won’t be usable until next season.
After the game concluded, the Softball team allowed families to go on the field to take pictures with their Sophomore players since it was the last game of the season this year.
The team finished in fifth place in the Big 8 Conference.
Modesto Junior College bested the Mustangs in best-of-three (4-2, 12-5, 8-2) in regional play, ending the season.
