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Bear Creek softball hands Stagg first league loss of the season

shannon mia belt, the record
·4 min read
Bear Creek's Gianna Galli slides safely past Stagg's Bella "Jorge" Hernandez at third during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.
Bear Creek's Gianna Galli slides safely past Stagg's Bella "Jorge" Hernandez at third during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.

When Bear Creek softball hosted Stagg for the two teams' second meeting of the season, the game felt personal.

Wednesday’s match would decide if the Delta Queens would win out the San Joaquin Athletic Association or if the Bruins could push for a two-way tie for first place.

“We knew that they were a good team and we needed to respond to the first loss,” said Kirk Klucznik, Bear Creek’s head coach. “I just tried to keep them loose and focused. And when the time came the team came through."

After only five innings of play, Bear Creek spanked Stagg for a 14-4 mercy win. Here are the highlights from the Bruins’ dominating victory.

Bear Creek's Raylani Elias hits a single during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.
Bear Creek's Raylani Elias hits a single during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.

Bear Creek's hot start

The Bruins wasted no time giving Stagg’s pitcher Leiana Madrazo problems from the first inning. Before Stagg could even record an out, they put two runners into scoring position. Senior Hailey Kobler got the scoring started with an RBI bunt.

Bear Creek’s offense was just getting started though. Three runners would touch the home plate before the end of the first inning. Leading the charge was senior shortstop Gianna Galli. The University of Nebraska of Kearny-commit finished the game with two doubles, three runs, and two RBIs.

Bear Creek's Aureanna Olaso, left, Siannah Rios and Alyssa Maloy cheer on their team during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4
Bear Creek's Aureanna Olaso, left, Siannah Rios and Alyssa Maloy cheer on their team during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4

Galli and Kobler weren’t the only Bruins with a hot bat.

“I think the whole team collectively showed up even the bottom of our lineup decided to get some productive hits when we needed them to and they produced a lot,” Galli said.

Every Bear Creek batter that made a plate appearance got on base. Seven of those Bruins brought a run across home plate. Senior Raylani Elias finished with the team’s most runs, three.

Stagg’s mental errors halt a comeback

After falling behind by 10 runs in the third inning, Stagg's head coach Lia Madrazo wanted to see if her team still had some fight left in them.

Stagg's Melia Dimas celebrates hitting a single during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.
Stagg's Melia Dimas celebrates hitting a single during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.

The Delta Queens responded in the fourth inning with some clutch at-bats from juniors Ciraya Rodriguez and Emilliana Palafox. In the fifth inning, Stagg started to make some more noise with its bats. Senior Mckenzi "Red" Smith had the team’s deepest hit smacking to deep right field. Smith’s RBI double brought her team within six runs.

“I told our girls don’t hang your heads,” Madrazo said. “We had a lot of errors are pitching wasn’t there but we tried to battle back as much as we could but I think they were just in their head too much.”

Stagg’s comeback was short-lived. The Bruins answered back following Stagg’s four runs getting two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth inning to make the score 12-4. Before you know it the Bear Creek crowd was no longer on the edge of their seats but on their feet cheering.

Bear Creek's Hailey Kobler, right, is tagged by Stagg's Mckenzi "Red" Smith in a run down between third and home during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.
Bear Creek's Hailey Kobler, right, is tagged by Stagg's Mckenzi "Red" Smith in a run down between third and home during a varsity softball game at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.

The beginning of a rivalry

Despite the game not going the Delta Queen’s way, they still hold claim to a first-place spot in the SJAA. Bear Creek also holds that spot with a similar league record of 10-1. This first-place tie is the start of an SJAA rivalry between the two teams.

“I’m just proud because Bear Creek has never cared about Stagg like they do now,” Madrazo said. “We haven’t beat Bear Creek in 17 years so for us to beat them that one time is an accomplishment. We have a lot more heart left and we want Stagg to get a softball banner.”

Bear Creek's Natalie Trujillo delivers a pitch during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.
Bear Creek's Natalie Trujillo delivers a pitch during a varsity softball game against Stagg at Bear Creek in Stockton on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Bear Creek won 14-4.

Stagg has three more league games left of the season. If it can win out the rest of its schedule then the Delta Queens could have a banner in the future.

The Bruins, who are the reigning SJAA champs, are looking to go back-to-back following this win. If they also win out its remaining three games then the teams would share the title.

“We came to play today because we knew we had a title to defend,” Galli said. “We knew that Stagg was going to come in firing and that we needed to come out stronger. I think everybody gave it their all and they did just that.”

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Bear Creek softball hands Stagg first league loss of the season