''They really don't know how to give up": Monache softball team's run comes to end
FRESNO - The Monache High School softball team's goal of winning a section title fell short on Friday night at Fresno State's Margie Wright Diamond.
Top-ranked St. Joseph-Santa Maria shut out No. 10 Monache 4-0 to win the 2024 Central Section Division II championship. Knights' junior star pitcher Taylor Mediano, a University of Utah commit, turned in a dominating performance.
Mediano tossed a complete game, firing 10 strikeouts and allowing just four hits and a walk.
"She's a talented girl," Monache head coach Briana Bamber said of Mediano. "I commend St. Joseph. Great team, but today, she bested us."
St. Joseph (23-5-1) drew first blood in the opening inning.
Knights lead-off hitter Seleny Chavez led off with a walk and preceded to steal second.
Two batters later, clean-up hitter Kaycie Gavlak reached first on a walk. Then Charli Escobedo smashed a two-run double and the Knights grabbed a 2-0 advantage.
Monache (18-14) nearly scored in the third inning when Devynn Emerson rounded past third base on Ahtziri Barrios' single, but Gavlak, the St. Joseph left fielder, threw Emerson out at home.
The Knights added an insurance run each in the fifth and sixth innings to seal their section plaque.
It's been a memorable ride for Monache.
In March, the Marauders went on a stretch where they lost five of six games, including three straight, but found their stride in mid-April, winning nine of their next 10 games to earn a spot in the section title game.
"They really don't know how to give up," said Bamber, who's team entered the section final on a five-game winning streak. "They don't take defeat as defeat. They see it as a learning experience for the next thing."
Bamber, a Monache grad, had a successful year in her first season as the Marauders' head coach.
She helped direct a Marauders' squad that fielded one of the top defenses and pitching staffs in Tulare County this season.
Monache allowed just 2.9 runs per game in 2024 and was anchored in the circle by freshman Shy-Lee Teran and sophomores Danika Sanchez and Sophia Martinez.
Martinez, the starting pitcher in the championship game, had four strikeouts in 4 ⅓ innings and Teran finished with one strikeout.
Barrios led the Marauders with two hits against St. Joseph. Emerson and Jaydin Sabol each added a single.
"It's been a trip," Bamber said. "I'm blessed with the girls that I have. They are talented beyond belief. It's been a learning experience for me. I've learned a lot about motivation and making sure that the girls keep their competitive edge up. They've made it easy on me because they have drive themselves, so it's been a blast."
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: St. Joseph-Santa Maria defeats Monache in Central Section D2 final
