Mission Prep softball wins dramatic 10-inning playoff game behind pitcher’s 22 Ks
Mission Prep’s softball team pulled off an upset in dramatic fashion Thursday, beating Immanuel High of Fresno County 6-1 in 10 innings, after being knotted 1-1 after the seventh.
Royals’ pitcher Roxanne Guerra had a game that statistically is “almost unheard of,” said Coach Johnnie Martinez.
Guerra, a junior, threw 10 innings and struck out 22 batters. At the plate, Guerra also had the go-ahead home run in the 10th to put the Royals up 2-1 at the time.
“She has been our ace and Roxanne had a game that’s basically unheard of,” Martinez said. “She was more than capable and willing to throw all 10 innings.”
Guerra’s homer in the 10th was followed by an inside-the-park grand slam from sophomore Mikaylee Gordon as the Royals exploded for five runs in the inning.
Earlier in the game, freshman Rose Guerra (Roxanne’s sister) tied the game 1-1 in the sixth with a home run for the Royals.
“This win is a huge boost for us,” Martinez said. “We battled all year in league and had a lot of one-run games. That set us up for a game like this. Roxanne had good defense behind her and we got out of a couple of bases loaded jams.”
The Royals (11-14-1) came in as the No. 7 seed in the Division 4 CIF-Central Section playoff bracket, facing the No. 2 seed in Immanuel on the road in Reedley, located south of Fresno.
Mission Prep knocked off No. 10 Golden Valley in its first-round 11-0 win.
The Royals move on to play No. 3 McLane, of Fresno, on the road on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in the semifinals.
McLane topped Nipomo 3-2 on Thursday in Fresno to end the Titans season. Nipomo finished 12-8 and star pitcher Kate Barnett struck out more than 200 batters during the season.
This story was originally published May 18, 2023 at 11:28 PM.
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