The Golden Valley Cougars softball team traveled to El Capitan High for a highly competitive CCC matchup against the crosstown rival Gauchos on Tuesday, April 14th.
The Gauchos got on the board in the first inning after leadoff hitter Tasha Dickey was walked to first and later stole second base. Dickey reached third base after a wild pitch to the next hitter. Later in that same at-bat Dickey scored on a passed ball, giving the Gauchos a 1-0.
From that point, excellent pitching by both starters kept the scoring at a premium. For the Cougars, starting pitcher Savanna Benc was stellar. The Lady Cougar pitched a complete game for Golden Valley, striking out eleven Gauchos and giving up two hits, while surrendering three unearned runs. El Capitan starting pitcher Ellery Hunter was equally masterful for the “Gal-chos”. The starter gave up just three hits of her own, surrendering one earned run and striking out five Cougars while getting the win for El Capitan.
As the game proceeded to the top of the fifth inning, Golden Valley found new life. Ryleigh Ramirez walked to first base and was able to advance to second base after Allie Minor singled on a bunt to the pitcher. With two outs, another fly ball single to left field by Amirah Gonzalez allowed Ramirez to come home and tie the game. The next hitter, Alanni Cienfuegos gave the Cougars the lead by smacking a groundball through the infield which allowed Minor to score from third. Gonzalez, however, was thrown out at home to end the inning. But, the damage was done as the Cougars took their first lead of the game 2-1, energizing their dugout and slightly shifting the game’s momentum.
The Gauchos were able to respond during their half of the fifth inning. With two outs recorded (and after a Gauchos coach ejection), Emma Derichsweiler was hit by a pitch and later stole second base. Another passed ball allowed Derichsweiler to advance to third, and after another wild pitch by the Cougars, Derichsweiler scored to tie the game, once again, at 2-2.
In the sixth inning, the Gauchos’ defense held strong as they shut down the Cougars in order, keeping the score tied. During the bottom half of the sixth inning, the Gauchos reclaimed the lead after a throwing error by the third baseman allowed Gauchos’ batter Paisley Gurrola to advance all the way to second base. Gurrola, who stole third base during the next at-bat, later came home to score after Ellery Hunter reached on an error by Cougar pitcher Savanna Benc.
After retaking the lead, Hunter shut down the Cougars in the seventh inning by inducing two ground outs and striking out the Cougars last hitter. The strikeout ended a brilliant game by both teams with a final score of 3-2 El Capitan.
After the game, freshman pitcher Ellery Hunter reflected on their performance, saying “We just got to keep going through… cheering each other on, which helps us go through.” The win marks a major milestone for El Capitan. It is their first league win since 2023.
With the results El Capitan improves to 1-2 in league play, while Golden Valley falls to 0-3. For their next games, El Capitan will play against Los Banos High School at Los Banos on April 16, 2026. Golden Valley, meanwhile, will play against Atwater High School, also on April 16, 2026.
- Photos and article by Yoanna Morales ↩︎
