The Ceres Sizzle 14-and-under travel softball team continued its run of excellence this past week.
The Sizzle claimed their third consecutive tournament title.
Ceres placed first in the Gold Bracket of the Modesto Softball Quest, which was staged July 16-17 at the Rainbow Sports Complex.
“The girls expect to win,” head coach Jeff Graham said. “But it’s not a cocky attitude. They work hard and believe in themselves.”
Ceres pitcher Janessa McClure compiled a 3-0 record at the Softball Quest.
She totaled nine strikeouts.
She had a pitch count of 186.
McClure competed injured as she was cleated while covering home plate on defense during one of the Sizzle’s games.
“I’m super proud of her,” Graham said. “She had to really dig deep. She’s a tough kid.”
Ceres won all five of its games.
“We played against some really good teams."
The top-seeded Sizzle outlasted the third-seeded Razorbacks (Madera) 10-9 in extra innings during the finals on Sunday.
The winner was determined following two innings of international tiebreaker. Each team started with a runner on second base in the sixth and seventh innings.
Shelby Alves drove in the winning run.
Marian Verdugo scored from third base on a fielder’s choice with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Ceres battled back from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“The girls were super emotional. They had to work for it. They didn’t quit. In my opinion, we should have won before we went to the tiebreaker stuff.”
The Sizzle had a host of contributors on offense against the Razorbacks.
Ceres piled up 14 hits.
Selene Valencia batted 3-for-4 with one RBI and three runs.
Layla Lozano batted 2-for-4 with one double, three RBIs and one run.
Journey Estrella batted 3-for-4 with one double, two RBIs and one stolen base.
Verdugo batted 1-for-3 with one RBI, one run and two stolen bases.
Payton Graham batted 1-for-4 with one RBI, one run and one stolen base.
Sydney Graham batted 1-for-4 with two runs.
Alves batted 1-for-5 with one RBI and one run.
Genevieve Armenta batted 1-for-4 with one run.
Love Arballo batted 1-for-4.
McClure gave up nine hits and four earned runs with two strikeouts and seven walks in seven innings.
Ceres beat fourth-seeded Central Valley Liberty Red (Turlock) 4-0 in the semifinals on Sunday.
McClure allowed just one hit with three strikeouts in four innings.
“She was very dominant,” commented coach Graham.
The Sizzle had four hits versus Liberty Red.
Estrella batted 2-for-2 with one double and two runs.
Valencia batted 1-for-2 with two runs and two stolen bases.
Lozano batted 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Alves chipped in with one run and two stolen bases.
Armenta collected one run and one stolen base.
Ceres was awarded the top seed in the Gold Bracket following its 3-0 showing in pool play.
The Sizzle bested the Razorbacks 9-6, Milpitas Monsters 5-0 and Central Valley Liberty Griswold 7-3 on Saturday.
McClure yielded no runs and four hits with four strikeouts and no walks against Milpitas.
Ceres improved to 17-8 on the year.
The Sizzle have placed first three times and second once this summer.
“Everything is falling into place for them,” Jeff Graham said. “Mentally, the girls are playing at an elite level. They’ve elevated their game.”
Ceres’ team softball IQ has improved during the course of the season.
“Reps and experience are everything in my opinion,” said coach Graham. “We’ve moved past basic fundamentals. We really work on more advanced things. The girls are ready and hungry for that. They’re thirsty to learn.”
