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Nyetrae Earns All-State, Nominated for All-American
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
May 3, 2010

Courtney Nyetrae made a big impression in her first season of softball at Taft College. The first baseman from Phoenix, Ariz. made first team All-Central Valley Conference, first team All-Northern California and has been nominated for All-America honors. Nyetrae led the state in doubles (22), was NorCal and conference batting champion with a .569 average, was fourth in the state in base hits (62), and 10th in the state in slugging percentage (.822). She drove in 35 runs to set the pace in the conference and smacked three homers. Conference pitchers had so much respect for her that in one game she was intentionally walked with the bases loaded. She was joined on the All-CVC first team by freshman pitcher Allie Carrigan, who was a workhorse with 28 decisions.

She finished 10-18 with a 2.44 earned run average and was second in the conference in strikeouts with 132. She led the conference in innings pitched with 136. Carrigan had two saves and also swung a potent bat, hitting .347 with two homers and 22 RBIs. The Cougars, who finished the season 15-22-1 overall and 9-9 in the conference, placed four players on the honorable mention list: freshmen Bailey Day, Amber Si’u and Kelcey Viliamu and sophomore Monica Lovato. Si’u was fifth in the conference with a .412 batting average, drove in 19 runs and hit two homers – one a grand slam. Day and Viliamu both hit .345. Viliamu led the conference in homers with eight and was second with 31 RBIs. Sophomore catcher Lovato had two solid seasons for the Cougars. She hit .221.

Head coach Stefanie Walsh called the season a success and a solid building block for next year. She had only two sophomores (Lovato and Mahela Punley), and the numbers her freshmen put up bodes well. “It puts us in a really good position to come back and achieve the goals we have already set for next year,” she said. “They now know what to expect out of college softball in general and our conference in particular. They are much more confident.” Walsh wants to shore up the defense, which was a liability until late in the season. “The last quarter of the season we made very few errors,” she said. “We weren’t making those young mistakes. One of the problems is we had people playing out of position so much.” She also thinks she will have a solid recruiting class coming in. “I have four committed already and several others I’m talking with,” she said. “I’m very optimistic about the recruiting class we’ll bring in next year.” Walsh likes the returning group too. “This was an outstanding group to work with because they are students who can perform both on the softball field and in the classroom,” she said.

Carrigan Pitches, Hits Cougear to Win in Softball Finale
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
April 5, 2010

Freshmen pitcher Allie Carrigan tossed a four-hit shutout and slugged a three-run homer Tuesday to give Taft College a 4-0 Central Valley Conference softball victory over visiting West Hills College.  It was the season finale for the Cougars who finished with a 9-9 conference and 15-22-1 overall. Carrigan broke open a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth when she crushed the first pitch over both outfield fences and into the paring lot.  Two infield errors set the stage for Carrigan’s blast and all the help she needed.  “It was a poetic ending to the season for her,” head coach Stephanie Walsh said of Carrigan’s dinger.  “She had a monster homerun in the first game of the season and now another one to finish the season.” 

The Cougars added another run in the sixth on an error and back-to-back singles by Courtney Nyatrae and Amber Si’u that both narrowly missed being homeruns.  The Cougars were without the services of conference homerun leader Kelcey Viliamu, who was spiked on her right ankle in the top of the first inning by a sliding West Hills runner.  The mishap opened a one inch by three inch gash that sent Viliamu to the Urgent Care.  “She had 10 stitches and is on crutches now,” said Walsh.  “She’s a gamer, though.  When she left to go to the Urgent Care she told me she would be back as soon they patched her up.”

Walsh said she didn’t think her team would be a playoff candidate after slipping into the fourth place with last week’s double-header loss to undefeated conference champion College of the Sequoias.  “That really hurt us,” she said. “We needed to be in third place.  A tie wouldn’t help us.” She is looking forward to next season. “We are only losing two players from this team.”

Cougars Begin Home Stretch Challenge
Taft Midway Driller
April 5, 2010

Taft College’s baseball team heads into the home stretch of the regular season today with a crucial home game against the second place team in the Central Valley Conference. The third place Cougars (18-0 CVC, 19-11 overall) host Merced (14-4, 20-9) at 2 p.m. on the campus field. The game marks the first against all six CVC opponents as the season winds down and playoff berths are at stake. It also is the Cougars’ only home game. They will have to finish the final five – Reedley on Saturday, Sequoias on Sunday, West Hills next Tuesday, Porterville on April 29 and Fresno on April 31 – on the road. Fresno (15-3, 21-8) leads the conference. The Cougars control their own destiny, but could get a little help if Sequoias stumbles down the road. TC is tied for third place with the Giants, who also are 10-8 in the conference, 14-15-1 overall. Taft had the bye in the final week of three-game series and used that time to rest up and heal up. Several players were nursing injuries. The most serious work the team did was a few intersquad games.

Softballers finish Tuesday The Cougar softball team finishes up its regular season today by hosting West Hills College in a single game at 2 p.m. The Cougars (8-9 CVC, 14-22-1 overall) dropped a pair of 8-0 decisions last Thursday to conference leader Sequoias (17-0, 33-6), but are still in third place in the conference. They’ll have to wait and see what happens with the playoff seedings.

Cougars Face Important Week in Return to Action
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
April 5, 2010

After taking some time off, Taft College’s baseball and softball teams will plunge back into action this week with crucial Central Valley Conference games. The Cougar baseball team (18-9, 9-6 CVC) will play a three-game series with conference co-leader Merced, traveling for games Tuesday and Saturday and hosting the Blue Devils Thursday at 2 p.m. Merced and Fresno are tied for the lead with identical conference (10-2) and overall (15-7) records. The softball team (11-19-1, 4-7 CVC) also will host Merced (3-21, 2-8 CVC) in a Thursday doubleheader that begins at 2 p.m.

The Cougar baseball team is hitting .300 as a team, second best in the conference behind Fresno’s .316. Leadoff batter Anthony Rodriguez leads the team with a .376 average, which ranks him fourth in the conference. He is second in hits with 41. Perry Rogan is ninth (.349) and Josh Dickey 12th (.344). Catcher Darby Ventura, who is batting .330, leads the conference in homers with six and is third in runs batted in with 26. Of the non-starters Austin Christiansen is hitting .340, Michael Hayes .339, Rex Blaylock .313 and Travis Derby .300. Braden Keathley leads the pitching corps with a .323 earned run average and 3-2 a record. He ranks fourth in the conference in strikeouts with 43. Jesus Del Rosario leads the conference in saves. Rodriguez leads the conference in stolen bases with 20 while Dickey is second with 14. The Cougars have the leading hitter in conference softball statistics.

Freshman first baseman Courtney Nyetrae is batting .541 with 21 doubles and 32 RBIs, which rank her first in all three categories. She has three homeruns. Kelcey Viliamu leads the conference in homers with eight. She is hitting .347 and is tied for second in the CVC with 28 RBIs. Amber Si’u is hitting .427, Baylee Day .409, Allie Carrigan .365, Joya Cervera .317 and Megan Smith .304. TC has the second best team batting average at .337 behind conference leader Sequoias (29-6 overall, 13-0 CVC), which is hitting .357. Freshman Carrigan leads the pitching staff with a 2.67 ERA while Mersades Cruz has a 5.35 ERA and a record of 4-3. Carrigan’s overall record is 6-15.

Cougar Split Homerun Derby with Porterville
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 29, 2010

They combined for 36 runs on 46 hits. There were eight homeruns and six doubles. When the final out of the day was made as dusk began to settle on the Cougar Sports Center last Thursday, Taft and Porterville colleges had split a Central Valley Conference softball doubleheader. Amber Si’u slugged a grand slam and Kelcey Viliamu and Courtney Nyetrae each cracked three-run dingers to lead TC to an 11-3 victory in the first game. The Pirates bashed four homers – two by pitcher Carrie Gliddon – to outlast the Cougars 14-8 in the second game and salvage a split.

For Viliamu, it was her eighth homer of the season. First baseman Nyetrae is the leading hitter in the conference. That may be why the Pirates intentionally walked her with the bases loaded. She went 5-for-6 on the day and drove in eight runs. Second baseman Si’u was 3-for-6 and drove in six runs. Third baseman Viliamu went 3-for-6 and drove in four runs. Leadoff hitter Baylee Day had another good outing, going 4-for-9 with an RBI.

Cougar pitcher Allie Carrigan, hitting out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order, went 5-for-7 with a double. She was in control in the first game, allowing five runs on just three hits – one of them a two-run homer by Nichols. Nyetrae’s first-inning three-run homer to left was neutralized when Porterville scored one in the second and two in the third. The Cougars broke it open with a five-run burst in the third on Day’s single, four-pitch walks to Joya Cervera and Viliamu, and Nyetrae’s RBI single that set the table for Si’u, who blasted a grand slam over the centerfield fence.

Viliamu crushed a 3-1 pitch to left center to drive in Carrigan and Day ahead of her in the sixth. Carrigan started the second game but wasn’t getting any movement on her pitches and was roughed up for nine runs on 13 hits – including three homers. Mersades Cruz pitched two-thirds of an inning and couldn’t stop the bleeding either. She gave up five runs on five hits. The Cougars (5-7 in the CVC, 11-19-1 overall) have the week off before returning to action April 8 by hosting Merced (2-8 CVC, 3-21 overall) in a conference twin bill.

Nicole Reed scattered five hits Tuesday in pitching Fresno City College to a 5-1 victory over Taft College in a Central Valley Conference softball game. Reed, who improved her overall record to 15-2, struck out 11 and walked three. She leads the conference in strikeouts with 102. Fresno touched Allie Carrigan for 10 hits – nine singles and a three-run, third inning homerun by Kathleen Henderson. Monica Lovato went 2-for-3 for the Cougars with a single and double. Amber Si’u, Courtney Nyetrae and Carrigan had the other Cougar hits.

The Cougars got their only run in the seventh when Nyetrae walked, moved to third on Lovato’s line drive double to left and scored when Carrigan singled up the middle. The Cougars are in fourth place in the conference with a 4-4 record. They are 11-16-1 overall. TC has hit the ball well, posting the second best team batting average (.338). Nyetrae leads the conference with a .517 batting average. Her 19 doubles is tops in the conference. She has 22 runs batted in. Kelcey Viliamu has seven homers to lead the pack and is second in RBIs with 24. Si’u ranks fifth in the conference with a .432 average. The Cougars cracked 27 hits last Saturday in a non-conference doubleheader at Cabrillo College in Aptos, but lost both games by committing seven errors, which has been the team’s Achilles heel.

Carrigan lost a 4-3, 10-inning heartbreaker in the second game. She struck out six and walked two. Baylee Day, who is hitting .418 and has moved into the leadoff spot in the lineup, went 4-for-8 on the day with an RBI. Lovato had four hits while Si’u and Viliamu had three. Viliamu slugged her seventh homer in the first game of the twin bill – a 7-4 loss that saw Cabrillo score four unearned runs. Megan Smith worked the first five innings of the first game, giving up three earned runs on nine hits, striking out three and walking five. Mersades Cruz finished up, giving up a hit and walk in her one inning of work.

Olympian Visits Cougar Softball Team
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 24, 2010

“Inspiring.” That was the word that most often came to mind when Taft College softball players were asked what they thought of a surprise clinic they got form Olympic silver medalist Andrea Duran.  “It was great to have someone here who has played at that level,” said Mersades Cruz.  “It was a great experience,” echoed first baseman Courtney Nyatrae.  “She is one of the best.”

Duran put on a fielding and throwing clinic for the Cougars, drawing on her experience as a two-time college World Series champion at UCLA (2003-04), two-time World Cup champion (2006-07), World champion (2006), Pan American Gold Medalist (2007), and Olympic silver medalist in the 2008 Beijing games.  “They’re going to remember this the rest of their lives,” said Cougar head coach Stefanie Walsh.  “It’s an opportunity for them to interact with the best of the best.  Plus, we get some different eyes on the stuff we are doing.”

Duran talked with the players about sportsmanship and pulling as a team-especially when things are not going well.  “You have to support each other, pick each other up, she said before the team through a series of drills.  Duran, who is from Selma, will begin workouts in June with the U.S. national team in preparation for the World Cup, which will be held the following month in Oklahoma City.  “I can’t wait to get started,” she said.  “I watch college games and think, “I really want to be out there now.’ We have mostly the same team we had last year after the Olympics, and we did really well.”

Duran is in her first year as director of softball operations at UCLA.  “I take care of al the stuff the coaches don’t want to, but I really like it,” she said.  “It keeps me close to the sport.  I do a lot of camps and clinics all over the United States.  They (UCLA) allow me to be flexible so I can do things like this.”  She works a lot with Olympic teammate Jennie Finch, a pitcher who is perhaps the most recognizable figure in the game today.  “She has her own clinic, so I go out and help her a lot,” Duran said.
Her biggest achievement? “Definitely the Olympic experience-especially the opening ceremonies.  That’s when you finally realize where you are.  Then, you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m really at the Olympics.”  Her first two seasons as a Bruin were memorable too.  “When I cam into college, and we won it all,” she said of UCLA’s back-to-back World Series crowns.  She’s considered turning pro, but plans stick with her new job.  “There is a pro league, but it’s really small because it’s really hard to raise money,” she said.  That is especially true now that softball has bee eliminated as an Olympic sport.

Duran and Team USA is having difficulty financing its preparation for the World Cup-hence, the later start date fro practices.  “We don’t play until June because it’s so difficult to raise money during non-Olympic years.  We won’t have much time to get ready.”  Walsh said she and assistant coach Ryan Wigley benefited from Duran’s campus clinic as well.  “Is just gives us that much more variety,” she said.  “The fundamentals don’t change, but it’s nice to get a different variation on this.”  Wigley, who arranged the visit because he is a personal friend of U.S. Olympic coach Mike Candrea, agreed.  “Something like this allows us to surround out athletes with the best in the world-first for the interaction and second to see that they are just regular people who love the game too.”

33 Hits Not Enough for Cougar Softball Team
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 22, 2010

Taft College sprayed hits all over the park at West Hills College last Thursday, but managed to come away with just one win in a Central Valley Conference softball doubleheader. It was nearly a carbon copy of the doubleheader split days earlier when the Cougars had 28 hits but left 16 runners on base and committed eight errors that led to five unearned runs. This time the Cougars punched 33 hits – including three homers, a triple and four doubles – but stranded 15 runners and made another eight errors that led to seven unearned runs. West Hills won the first game, 8-6, while the Cougars had 18 hits in a 9-4 victory in the second. “Our defense is just letting us down,” said head coach Stefanie Walsh. “We have to play defense solidly all the way through. When we play defense terribly, it costs us dearly every time.”

She’s delighted with her young team’s plate performance. “Our bats are starting to wake up, and if we can play better defense behind that we’ll be hard to beat,” she said. “Unfortunately, right new we aren’t doing that. We are giving away games with our poor defense.” Every starting player hit safely in the first game and eight of the nine in the second game. Freshmen infielders Kelcey Viliamu and Courtney Nyetrae continue their torrid pace. Third baseman Viliamu went 5-for-8 with two homeruns – including a grand slam in the second game – and a double to drive in six runs. First baseman Nyetrae was 6-for-8 with a homer and double to drive in three runs. Leadoff batter Baylee Day did her job. She was 5-for-9 with an RBI.

Pitcher Allie Carrigan, who worked all 14 innings in the circle, was 4-for-8 with a double and three RBIs and Amber Si’u went 4-for-7. Catcher Monica Lovato had a double and two singles, and Megan Smith three singles. Carrigan gave up just five earned runs on the day while striking out 12 and walking none. In the first game, the Cougars took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth when the Falcons pushed over six runs on six hits (all singles) and three errors. Only one of the runs was earned. Up to that point, Carrigan had allowed just two hits.

The Cougars broke the second game open with a five-run fourth. With two out and Carrigan aboard on a leadoff single, Puente, Day, and Si’u singled to break a 1-1 tie before Viliamu slugged her grand slam. Walsh said her goal for this week is to cut down on the miscues. “This is a big week for us,” she said. “I’m hoping we’ll turn it around defensively. We are playing too tight, and that’s probably because we are such a young team. We have to learn to loosen up and have fun with it.” The Cougars (9-15-1) have just two sophomores – Lovato and center fielder Mahela Punley. TC is in Fresno today for a single game with Fresno City College (7-3 CVC, 21-6 overall) and a doubleheader at home Thursday at 2 p.m. with Porterville College (5-4 CVC, 12-15 overall).

Cougars Split Softball Doubleheader
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 18, 2010

Taft College pounded out 28 hits and scored 13 runs Tuesday in splitting a Central Valley Conference softball doubleheader at Reedley College. The Cougars stranded 16 runners and committed eight errors – six of them that led to four unearned runs in a 6-3 loss in the first game. TC jumped on the Tigers early in the second game, banging 14 hits in building a 9-0 lead and then holding on for a 10-6 victory. Left fielder Baylee Day went 6-for-9 with a homer to lead the hit parade, Amber Si’u was 5-for-9 and drove in four runs and Courtney Nyetrae was 5-for-7 with a three-run double. The Cougars had 11 hits in the first-game loss, but stranded eight runners in addition to the six errors. Taft had 17 hits in game two, including Day’s solo homer and doubles by Si’u, Nyetrae and Monica Lovato, who went 3-for-4.

Allie Carrigan went the distance in the circle in the first game, allowing two earned runs on nine hits, striking out five and walking three. Mersades Cruz worked the first three innings of the second game, giving up four earned runs on four hits and two walks. Carrigan finished up. She was touched for two runs (one earned) on three hits, striking out two and walking two. TC 1-2 in tourney Errors also cost the Cougars in three games they played Sunday in the Ohlone College tournament in Fremont. Rain delays forced the team to crowd three into one day – at 8, 12 and 2.

Modesto took advantage of four miscues to score three unearned runs and beat the Cougars 3-2 in Sunday’s opener. Carrigan gave up just three hits with six strikeouts and no walks.Leadoff hitter Joya Cervera and No. 3 hitter Nyetrae both went 3-for-4, but the rest of the team managed just two hits. The Cougars shook off that loss to earn a 6-2 victory over Chabot College with Carrigan again going the distance again. She gave up one earned run on five hits, fanned three and walked one. TC sprayed 17 hits, but had trouble scoring.

The Cougars had four hits each in the second and fifth innings and three in the fourth, but only managed only two runs. They scored three times in the sixth on four hits, including a two-run double by Megan Smith. Every player in the lineup had at least one hit. Smith and Lovato had three and Cervera, Nyetrae, Si’u and Punley two each. Unearned runs ruined the Cougars again in the final game of the day – an 8-3 loss to San Jose City College. Taft had three costly errors and stranded seven runners. TC scored all three of its runs in the fourth by loading the bases on a walk and singles by Si’u and Mehela Punley, getting a sacrifice fly from Lovato and a two-run single from Carrigan. Cruz and Carrigan split pitching chores. Cruz gave up two runs on two hits, struck out two and walked one while Carrigan was touched for one earned run on six hits, struck out four and walked two.

League-Leading COS Defeats Taft College 5-2
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 15, 2010

Taft College saw too much of Alycia Campos last Thursday. Campos, the leading pitcher in the Central Valley Conference with a 1.44 earned run average and 67 strikeouts, guided undefeated College of the Sequoias (7-0) to a 5-2 softball victory over Taft on the Cougars’ field. She was in command in all but the third inning when the Cougars combined three hits and an error for their only runs. While remaining perfect in the CVC, the Giants pushed their overall record to 20-5.

The Cougars are 1-3 in the conference and 6-11-1 heading into today’s conference doubleheader at Reedley (1-3, 7-13).  The Cougars will host West Hills (0-4, 2-21) in a twin bill on Thursday at 2 p.m. Catcher Monica Lovato launched TC’s third-inning rally with a one-out single to left.  Pitcher Allie Carrigan whacked a single just inside the third base line and Joya Cervera was safe on an infield error to load the bases. That set the table for Baylee Day’s line drive single to left that scored both Cougar runs put the Cougars to within one at 3-2. But that was Taft’s last threat. COS added two runs in the fifth on a double, single, error and a steal of home. Cougar miscues contributed to the Giants’ three-run second inning.

Cervera's Blast Powers TC to Doubleheader Split
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
March 4, 2010

Leadoff batter Joya Cervera slugged a three-run homer during a five-run rally Tuesday that helped Taft College to a Central Valley Conference softball doubleheader split with Fresno City College. The five runs in the second inning of the first game would be all the scoring the Cougars would get on the day, but it was enough for a 5-4 victory. Two Fresno pitchers combined for a five-inning no-hitter in the second game the Rams won 9-0.  Only three of the runs were earned because the Cougars committed six errors. The game was shortened by the eight-run rule. The split leaves the Cougars with a 1-2 conference record and 6-10-1 overall.  Fresno left town at 1-1 and 8-3.

“I think we’re on the right track,” said head coach Stefanie Walsh.  “We’re capable of putting up a lot of runs.  It’s just a matter of working through our youth.” Walsh has but two sophomores on the roster. “If we keep working on the things that we need to grow, it should pay off for us,” she said. Fresno brought a depth-rich veteran team with solid pitching. The Cougars made the most of the four hits they got in the first game.

The two sophomores – catcher Monica Lovato and center fielder Mahela Puley drew back-to-back one-out walks and Baylee Day was hit by a pitch to load the bases. No. 9 hitter Allie Carrigan poked a double to left to get two runs in and tie the game. Shortstop Cervera belted the first pitch she saw over the left field fence to give the Cougars a 5-2 lead. Fresno countered with a run in the fourth and one in the sixth and had runners at first and third with one out before the Cougar defense closed the door.

First baseman Courtney Nyetrae had the other two Cougar hits – both singles. Mersades Cruz worked the first three and a third innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits, striking out one and walking one. Carrigan finished up, giving up a run on six hits, striking out one and walking one. She started the second game, but was roughed up for seven runs in the first two innings. Carrigan was replaced by Megan Smith, who pitched the final three innings.  She gave up two runs on three hits, struck out one and walked three. TC’s will host College of the Sequoias next Thursday at 2 p.m. after drawing a conference bye on Tuesday.  COS leads the conference at 3-0 and its 16-5 overall.  The Giants swept a twin bill from West Hills, 9-1 and 12-6.

Taft Sweeps Hancock in Softball Doubleheader
The Bakersfield Californian
February 23, 2010

Kelcey Viliamu had one home run in the first game and two in the second as Taft College swept a doubleheader at Allan Hancock 9-1 and 12-2. Winner Mersades Cruz pitched 41/3 innings in the opener, Allie Carrigan pitched a complete game for the second win. The Cougars (5-4-1) totaled 29 hits in the two games. Taft will open conference play on Thursday at Porterville.

After getting off to a rocky start, the Taft College softball team bounced back last week with a road trip to the Bay Area that saw the Cougars win three of four games. The Cougars split a doubleheader with Contra Costa before sweeping a pair from Marin College. It was the team’s first taste of success after starting the season 0-5-1.
The Cougars then dropped an 8-0 decision Saturday at Bakersfield College to give them a 3-6-1 record heading into today’s doubleheader against Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. “We played very well,” head coach Stefanie Walsh said of the Bay Area trip.  “It’s something we can build on.”

The Cougars swept Marin, scoring three runs in their last at-bat to win the first game 5-3 before pounding 20 hits in a 13-1 five-inning romp in the second. Leadoff hitter Joya Cervera went 6-for-7 in the series, scoring three times and driving in two runs.  Courtney Nyetrae was 6-for-8 with an RBI and scored four times, Megan Smith was 4-for-7 with three runs, Amber Si’u 4-for-6 with two runs and two batted in, Mahela Punley was 4-for-8 with two RBIs and Allie Carrigan 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Cruz got the win in the first game, allowing three earned runs on four hits, striking out four and walking three. Carrigan tossed a two-hitter in the second game, striking out two and walking four. She pitched a five-inning no-hitter the day before when the Cougars blanked Contra Cost 8-0 before falling 4-3 in the second game.

Carrigan fanned six and did not walk a batter. The Cougars had six hits and took advantage of seven walks. Carrigan also was the hitting star, going 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs. Si’u bashed a bases loaded triple in the first inning when the Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Carrigan took the loss in the second game, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking two. Smith tripled while Carrigan and Punley doubled for the Cougars.  Cervera and Si’u had singles. The Cougars dug a big hole early against Bakersfield, giving up five runs (4 unearned) in the second inning. TC managed just three hits – singles by Smith and Isela Puenta and a ringing double by Nyetrae that narrowly missed being a homerun. The Cougars will open Central Valley Conference play Thursday with a trip to Porterville College and will host San Joaquin Delta College Saturday in a non-conference doubleheader that begins at 11 a.m.

Taft (0) vs Bakersfield (8)
by Jessica Sanchez
February 20, 2010

The TC Cougars faced Bakersfield College on Saturday, February 20, 2010. Bakersfield scored five runs in the bottom of the 2^nd inning while Taft struggled defensively with four errors. It wasn’t till the bottom of the fifth inning that three more runs were scored by Bakersfield. The final score of the game was Taft College (0) Bakersfield (8). The Lady Cougars will travel to Santa Maria to face Allan Hancock College on February 23^rd.

Taft College got mixed results in its softball opener Tuesday against the visiting Hartnell College Panthers. The Cougars got off to a shaky start, giving up six runs on 10 hits in the first two innings before dropping the opener of a doubleheader, 7-0. But the second game was different with the teams struggling to a 5-all tie after eight innings.  The game was called on account of darkness. “It was actually a pretty good day for us even though we didn’t get the result we wanted,” said head coach Stefanie Walsh.  “We have a really young team that found some success on the field as they got a taste of college level competition.”

After the shaky first-game start the Cougars settled down and managed to handcuff the Panthers the rest of the way thanks to some solid pitching from Mersades Cruz. “Mersades did a phenomenal job in a tough situation,” Walsh said. She opened the second game, then gave way to Allie Carrigan, who started the first game. “It was the first time Allie was in a position to throw hard since injuring her toe,” Walsh said.  “She struggled in the first game, but came back with a strong performance in the second game.  She really turned things around.” What made Walsh even happier with Carrigan’s performance was the line drive homerun she jacked over the left field fence in the second game. It could have been a game-winner.  The Cougars had a runner picked off first base just before Carrigan’s bash. “In high school she rarely got to bat,” Walsh said.  “She’s our No. 9 hitter.”

In the opening game the Cougars managed only one hit off Cat Pierah, a second-inning double by Courtney Nyetrae. Kelcey Viliamu tripled down the right field line to drive in the run that tied the game at 5, but was thrown out at the plate trying to stretch the hit into an inside-the-park homer. Nyetrae had an RBI triple that drove in shortstop Amber Si’u, who had two singles on the day. Megan Smith also had two singles.

The Cougars don’t play until next Thursday when they travel to Los Altos Hills for a doubleheader with Foothill College. Walsh plans to use that time to shore up weaknesses that were evident against Hartnell. “We know what we need to work on.  Those games gave us an opportunity to see the negative things.  I’m really encouraged.” The tie was the first one Walsh has been involved with in 24 years as a player and coach. “I really don’t know how to feel about it.” She does know how she’ll feel when the Cougars get their first win.

Taft College Softball Team has More Numbers and Talent
By Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
February 1, 2010

Lack of numbers has been a problem for the Taft College softball team in the past, but that shortcoming shouldn’t impact the Cougars this year. Head coach Stefanie Walsh is working with 14 players with another expressing interest in joining heading into today’s season opener when Hartnell College comes to town for a doubleheader scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. The only rub is that two of her players are redshirting – one because of an injury and one because she wasn’t enrolled in school during the fall semester and is therefore ineligible.

Despite having only two sophomores, Walsh is quite pleased with this year’s edition. “I think we’re going to be much better than we were last year,” she said.  “We have a very nice mixtures of girls.  This group has really good character, work ethic and a passion for the game. “They step on the field every day with one goal in mind, and that is to be better today than they were yesterday.” Her returnees are second team All-Central Valley Conference catcher Monica Lovato and outfielder Mahela Punley, who has been away from the sport for two years after playing in 2007. “Mahela hasn’t missed a beat, though,” Walsh said.  “She has been impressive.”

Walsh will rely heavily on her newcomers. That includes pitchers Allie Carrigan from Carlsbad, N.M. and Mersades Cruz, who lives in Taft but played her high school ball at Maricopa. They compliment each other, Walsh said. “Mesades’ bread and butter is her rise ball,” she said.  “That has been very effective for her.  We’ve added a drop ball this year. “Allie throws very hard.  Her best pitches are her down pitches.  She has been very impressive.  It’s been really fun to watch her play.” Carrigan has been hampered by a toe injury on the foot she uses to push off the rubber, but is expected to see action in the opener.

Infield candidates include Joya Cervera from Wasco, Amber Si’u from Hono Ka’a, Hawaii, Kelcey Viliamu from Waipahu, Hawaii, and Megan Smith from Phoenix.
Cervera played third base for the Tigers last season but is switching. “She’ll be a middle infielder for us,” Walsh said.  “She’s handled the change very well.  She is a great athlete, works hard and wants to get better.” Si’u will play shortstop. “She’s going to be a solid go-to player,” Walsh said.  “She’s always upbeat.  She’s been a great asset.”

“Kelcey is a good hitter,” Walsh said.  “She’ll definitely be in the heart of the lineup.” Smith will play on the infield and will serve as the team’s third pitcher. Five candidates are vying for the starting outfield spots – Punley, Isela Puente from Shafter, Marie Irwing from Bakersfield, Courtney Nyetrae from Phoenix and Jessica Sanchez from Palmdale. Nyetrae, who also will back up Lovato behind the plate, has been impressive. “She is definitely exciting to watch with her defense, and even more exciting with her offense,” Walsh said.  “In fall practice against Bakersfield College, she hit four homers, including a grand slam.” Sanchez came out just this week.  She was the goalkeeper on the Cougar women’s soccer team.

Walsh has a new assistant coach and another who is helping once or twice a week with the pitchers. Ryan Wigley, who offers private lessons in Bakersfield, has worked with several Division I programs, Walsh said. “He’s really a nice addition to our staff,” she said. Helping with the pitchers is Aja Sheuber, who played at Merced College and Fresno State University, one of the top programs in the nation. “She was an all-conference pitcher at Merced and was an outfielder and a DH (designated hitter) at Fresno State,” Walsh said.  “She has been a tremendous help to our pitchers.” After the home opener, the Cougars will play four doubleheaders and two single games on the road, including a Feb. 20 date at Bakersfield College.