MONTICELLO – In a tightly contested softball matchup last Friday, the Tri-Valley Bears used a late offensive surge to pull away from Monticello for a 5-3 victory. After the game was tied 1-1 early, Monticello briefly grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second inning before both teams settled into a back-and-forth pitching and defensive battle that lasted through the middle innings. Tri-Valley eventually broke through late to regain control and secure the win.

Tri-Valley’s defense came up strong after Monticello’s early lead, recording three straight strikeouts in the bottom of the second inning. In the top of the third, the Bears opened with a big single but were unable to bring the runner around, while Monticello answered with a baserunner of its own in the bottom half but couldn’t add to its advantage. The defensive trend continued into the fourth inning as Monticello’s infield handled two quick outs in the top half, while Tri-Valley’s pitching added two strikeouts and a throwout at first to keep the game close. 

In the fifth, Tri-Valley finally reclaimed the lead when Avery Carrier delivered a double that brought home the tying and go-ahead run for a 2-1 advantage. Monticello continued to get strong pitching from Madison Taggart, who finished with 12 strikeouts, but the Panthers were unable to generate enough offense against the Bears’ defense. The game turned in the seventh inning when Tri-Valley capitalized on a series of fielding miscues. Madeline Mingo reached on an error, stole third, and later scored when Carrier blasted an inside-the-park home run to stretch the lead to 4-1. The Bears added another run shortly after to take a 5-1 advantage into the final inning. Monticello showed fight in its last at-bat as Taggart reached base and eventually scored off defensive errors and a catcher miscue, but the rally fell short. 

Tri-Valley Coach Jared Carrier praised his younger lineup after the win. “We knew coming into this week we wouldn’t have three of our seniors so I’m glad we had an opportunity for our younger players to get some experience,” he said. “Monticello has an excellent pitcher in Madison Taggart so it’ll be awesome to see her develop as well.” Monticello Coach Alaina Gaughan said her team remained competitive despite missed opportunities. “It was a good competitive game,” she said. “Our batting was a bit sluggish and we couldn’t capitalize in the end. Our fielding and pitching — Madison pitched a great game with 12 strikeouts — was great though. We have two big games next week though and hopefully we can pull it all together for them.”