Live Oak Snags First SVL Victory
Apr 03, 2024 05:06PM ● By Steven Bryla, photos by Chris Pedigo
LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - The Live Oak girls’ softball team won its first Sacramento Valley League game of the season on Tuesday, March 26, as they defeated the Durham Trojans 13-2 in five innings.
The win against Durham also gave Live Oak their eighth win on the season, which surpassed their win total from last season (7).
Lady Lions head coach Kevin Medeiros expressed to the Herald that it took them a little while to adjust to the slower pitching the Trojans threw against Live Oak, but when they adjusted to it, they took control of the game.
While it took the Lady Lions a little while to get going, Live Oak freshman pitcher Brooklyn Murphey dealt a gem in the circle as she picked up her sixth win of the season. Murphey pitched five innings, gave up a single hit and struck out eight hitters.
On top of the great performance by Murphey in the circle, her efficient performance included 81% of her pitches being called strikes, and she tossed 15 first-pitch strikes to the opposing hitters.
The Lady Lions broke the game open in the bottom of the third inning when they unleashed an 11-run inning with seven hits.
Live Oak senior shortstop Olivia Nanez led the Lady Lions with three hits, including two extra-base hits in the third inning where she doubled to center and launched a shot to center for a two-run home run.
Medeiros told the Herald that although it took a while to get adjusted to the slower pitching, he would have liked to have seen the Lady Lions jump out earlier than they did.
Medeiros told the Herald he gave his team the following day off due to the weather, but when it came to practice on Thursday, March 28, Medeiros said that he pitched batting practice at the same speed they saw in game one of the series so they could jump out early on their next scheduled game at Durham.
Live Oak traveled to Durham on Friday, March 29, for the second/final matchup of SVL play, but the game was called earlier than the scheduled five inning requirement to make it a complete game.
Medeiros told the Herald the Lady Lions made the adjustments at the plate and were able to jump out to an early lead. Medeiros expressed that although they made the hitting adjustment, he still wants his team to focus on playing a clean game defensively.
Live Oak had three errors in the victory over Durham on March 26, and the Lady Lions would have had to play clean defensively this week as they were scheduled to play at East Nicolaus this past Tuesday. East Nicolaus has yet to be defeated in the SVL since they joined in the 2021 season. Live Oak is scheduled to host the Spartans at 4 p.m. today.
Live Oak senior shortstop Olivia Nanez (6) makes contact with the ball during the Lady Lions’ 13-2 win over Durham on Tuesday, March 26.
