Seizing an unexpected – and rare – opportunity, the Escalon varsity Lady Cougars softball team found themselves playing for a NorCal championship on Saturday afternoon, June 6.
They did more than just play for it … they brought it home.
The squad – which lost a 14-5 decision on the road Thursday to West Valley, the top seed in Division IV – learned on Friday that it was determined by the California Interscholastic Federation that West Valley had used an ineligible player and therefore had to forfeit the Thursday game.
That gave Escalon the chance to play one more game and, on the heels of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 crown they won on May 23, the girls this time prevailed with a 4-2 win over number two seed Alisal of Salinas. Escalon went into the NorCal Tournament as the number five seed. They defeated number four seed Alhambra on the road Tuesday, 5-4, then lost to West Valley but learned of the reprieve in time to have a practice on Friday and get themselves mentally ready for the quick turnaround and the long trip to Salinas for the 1 p.m. contest on Saturday.
Escalon scored all its runs in the third inning, with a suicide squeeze bunt from Arianna Velasco bringing Madi Babasa home with the first run of the game; a long fly ball from Lizzy Allan that was in – and then popped out of – the left fielder’s glove went for a two-base error and scored two more runs, as Velasco and Kyla Holback both crossed the plate. Jayci Trimble then ripped a two out RBI double to bring in Allan from second base for Escalon’s fourth run of the day.
Pitcher Tenley Adams worked out of some jams with timely strikeouts and Escalon’s infield turned a fourth inning double play with runners on first and second with one out, keeping the home team off the board.
Heading to the bottom of the seventh, Escalon still held a 4-0 lead but Alisal did not go quietly. They pushed two runs across the plate on back-to-back RBI singles with two down, getting to within 4-2, with runners on the corners. But Adams was able to bear down and the next hitter struck out looking, giving Escalon their first ever NorCal softball title.
And while some watching the situation unfold may have felt going into the game that Escalon didn’t deserve to be there – by virtue of advancing on the West Valley forfeit – the game they played between the lines Saturday proved they had every right to battle for the title. The number five seed traveled for all three of their NorCal contests, including the three-plus hour trip to West Valley in Cottonwood on Thursday, and the two-plus hours to Salinas on Saturday. They dug deep, played as a united team, and brought home the most coveted prize of all from the Saturday game against Alisal, wearing their championship medals with pride and hoisting the plaque with the words – California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional Championships - 2026 Division IV Softball Champions.
Look for the full game story, as well as photos and comments from players and the head coach in the June 10 issue of The Times.
