The Analy Lady Tigers will be in pursuit of a softball title repeat as they prepare to open the Sonoma County League campaign on March 28.
The Tigers have weathered a 1-3 start in a tough pre-league schedule this month, opening up with losses to Montgomery (8-5) and Pinole Valley (8-6) before notching an 11-4 win at Tamalpais on March 7. On Friday, the Tigers dropped a 2-1 road decision to Drake in San Anselmo.
Tough act to follow
Last year the Tigers posted an impressive overall record of 21-6, including an 11-1 SCL record to share the league pennant with the perennial archrival Petaluma Trojans. Analy went on to land a spot in the North Coast Section playoffs, recording a first-round win before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Led by 24-year veteran coach Nick Houtz, Analy returns a solid nucleus of 10 players from the 2016 squad, many of which saw extensive playing time as underclassmen last year.
Key returnees include senior first baseman/catcher Kahealani Lua, senior second baseman Payton Cords, outfielder Gema Gonzalez, senior outfielder Peyton Bratton, junior shortstop Claire Nelson, junior pitcher/first baseman Nicole Mearns, junior outfielder Gianna Bianchi, sophomore pitcher/utility-player Carson Rasmussen, sophomore catcher/utility-player Makayla Kraemer and sophomore outfielder/first baseman Samantha Caughie.
Senior infielder/pitcher Emily Dryer returns to the team after sitting out last season.
Bolstering the roster is a group of first-year varsity players that features sophomore utility-player Emma Castleberry, freshman utility-player Cameron Cordoza, sophomore utility-player Shirley Melnikoff and freshman utility-players Choe Hadrich and Brianna Lawrence.
Tigers gain split
Analy recorded its first win of the 2107 campaign in a March 7 visit to Tamalpais in Mill Valley, riding the strong arm of sophomore winning pitcher Carson Rasmussen (7 IP, 8 hits, 2 ERs, 3 Ks) in an eventual blowout victory. The Tigers busted open a tight ballgame with a seven run explosion in the third inning and were never threatened the rest of the way in cruising to an 11-4 win.
Swinging hot bats for the Tigers were Cords (2 for 3, 3B, 3 runs, RBI), Lawrence (2 for 4, run, 2 RBIs), Nelson (2 for 5, 3B, 2 runs), Rasmussen (2 for 3, run, 2 RBIs), Caughie (1 for 3, 2B, 2runs, RBI), Kraemer (1 for 3) and Dryer (1 for 5, run, RBI).
The Tigers traveled to Drake on March 9, as Rasmussen (6 IP, 4 hits, 2 ERs, 1 K) put up zeros until the Pirates tallied a pair of seventh-inning runs to pull out a 2-1 victory. Pacing the offensive attack were Cords (1 for 3) and Kraemer (1 for 3, run).
Analy (1-3) returns to the friendly confines for a pair of home games, beginning on March 14 (after press time) against Maria Carrillo, followed by a clash with Ukiah on March 16. Both games start at 4 p.m.
The Tigers and Trojans are clearly the favorites again in a hotly contested race for the SCL title, with Sonoma Valley a dark-horse to contend for the top spot.
