Lady Tigers set to lock up repeat softball title this week

Analy all alone in first place after beating Petaluma, Sonoma
The defending Sonoma County League champion Analy Lady Tigers navigated a critical stretch in the SCL schedule unscathed last week to all but lock up a repeat title.
Analy (9-1, 12-9-1) opened the action in a virtual deadlock with arch-rival Petaluma for the top spot, but successive wins over the Trojans (8-3), Piner (4-0) and Sonoma Valley (4-3) put the Tigers in the drivers seat with two games remaining.   
At the start of play this week the Tigers were a game up on both Petaluma (8-2) and Sonoma Valley (8-2), with Piner (5-6), Healdsburg (4-6), El Molino (2-8) and Elsie Allen (0-11) rounding out the league standings.
Analy can secure the SCL title outright with wins in its remaining two games that include May 9 (after press time) against visiting Healdsburg and at Sonoma Valley on Thursday, May 11.  Both games start at 4 p.m.
Tigers notch wins
Analy was out to avenge a 6-3 loss to Petaluma last month when they played host to the Trojans in the rematch on May 2, saddling senior pitcher Emily Dreyer with the task of quieting the visitors’ vaunted attack. Things started well enough for Petaluma, pushing across a pair of runs in the first and adding one in the third for a 3-0 lead, but it only served as a wake-up call for Analy. The Tigers clawed back with two runs in their half of the third before plating two more in the fourth, one in the fifth and three in the sixth en route to an 8-3 win.
Dreyer (7 IP, 11 hits, 3 ERs, 5 Ks) earned the victory, while top hitters were Chloe Hadrich (3 for 3, RBI), Payton Cords (2 for 4, 3 runs, RBI), Claire Nelson (2 for 3, run, RBI), Gianna Bianchi (2 for 4, run) and Makayla Kraemer (1 for 2, 2 RBIs).
The Tigers were coming off a 4-0 win over Piner when they took the field against visiting Sonoma Valley on Friday, again spotting the visitors an early lead before rallying for a late win.  The Dragons took a 3-1 advantage after five, but Analy struck for two in the sixth to knot the contest at 3-3. The Tigers pulled it out in dramatic fashion in the seventh when Bianchi ripped an RBI single to score pinch runner Gema Gonzalez to walk off with a 4-3 win.
Dreyer (7 IP, 10 hits, 2 ERs, 2 Ks) turned in another outstanding effort, while leading hitters included Cords (3 for 4, 2B, run), Carson Rasmussen (2 for 3, 2B, run, RBI), Dreyer (2 for 3, RBI), Bianchi (1 for 3, RBI), Kraemer (1 for 2, RBI) and Hadrich (1 for 3, run).          
Lions hoping for strong finish
Just up Highway 116, the El Molino Lions (5-16 overall) battled three opponents with no tangible reward in close losses to Piner (7-4) and Healdsburg (5-4, 12-10).
El Mo squared off with the Greyhounds in road and home games on May 4-5, playing some of their best ball of the season before falling in the late innings. In the May 4 visit to Healdsburg, the game was tied 3-3 when the Hounds tallied two in the fifth to wrestle away a 5-4 win. 
Pitcher Erika Olson deserved a better fate, while leading batters were Olson (3 for 4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Risa Scott-Smith (2 for 4, run), Kristine Daniels (1 for 1, run), Jessica Van Rillear (1 for 4) and Bridget Niclaes (1 for 1).
The Lions played host to the Hounds the following day, taking a 10-5 lead into the seventh before Healdsburg erupted for seven runs in their final at-bat to emerge with a wild, 12-10 victory.  Van Rillear and Olson shared mound duties, while top hitters included Daniels (2 for 5, run), Lily Krauss (1 for 4, 2 runs), Gabby Bushgen (1 for 1), Kelsey Barron (1 for 5, run) and Olson (1 for 5, RBI).