River Valley ends season in semifinals against Rodriguez

STOCKTON — In the past six days, the River Valley High School softball team made history in its Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff run.

But in the semifinals against Rodriguez, the Falcons fell a game shy of advancing to the section championship game.

The Mustangs used a combination of hits and errors to post a 9-1 win over the Falcons at Arnaiz Field on Wednesday. The game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday at the Sacramento Softball Complex, but the game was postponed due to rain. Then early Wednesday, River Valley coach Karen Anderson received word that her team's game was moved to Stockton because of field conditions at the complex.

"They wanted to play (Tuesday)," said Anderson of her team. "It's a little bit of a disappointment. They were definitely ready to play."

River Valley finished its season with a 21-9 record, which includes a 6-4 mark for second place in the Tri-County Conference. Rodriguez advances to the title game to play Casa Roble, which hasn't lost a playoff game.

Rodriguez took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Andrinae White reached first base on a throwing error by a Falcon infielder. The throw bounced off White's helmet, as she rounded the bases to score, along with leadoff hitter Kiara Garcia, who singled to start the game.

"It was just one of those plays," Anderson said.

But the Falcons flew back in the top of the second frame. Rightfielder Haley Shelton reached first base on an error, and advanced to second and third bases on a passed ball and stolen base, respectively. Then with two outs, center fielder Shelby Carpenter reached base on another Mustang error when shortstop Cheyenne Cordes couldn't handle a routine grounder that led to the Falcons' only run. The Mustangs were error free after that inning.

"They did have some kinks in their defense," Anderson said. "We just wanted to put some more balls in play. At the point, we were very close, we could've come back and won this game, and it just didn't happen tonight."

Shelton and Carpenter hit singles in the fourth and fifth innings for River Valley's only two hits in the game. Mustangs pitcher Andriana Collins fanned eight Falcon batters and allowed no walks.

Despite the loss, Anderson was impressed with her team's attitude toward reaching the semifinal game.

"This was a growing experience," Anderson said. "What we saw was the girls step up their intensity. They played at a level I've never seen them play before. Now we've been here and done that. We just didn't get to the playoffs, we were successful. It's something that we are going to grow from for the next couple of years."

Rodriguez made it 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning off four hits and an error. After scoring another run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Charlotte Galzote singled and scored on Cordes' fielder's choice, the Mustangs sealed the victory in the bottom of the sixth when Garcia and Cordes hit towering home runs that went over the left-field fence. Garcia was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, White finished with three RBIs while third baseman Tenna Brooks was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Falcons senior shortstop Alexandra Tanner reflected back on the game.

"The errors killed us," Tanner said. "And we just didn't hit."

But Tanner walked off the field with a huge smile on her face, knowing her Falcons made history by advancing to the playoffs and exceeded most people's postseason expectations.

"From the very first practice, we knew that we had the potential to be here today," said Tanner, "and the great thing about is that we made it happen. Taking second in league was a big accomplishment. I've been playing with some of these girls since I was little in fall ball. To get third in the sections ... it's amazing."

Courtney Smith started the game on the hill for River Valley, while Rachel Quinn came in relief in the fourth inning.