REEDLEY – In what could be described as “The Battle of Reedley”, Immanuel and Reedley, separated by just a few miles, renewed their friendly rivalry in the opening round of the 2025 Central Section D IV playoffs. And as expected, the Eagles and Pirates didn’t hold back in a 7 inning affair filled with missed opportunities and clutch moments.
Trailing 4-2 entering the 6th inning, the No. 11 seed Pirates continued to take their hacks and scored the final three runs in the game to secure an emotional comeback 5-4 victory against the No. 6 seed Eagles in front of a sold out crowd in The Yard at the Immanuel Sports Complex on May 16.
In that wild and wacky 6th inning, Immanuel came apart at the seams thanks to a bevy of mental miscues, costly errors and untimely errors. And Reedley, keeping the hit parade moving, refused to fold up their sails and float adrift.
“The biggest thing is just keeping our composure, keeping our emotions in check, not letting the playoff environment kind of dictate the job that we still needed to do, which, in the end, kind of mounted a comeback,” said Reedley head coach Russ Sauceda. “We were able to do that.”
The Pirates pounded Eagles’ pitching for 13 hits, with Alex Rodriguez going 3-4 with a pair driven in. His fellow Pirates, Braden Ortiz and pitcher Mason Cisneros both went 2-4.
Reedley starter Mason Cisneros battled through some command issues to work out of a few pickles. But in the end, despite 4 walks, he also held the Eagles to just 4 hits.
“They put some pressure on us early, runners on first and third; you know, we didn’t make some plays behind him, that’s kind of where the pressure started to mount for him,” said Sauceda. “But I was proud of him for keeping us in the game right there; that was big.”
Both sides of The Yard, one decked out in green, and the other covered in blue, erupted with cheers and jeers. The chants from the fans, deafening and raucous, brought the rivalry alive in full swing.
As for the Eagles, their dugout came alive, sensing victory just a couple of innings away. And with intensity of the rivalry amped up, and bragging rights on the line, Immanuel couldn’t afford to let this game slip away. Back in 2023, the Eagles thumped the Pirates in the D IV Semifinals 8-7; and since 2022, Immanuel is 5-3 against Reedley.
But as victory started to slip through Immanuel’s grip, the night eventually belonged to Reedley.
“Just a couple of miscues, you know, a couple of balls in the sun kind of changed the dynamics, and that’s just baseball,” said Immanuel head coach Steve Ramirez.
Immanuel’s loss officially ends their season at 15-12/1-7.
Reedley doesn’t have far to go in the next round of the playoffs. The Pirates will play host to No. 3 seed Pioneer Valley (Santa Maria) on Wednesday, May 21.
Lady Eagles downed by Bakersfield
Fueled by a 7 game winning streak, Immanuel softball entered the opening round of the Central Section D IV Softball Playoffs against Bakersfield ready to soar above the clouds, extend the streak and stay hot. Unfortunately, the Eagles got their wings clipped at the worst time.
In a stunner of a game, the No. 2 seed Eagles fell from the sky to the No. 15 seed Drillers in a tight, 3-1 tussle on May 16 at The Nest at the Immanuel Sports Complex.
Immanuel came up cold offensively, never getting into any type of rhythm. The Eagles, kept aloft in their perch by the Drillers, mustered only 2 hits off the bats of Amanda Herrera and China Moreno.
As for Eagles’ starter Amanda Herrera, she kept her team in the game, throwing darts from the circle. Herrera went the distance in a losing effort, surrendering 6 hits over the full 7 innings, with 6 Ks.
Immanuel’s loss to Bakersfield officially ends their season at 17-6-2 overall and 8-0 in the Tri-County-Sequoia League (TCSL).
