Marysville rally falls short to Bear River, 9-6: Bear River in first place tie in PVL; Wheatland coming to town Tuesday

Despite a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh, the Marysville High softball team still fell short Thursday to league-leading Bear River (Grass Valley), 9-6, in a Pioneer Valley League contest at Marysville High School.

It was the fifth straight win for Bear River over Marysville, with the last MHS win in the series coming on March 17, 2023 when former Indians star and Olivehurst native Jenissa Conway delivered a three home-run, seven RBI day against the Bruins.

“I was around the JV level when she came through,” Bear River head coach Dave Beghetti said … “she was a stud player.”

Bear River (9-5, 5-1 PVL) remained in a first-place tie with Lincoln (7-9-1, 5-1) with its latest triumph over Marysville (4-13, 2-4) with south Yuba’s Wheatland Union High visiting Grass Valley on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Pirates were beaten by Lincoln Thursday, 12-8 to fall into fourth – percentage points out of the PVL’s top-3 playoff threshold.

“Once our bats wake up again we’re going to be rolling just fine,” Beghetti said. “We have good pitching; we’re very aggressive on the base paths. I had a girl thrown out at third (that) was 100 percent my fault, but that’s what I do with the girls.”

The Bruins struck for an early 7-2 advantage against Marysville; then expanded on its lead when starter AnnMarin Hemings helped herself with a two-run single in the sixth to push it to 9-3 through five-and-a-half innings. Hemings finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Lily Fiddyment had two hits and scored three times for BR.

Marysville, winners of three of four in league coming into Bear River, didn’t quit behind its freshman hurler Izabella Acosta. Acosta weathered each storm that Bear River brought, including getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh with a swinging strike three on a Bruins batter, and then delivered at the plate with three hits and three RBI. Two of those runs off the bat of Acosta came in the seventh when the varsity newcomer placed one in the right-center gap to score two Indians and bring it to a four-run deficit.

“They (Marysville) did a very good job; their coach is very happy with their team,” Beghetti said. “They did play a good game.”

Fellow freshman Kinley Bennett had two hits, while senior catcher Emma Mallen had a pair of base hits and a RBI in defeat. Marysville travels to Lincoln Tuesday.

In other action …

– Sutter Union High softball is a game-and-a-half out of second in the Golden Empire League after its 4-0 loss at Destiny Christian Academy Thursday. The Huskies will prepare to head out of the area starting April 8 to take on several squads from the Central Section and other half of the state April 8-10.

– Yuba City (9-7) and River Valley (10-4 both sit top-10 in Thursday’s Sac-Joaquin MaxPreps ahead of its rivalry showdown Thursday at Yuba City, 4 p.m.

– East Nicolaus is unbeaten at No. 2 in Thursday’s Northern Section full poll. The Spartans have wins over Sac-Joaquin area foes River Valley and Wheatland. East Nic heads to Willows Tuesday, 4 p.m.