St. Francis softball hurls combined no-hitter, takes down Whitney to claim Livermore Stampede championship

St. Francis is still very good at softball.

The Lancers were not able to win the Michelle Carew Classic they competed at last weekend in Anaheim. But this week in Livermore, the top-ranked Lancers showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in the Bay Area.

Facing off against numerous top teams from around the Bay at the Livermore Stampede, No. 1 St. Francis went 6-0, wrapping up its perfect tournament run with a 6-0 win over Whitney High School to clinch the championship.

Hayden Hummel’s two-run single with two outs in the first inning got the Lancers started, giving St. Francis a 2-0 lead.

Freshman Mercedes Coller pitched five no-hit innings to earn the win for St. Francis in the championship game. Junior Hailey Nguyen relieved her and pitched two perfect innings to seal the win.

Senior Ava Bulanti pitched a complete-game one-hitter in the Lancers’ 8-0 semifinal win over Casa Grande.

St. Francis (16-2) added on in the second as Maya Yumiba got caught in a rundown on a steal of second, but held it up long enough for Maya Meltz to score. The throw went to home and both runners were safe, extending the inning.

The Lancers added one more run in the fifth, as Bulanti plated Peyton Tsao with a single to center. Two more came across in the fourth when Jamie Oakland drove in pinch-runner Emi Yumiba, then Tsao doubled home Oakland to go up 6-0.

In the tournament’s other final games, Liberty and Casa Grande faced off in the third-place game, with the result not yet finalized at publication time. Livermore beat Benicia 9-5 in the fifth-place game.

Sheldon topped San Ramon Valley 5-4 in the seventh-place game. Granada beat Alameda 5-4 in the battle for ninth.

Mitty triumphed College Park in the battle for 11th. California beat Amador Valley 4-3 to finish 13th. Carondelet edged Freedom 4-3 to take 15th.

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