Woodcreek softball picks up first win

Woodcreek's softball team is off to a slow start this season. One reason is because they've got a lot of new players they're trying to break in and the other reason is two key players are still playing basketball: the team's starting shortstop, Chloe Preuss, who will play next year at UC Davis, and starting catcher Payton Green. "We've got a lot of new girls who are learning to play with each other," Woodcreek coach Gary Ybarra said. "We're struggling out of the gate, but it's preseason so I'm not too concerned. I'm giving some girls some time to see where they fit in, but we're making progress every game." Preuss and Green are two of the team's better players but the cupboard is not bare. Ybarra also has three key returning players in first baseman Camryn Kelley, who's headed for Boise State, center fielder Aubrey Reddell, a three-year starter, and Darcy Miller, a four-year starter at right fielder. This year's pitchers will be Chloe Schmidt-Wolf and Maddy MacNeil. As for the Capital Valley Conference, Ponderosa, Inderkum and Christian Brothers all have good non-league records, but Ybarra is unsure where his team will fit in. The team made Ybarra look prophetic, as on Saturday the Timberwolves won its first two games of the season, beating Casa Roble in six innings, 12-2 and following that up with a 10-8 win over Liberty Ranch. While MacNeil held the Rams to two runs on one hit, the Timberwolves offense was hot from start to finish, scoring runs in all but one inning and racking up 14 hits. Reddell had three hits, scored three runs and drove in three. Kelley, Miller and freshman Sophia Alvarez both had two hits; Kelley and Miller both drove in two runs, while Alvarez knocked in one. MacNeil also doubled in a run along with her solid work in the circle. In the win over Liberty Ranch, MacNeil had a great game, going 4-for-4 with two triples and four runs batted in. Miller also had two hits and two RBIs. Still without Preuss and Green, the Timberwolves opened Capital Valley Conference play on Monday and lost to possibly the favorite to win the league, Ponderosa, 12-8.