Sacramento-area softball: Pioneer of Woodland is primed for a playoff push

Smaller schools can be powerhouses, too.

Steadily flying under the radar, but also rapidly capturing the attention of their opponents are the Pioneer Patriots of Woodland, who rise up to No. 6 in this week’s Sacramento Bee high school softball rankings.

Pioneer has the ingredients for a Monticello Empire League championship and a deep playoff run: power, defense, pitching and team chemistry.

The Patriots have also seen their share of adversity. Two of Pioneer’s players were involved in a minor car accident just three games into the season. They are still in his spirits, though, showing up to practices and games to root for their teammates, who have stepped up in their absence.

“We’ve just learned how to play together because two of our key players were hurt this season,” star infielder Marisa Bryson said. “So we’ve learned how to come together with people in different positions and work as a team and get wins.”

After years of success across town as softball coach at Woodland High School, Linda Merrida became Pioneer’s founding coach when the school opened in Yolo County in 2004. She’s piled up more than 370 wins with the Patriots, who have three CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championships in program history from 2006, 2013 and 2014. The team lost to Manteca in section Division III quarter finals last season after going 21-6.

But the goal is to go further this year, says Bryson, who leads the charge as a Stanford-committed junior shortstop with power. She hit .554 in each of her first two seasons and slammed 13 home runs as a sophomore.

Sofia Hernandez is hitting .395 and is committed to Cornell. Junior Caitlyn Mayfield is a UNLV commit and senior pitcher Jia Beebe, who plans to play at Sacramento City College, has thrown every inning for the Patriots.

Last Friday against Vacaville, with first place in the Monticello Empire League up for grabs, Beebe settled down after a second-inning home run from Notre Dame-bound Hayden Kyne gave Vacaville a 1-0 lead. Pioneer had a big fourth inning with Bryson igniting a one-out rally with a single and was driven home a couple batters later by senior catcher Ashley Gruben. The Patriots tacked on three more in the inning (two unearned) for a 4-1 lead.

Gruben added a line-drive home run to center field in the sixth inning to provide insurance for Beebe, who finished with a complete game victory, allowing just five hits and striking out two. Center fielder Abril Parker and second baseman Amy Bivert provided great defense for the Patriots.

“We really are a family,” Bryson said. “We work really well together, so when someone’s down, we’re there to pick each other up.”

Oak Ridge-Rocklin showdown suspended

After 10 brilliant innings from both starters, the March 26 Sierra Foothill League battle between No. 1 Oak Ridge and No. 3 Rocklin was suspended due to darkness.

Oak Ridge starter Ellison Schroeder allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out 11 and getting timely defense from middle infielders Carly Short and Gemma Almont. Rocklin starter Payton Prior was equally impressive, scattering five hits and four walks with eight punchouts for the Thunder.

Prior also had defensive support behind her as freshman shortstop Sammie Snell snagged a line drive off the bat of Brooklyn Paratore and doubled off the go-ahead runner at third base to keep a scoreless tie heading to the bottom of the 10th.

The game will resume in the top of the 11th inning the next time these two are scheduled to play, at Oak Ridge in El Dorado Hills on April 25.

Woodcreek streaking

After starting 2025 with three losses in its first four games, Woodcreek won 11 straight games and led the Capital Valley Conference at 5-0 entering the week.

The Timberwolves went 4-1 at a Nevada tournament over the weekend. Junior Chloe Preuss leads the team with a .447 average, while sophomore Camryn Kelley isn’t far behind at .429 and 14 RBIs. Senior Hawaii commit Maryn MacNeil is hitting .413 with a team-high 22 RBIs and also is unbeaten in the circle at 9-0 with a 1.15 earned run average.

MacNeil hit an inside-the-park home run in the first inning of Saturday’s game against Spanish Springs to set the tone for her own win in the circle. She totaled 10 RBIs over the five-game tourney.

Yuba City walkoff

Yuba City senior Chloe Gonzales played the hero last week against Twelve Bridges.

With the Rhinos leading 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Alexia Alvarez drove in the tying run and Lauren Renzullo walked to bring Gonzales to the plate with two outs. The senior shortstop blasted a three-run home run to straight-away center field for a walk-off three-run homer, her first of the season, to lift Yuba City over Twelve Bridges, 6-3.

Gonzales followed with a 3-for-4 day with a triple in an 11-3 win at River Valley to help the Honkers finish last week with seven straight wins and a 3-0 mark in the Foothill Valley League.

The Bee’s Top 20

(Records entering Tuesday)

1. Oak Ridge (12-0)

2. Del Oro (13-1)

3. Destiny Christian (6-1)

4. Rocklin (9-2)

5. Whitney (8-4)

6. Pioneer (9-3)

7. Sheldon (8-3)

8. Pleasant Grove (3-2)

9. Granite Bay (5-4)

10. East Nicolaus (9-1)

11. Woodcreek (12-4)

12. Vacaville (6-5)

13. Folsom (7-4-2)

14. Franklin (9-6-1)

15. Davis (10-4)Bella Vista (6-6)

16. Woodland Christian (11-1)

17. Sutter (7-5)

18. Elk Grove (7-6)

19. Yuba City (8-2-1)

20. Roseville (5-4)

Bubble: Christian Brothers (5-6); Dixon (5-2); Inderkum (8-7); Laguna Creek (5-3); Oakmont (7-4); Placer (10-3); Ponderosa (5-7); Rio Linda (10-3); West Park (4-4); Wheatland (7-4).