Gilroy All-Stars beat Europe 14-0 Saturday but get no-hit by
Central Monday to finish one place out of qualifying for World
Series semifinals, will play final game for fifth place
Wednesday
Portland – When mechanics and strategy stopped working, Gilroy Little League Softball All-Star manager Gene Carlisle figured hope couldn’t hurt.
Batter after Gilroy batter went to the plate. And batter after Gilroy batter returned to the dugout in Monday’s Little League Softball World Series game against Central (Mattawan, Mich.) at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland, Ore.
“I was thinking ‘Oh please, please hit,'” Carlisle related after the game. “But it didn’t happen.”
Gilroy defeated Europe (Ramstein, Germany) 14-0 Saturday. But hitting woes caused Gilroy to fall 1-0 to Central Monday in the team’s final pool play game. The team finished a third-place 2-2 in Pool B, one spot out of qualifying for the semis, which will be broadcast on ESPN2 today.
Gilroy will play host Oregon Dist. 4 for fifth place Wednesday at 1pm. The game will be webcast by Full Access Sports at www.softballworldseries.com.
For the second time in the tournament, Gilroy was no-hit by a powerful opposing pitcher. Central’s Loren Nagy struck out eight Gilroy batters and walked none in her complete game performance.
Gilroy made contact on many occasions, but couldn’t put anything through the infield. Nagy’s crafty repertoire, which included a very effective change-up and a high fastball, kept Gilroy guessing and chasing balls outside the strike zone.
“I was scared because I really wanted to hit the ball,” said Gilroy first baseman Elaina Vasquez. “It ended up that I didn’t.”
To Gilroy’s credit, Central’s bats weren’t very lively either. That was much in part to Gilroy ace Sam Parraz. She allowed just two hits and struck out five in five innings.
“Everything was working,” said Parraz, who had her best showing of the tournament. “We ended up pitching them outside, outside then inside and jamming them inside.”
The tactic worked against all but two Central players, Nagy and Lauren Gevaart, who accounted for the two Central hits.
With the game tied 0-0, Central finally threatened in the bottom of the third. With one out, Central’s Hanne Stuedeman reached on a fielder’s choice. She then advanced to second when a pick-off throw from Gilroy catcher Melanie Morelos got past first baseman Vasquez. Then towering No. 3 hitter Gevaart, who singled in her first at-bat, got a hold of one pitch in the bottom of the third inning that made all the difference in the game.
Gevaart powered a fly ball to the outfield, which bounced off the glove of running center fielder Casey Lester. Stuedeman scored from second on the error.
The play took the wind out of Gilroy’s sails and the team continued to struggle at the plate.
“Everybody was trying to hit and everybody was trying to get on base, but everyone put pressure on themselves,” Parraz said. “I put pressure on myself to hit.”
When the game ended, the Gilroy players sat in a circle wearing faces of disappointment while Central celebrated their win in the background. Many of Gilroy’s returning players had the goal of improving on last year’s trip by making it to the semifinals this time around, said shortstop Stephanie Rodriquez.
“I think that the six girls here last year were telling the team that we really want it because last year we didn’t really know what was coming up,” Rodriquez said after Saturday’s win over Europe.
However, the players acknowledged the accomplishment of making the World Series in back-to-back years.
“I’m just glad we made it again,” said Parraz.
Carlisle is hoping his team will end on a winning note Wednesday.
“The girls, they’ll bounce back,” he said. “They are still one of the 10-best Little League (softball) teams in the world. The girls have got to realize that.”
Gilroy 14, Europe 0 (4 inn.)
The Gilroy All-Stars made quick work of team Europe Saturday in their third game.
Gilroy amassed 11 hits in the four-inning affair with Casey Lester (2-for-2, double, triple), Melanie Morelos (3-for-4, double, 4 RBI) and Stephanie Rodriquez (2-for-3) leading the way.
Sam Parraz, Michelle Sosa, Elaina Vasquez and Sarah Spindel had one hit apiece.
Gilroy also showed its pitching depth, with Celeste Mendoza (2 strikeouts), Parraz (2 strikeouts), Rodriquez and Spindel (2 strikeouts) all doing one inning‚s worth of work each to combine for the win.
Softball World Series Playoff Schedule
Semifinals (on ESPN2) – Tuesday
Game 1: East vs. South, 4pm
Game 2: Southwest vs. Central, 7pm
Championship Game (on ESPN2) – Wednesday
Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Gilroy 14, Europe (Ramstein, Germany) 0 (4 inn.)
1 2 3 4 R H E
Gilroy 2 3 6 3 14 11 0
Europe 0 0 0 0 0 3 4
Central (Mattawan, Mich.) 1, Gilroy 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Gilroy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Central 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0
