Softball falls 3-1 to Salinas; boys’ golf finishes season at
CCS
The Gilroy softball team held Salinas scoreless for five innings. But it was the one inning in which the Cowboys scored that made all the difference.
In Salinas Tuesday, the Mustangs couldn’t recover from a 3-0 first-inning deficit and fell 3-1 to the Cowboys on their home turf.
The loss dropped Gilroy (13-9, 5-6 TCAL) below .500 in league going into the final regular season game against Sobrato at home Thursday.
After loading the bases in the top of the first inning on starting pitcher Sarah Villar, Salinas lowered the boom with a two-run double down the third base line. Two batters later, the Cowboys (13-8, 5-5 TCAL) scored again on a sacrifice fly.
“They didn’t score again and we didn’t score until the seventh inning,” said Gilroy head coach Catherine Hallada. “Definitely the first inning sets the tone.”
The Mustangs scored their only run of the game on Amanda Tellez’s fielder’s choice in the seventh. Caitlyn Pierotti and Lauryn Chris each had base hits in that inning.
Despite getting off to a rocky start, Villar went on to shut the Cowboys out for five innings and strike out nine batters.
“I think we’re still OK,” said Hallada, who believes her team will still have a shot at the playoffs. “We’re going to go into the last of this week, have fun and hear from CCS where we’re going to stand.”
Boys’ Golf Ends Season at CCS
Mother Nature was no help to the Gilroy boys’ golf team Tuesday at the Central Coast Section championships.
The Mustangs, who received the last at-large bid to the meet, finished last out of 11 teams at Rancho Cañada’s West course with a total score of 429.
Chad Wilson had the team’s lowest score with a 7-over 78. Estevan Gonzalez (83), Jordan Miller (86), Jami Binowski (90), Stephen Freeth (91) and Dylan Habing (96) contributed the rest of Gilroy’s scores.
Junior Miller was the only member to qualify for the meet as an individual.
“It was a little bit windy today and the trade-off was you’re downwind a lot and going into the wind a lot,” said Gilroy head coach Kari Williams. “That’s the way that course is laid out.”
Senior Wilson had the most consistent round, with 39’s on both the front and back nine holes. Some of the other Mustangs had difficulty hitting fairways.
“You have to have it in play because all the fairways are tree-lined,” Williams said. “The other guys found a lot of trouble.”
San Benito, the only other TCAL team at the first round of the two-day event, finished 10th with a team score of 409. Senior Chris Shackleton qualified for the next round of the playoffs with a 1-over 72.
Serra finished in first place with a score of 360. Medalist Alex Darnier of Serra shot a 6-under 65. Los Gatos (378), Bellarmine (379) and Pacific Grove (380) rounded out the top four teams.
