Lady Mustang softball team drops third home game in a row with
1-0 loss to Hollister
GILROY – For the third straight time in one heartbreaking week, the Gilroy High softball team dropped a one-run ball-game on its home diamond Friday – bowing to rival Hollister after 10 frames, 1-0.
“Heartbreaker,” said second-year skipper Julie Berggren, following the 10-inning affair. “At the beginning of the week, I would have been happy with winning two of three. At the end of the week, I’d be happy with one.”
Monday’s 1-0 home loss to North Salinas started the week off followed by Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Salinas and then Friday’s one-run loss to the Lady Haybalers.
“Our line-up basically hasn’t been the same all week. We’re trying to put two girls together who can get two hits. We’ll find it,” Berggren said. “I’m proud of my girls. All of us were more impressed today than Wednesday.”
Senior ace Jennifer Olvera’s third consecutive complete-game also ended in defeat as the Lady Mustangs’ T-CAL record dipped below .500 for the first time this season at 3-4.
“It’s hard for her,” said Berggren of Olvera. “It’s frustrating. She pitched another great game. We just could not give her any run support.,”
In their defense, the Lady Mustangs were robbed off four base hits to rightfield in Friday’s loss as the Hollister’s outfield shift worked to perfection.
Senior first baseman Jenna Daugherty rocked two doubles to centerfield – including a lead-off shot in the ninth frame – but she could not be brought home by her teammates.
Olvera also belted a double to deep leftfield with two outs in the fifth, but did not come around to score. Junior catcher Bria DeLorenzo and freshman outfielder Kristen Campos both singled in the fourth and were left stranded on base. Senior third baseman Cherise Martinez had the other Gilroy base knock.
“We played a hard game,” said Berggren, whose squad tallied six hits, while only striking out three times all day. “We never gave up. We just can’t put two hits together.”
With the international run rule going into affect in the 10th frame, Hollister sacrifice bunted the runner to third before Lady Haybaler Megan Smith singled home the only run of the game.
In Gilroy’s half of the 10th, sophomore outfielder Francesca Lopez led off with a base-on-balls to put runners on first and second. Then, Olvera sacrifice bunted the runners to second and third. But another close call at home on senior Dallas Hernandez’s grounder to short did not go the Lady Mustangs’ way and a Martinez ground-out to third ended the ball-game.
Gilroy hopes to recapture its winning form with a Tuesday road game against Notre Dame at the Salinas Sports Complex at 3:45 p.m.
