Blistering the competition during its four-game run last week,
Gilroy outscored its opponents 42-2 to earn the right to represent
Northern California in the Little League Western Regional in Tuscon
beginning August 5.
SACRAMENTO – A grand slam home run by Mackenzie Mitchell in the finals of the Division 2 Junior State Championship tournament, fittingly summed up the explosiveness the Gilroy Little League girls Junior softball All-Star team displayed on its way to the state title in West Sacramento.
Blistering the competition during its four-game run last week, Gilroy outscored its opponents 42-2 to earn the right to represent Northern California in the Little League Western Regional in Tuscon beginning August 5.
Staying on par with its lopsided victories, Gilroy defeated Paradise – for the second time in the tournament – 10-1 last Wednesday to clinch the crown.
Mitchell finished the championship game with two home runs.
“These girls are something special. We knew going into the championship game that they were ready,” manager Rudy Perales said. “They came to the field very loose, upbeat and confident, which gave us coaches a really good feeling. We really enjoy how well they all get along, and we are really proud of how they represent Gilroy on the field.”
The girls put a three-spot on teh board in the first inning, thanks to Mitchell’s first four-bagger of the day and an RBI-double by Holly Lam to plate Adrianna Ortega, who reached with a double of her own.
Following singles by Lisa Perales and Brittney Souza, and an error on a Kristin Dennis ground ball, Mitchell connected for the grand slam and put Gilroy up 7-1 after four innings.
Souza chased in Crissy Estrada with an RBI-single in the fifth, and Orgeta tripled home Nicole Green in the sixth then scored on a passed ball for the 10-1 advantage.
Aside from performing well on the field, experience with the pressures of the postseason has aided Gilroy in its run to the regionals. Seven of the 12 players on the roster suited up for the Gilroy Little League Majors All-Stars last season – a team that finished one-game shy of the Little League World Series last season.
“As coaches, they make our job easy,” Perales said. “They have been playing ball for a long time and they know what they need to do. In many situations, we include them in the strategizing process because they are out there on the field, not us. They are smart kids, and sometimes they spot things that we can’t see from the dugout. We trust them, and they rarely let us down.”
The tournament began with plenty of fireworks as the group of 13 and 14 year olds shut out Chester 15-0 last Saturday. A closer game ensued Sunday in the team’s first encounter with Paradise. Fortunately, Gilroy survived a 7-1 decision. the all-stars regained their dominating form with a 10-0 triumph over Antioch to grab a spot in Wednesday’s championship affair.
