GHS softball wins big in COC
SUNNYVALE – After suffering an opening 4-2 loss to Oak Grove to start Friday’s pool play in the annual Circle of Champions, the Lady Mustang softball team powered up at the plate on Saturday, winning back-to-back blowouts over Menlo Atherton and Monterey.
“We did awesome this weekend,” head coach Julie Berggren said. “The thing I’m most proud of is the girls hit the ball hard. We are hitting the ball hard and making things happen and forcing them to make errors.”
Gilroy (4-1 overall), which will open its league schedule on Thursday at home against Salinas, now advances to the Silver Division championship rounds, which will start up Saturday at 9 a.m. at Twin Creeks.
“We’ve got some great pitching and some excellent defense, enough to get us through, and the attitude again that we’re not going to lose. It doesn’t matter if we’re down one run early,” Berggren said. “That’s the big difference in this year’s team from last year’s team.”
Saturday’s success started with a 12-0 thumping of Menlo Atherton. Freshman Amanda Tellez went 3-for-4 with two runs-batted-in, while sophomore Christina Hernandez finished 2-for-3. Freshmen Russhelle Preeshl and Erin Magill hit back-to-back triples.
“It was a great game,” Berggren said.
Hernandez got the start on the hill and picked up the win in the shortened five-inning game by giving up only one hit through three innings. Freshman Patty Olvera finished off the last two innings, giving up not hits and striking out three.
Gilroy scored seven runs in the third inning when they sent 11 batters to the plate, and recorded 16 hits in the game.
“We just crushed (the Menlo pitcher),” Berggren said. “This is very comforting to see our kids being able to produce.”
In game-two, the Lady Mustangs continued to swing hot bats, downing Monterey for the second time this season, 8-1. Sophomore starter Sarah Villar went six strong innings for the win, striking out five and allowing only four hits.
Menlo got on the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the first, cost by a pair of Gilroy fielding errors. But Villar stayed poised and retired the next three batters to end the threat.
“In the second inning, we just came alive,” Berggren said.
Villar helped her own cause with a 2-RBI double and then came around to score on a past ball.
“She came through huge with a clutch hit,” said Berggren of Villar. “We just didn’t stop form there. We shut them down for the next four innings and they just kind of fell apart.”
The Lady Mustangs added three more runs in the fourth with five singles in a row. Junior shortstop Kayla Aldridge went 3-for-3 with a double and Villar went 3-for-3 with a double and two singles.
“They know they’re going to score. They know it’s a seven-inning ball game,” Berggren said. “I remember last year being down 1-0 and being like that’s it. This year our team is like no big deal, we’re going to be fine.”
In their opening loss to Oak Grove, the Lady Mustangs were tied 2-2 going into the seventh inning. Hernandez’s RBI single gave Gilroy the lead, but Oak Grove smacked a two-run homer to steal the game.
“It was a great game and we had a chance to win it,” Berggren said.
