Back-to-back two-out base knocks in final frame defuse Lady
Mustang softball squad in 3-0 home loss to Acorns
GILROY – When the Gilroy and Live Oak softball squads squared off for the first time in league action on Thursday, the coaches from both sides – as well as some of the players – knew they were in for a long, tough day.
Before the first pitch was thrown, the coaches joked about starting the game in the seventh inning. But sticking with league policy, the teams started from the first and, oddly enough, neither scored through seven regulation innings and one extra frame.
The scoreless tie was finally broken up in the top of the ninth inning by Live Oak, which broke out for three runs and then shut down the Lady Mustangs for a 3-0 decision.
“Another Live Oak-Gilroy softball game,” Lady Acorns head coach Barry McDonnell said. “We always seem to go into extra innings. It’s always a tough game.”
Lady Mustang skipper Julie Berggren concurred: “Playing Live Oak is always close. There’s a long-standing tradition. The two teams always play close.”
And close it was until a pair of clutch two-out base knocks by sophomore centerfielder Alyssa Adamo (1-for-3), whose single scored the first run, and sophomore first baseman Kaitlyn Rauschnot (2-for-4), whose sharp liner to center field brought in two insurance runs.
“We got two bit hits when we needed them,” McDonnell said. “This was a breakout game for (Rauschnot). Over the summer, she was hitting real well so we knew she could. It was really nice to see her bat come alive. It was nice to see her get it done.”
On the other side, Gilroy could not back up sophomore hurler Sarah Villar’s brilliant performance in her first game back since taking a liner off her shin on Friday against Notre Dame. Villar, who has a deep shin bruise, pitched eight shutout innings with four strikeouts before the decisive ninth.
“We had some chances today,” Berggren said. “The first couple of innings we didn’t make good pitch selections, but I was happy to see that our bats adjusted.”
The Lady Mustangs threatened several times, but managed only three hits off Live Oak hurler Juliette Bowers, who struck out six batters in her complete-game shutout.
“She’s been throwing really, really good,” said McDonnell of Bowers. “She’s got really good velocity and she’s getting movement on her pitches so she’s been more effective.”
After Villar retired the Lady Acorns in order to start the game, freshman second baseman Russhelle Preeshl smacked a lead-off single to center and advanced to second on freshman Amanda Tellez’s sacrifice bunt. But Bowers whiffed both junior shortstop Kayla Aldridge and senior catcher Bria DeLorenzo to come out unscathed.
In the third inning, Gilroy had runners on first and second with no outs after freshman first baseman Erin Magill’s base hit was followed by Villar reaching on an error after laying down a bunt. Esquivel then tried to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt of her own, but Bowers fielded it and threw out the lead runner at third base.
After the runners eventually moved up on a passed ball, Tellez popped into an inning-ending double play from the left-fielder to the double off third.
“We definitely had our chances,” Berggren said. “As long as the team keeps working hard, our time will come. This definitely was much better than how we played on Tuesday against North Salinas.”
Live Oak put runners at the corners in the top of the fourth inning, but Villar got out of the jam with Aldridge making a sweet play at short when she back-handed a grounder and threw the runner out. Aldridge had eight put-outs in the game.
“We played better defense,” Berggren said. “We were focused. We were ready to play. We just couldn’t put a run across the plate.”
Sophomore outfielder Kristen Campos led off the bottom of the eighth with a single off the third baseman’s glove, but she was caught trying to steal third before freshman Patty Olvera’s base hit up the middle. After Magill bunted her over to second, Villar grounded out to end the scoring chance.
“I do think we’re headed in the right direction,” Berggren said. “We’ve faced everybody (in league) once. The second time around all the freshmen jitters will be gone and we’ll know what all the pitchers look like. Hopefully, we’ll be more focused and more confident.”
The loss dropped Gilroy’s record to 1-4 in the Tri-County Athletic League and 7-6 overall, while the win upped Live Oak’s record to 3-2 in T-CAL and 7-6 overall.
“We’re happy where we’re at,” said McDonnell of his Lady Acorns. “We took a tough loss against Hollister, 2-0, and we were 0-0 in the fifth against Notre Dame-Salinas. We’re a lot older this year, a lot more mature. I have five seniors.”
ALL CAUGHT UP: DeLorenzo, the only senior on this year’s varsity squad, gunned down two runners on the base-paths against Live Oak. The veteran catcher caught a runner sleeping off the bag in the first and seventh innings.
