GHS goes 2-0-1 at Circle of Champions, baseball splits games,
track gets kicking
GILROY
A 2-0-1 record over three games at the Anne Lynch Memorial Circle of Champions tournament in Salinas this past weekend should push Gilroy High’s softball team (5-2-1 overall) into one of the top two divisions of second-round play next weekend.
The Mustangs beat North Monterey County 6-3 in the first game of the tourney Friday, as Ashley Harrington had nine strikeouts and a no-hitter going into the sixth inning. NMC ruined the flawless effort by scoring three runs to cut the lead in half, but the Mustangs were able to close out the game with Sam Parraz in relief.
Gilroy’s Sarah Lira recorded six strikeouts in a 7-0 win over Live Oak on Saturday before the Mustangs wrapped up pool play with a 4-4 tie against Aragon.
Trailing 2-0 most of the game, Gilroy started a rally in the sixth on a double by Jasmine Perez. Lira then got on base by an error, Lindsay Holt hit a two-RBI triple, Emily Castro singed for an RBI and Dani Hemeon connected on an RBI-single later in the frame.
Aragon score two runs of its own in the bottom half of the sixth to end the game in a draw, as tournament rules dictate a contest be called once allotted time expires.
The Mustangs will travel to Evergreen Valley today at 3:45 p.m. before playing their first home game of the season against St. Francis at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
Baseball
Evergreen Valley got blasted by the Gilroy High baseball team Saturday, as the Mustangs exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning to eventually win 12-2.
Six different Gilroy batters plated runners, with freshman Rafael Garcia doing the most damage, going 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Lukas Fortino and Taylor Chris both plated two runs, while Michael Hartman earned the win by striking out three batters over four innings and allowing no runs.
Soquel squeaked out a win over the visiting Mustangs a day earlier, scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh to win 2-1 Friday.
Gilroy’s Roberto Celestino plated Derek Engen on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to tie the game at 1-all after Taylor Chris limited Soquel to just one run in five innings. Jose Gamboa took the loss, pitching 2.2 innings of relief.
The Mustangs (2-3) will play their first league game of the season at 4 p.m. today, when they travel to North Salinas.
Track and Field
Gilroy High’s track and field teams competed at the Willow Glen Invite Saturday, with several Mustangs winning events or placing in the top three.
Senior sprinter Peter Guenther won the 100-meter dash, the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles, while junior high jumper Sarah Unadia cleared the highest bar at 5-feet-2. Unadia also took second in the 100 hurdles.
Freshman Athena Alarcon placed third in the 1,600 with a time of five minutes, 25.9 seconds.
