Gilroy pitching staff no-hits Montana in 7-0 win
Gilroy – If the Gilroy Little League softball All-Stars were nervous in their first game of the West Regional Sunday in Vancouver, Wash., it sure didn’t show by the stats.
Representing Northern California, Gilroy played errorless softball and limited Montana representative Butte Mile High Little League to no hits in a 7-0 win. The game lasted just five innings and puts Gilroy 1-0 in Southwest pool play.
“It was a real good way to start,” said Gilroy manager Gene Carlisle. “The girls have got the jitters off. They’re ready to play.”
In a battle for Golden State bragging rights, Gilroy and Southern California representative La Crescenta face off today at 3:30pm. In last year’s West Region, the Southern California team handed Gilroy its only loss before World Series play.
“It’s a big thing,” Carlisle said. “SoCal, NorCal, who is the true champ of California?”
In the win against Montana (0-2), the pitching trio of Sarah Spindel (1 inn., 2 K’s), Celeste Mendoza (4 inn., 1 K, 1 walk) and Casey Lester (1 inn., 1 K, 1 walk) threw a combined no-hitter.
Gilroy broke out with a four-run fourth inning. The All-Stars batted around the order and got hits that inning from Sam Parraz (double), Stephanie Rodriquez, Dani Hemeon, Nicole Lara, Elena Vasquez, Spindel and Lester.
Gilroy tacked on its fifth run in the third inning when Amanda Poso drove in Hemeon, who had stolen second and third after getting on base with a single. In the fourth inning, Gilroy got its last two runs when a Montana error at first base on a Mendoza hit allowed Lester (walk) to score. Melanie Morelos then walked and was driven in by another Parraz double.
Clean-up hitter Morelos, who incurred a nasal passage fracture last week after being hit by a ball, was cleared to return to playing after missing the Northern California championship.
Although Gilroy piled up seven runs in the game, Carlisle felt it was defense that really won the game.
“Team defense,” he said. “We played a complete error-free game. Two walks were the only girls that reached base (for Montana).”
Now Gilroy has two tough games in a row to play in Southern California and Arizona. Southern California returns seven players from last year’s squad. But Arizona representative Arrowhead Little League appears to be the team to beat. It is 2-0 after a 12-0 waxing of Southern California and an 11-0 shutout of Nevada.
But Carlisle, who watched the Southern California/Arizona game, feels his team’s southern counterpart is better than it showed.
“Arizona beat SoCal pretty nasty,” he said. “But I think (SoCal) is saving their No. 1 pitcher. They walked 10 of the Arizona batters.”
Gilroy will get its shot at Arizona in pool play Thursday at 3:30pm.
Little League Softball West Regional
Gilroy (N. Calif.) 7, Butte Mile High (Montana) 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 F
Montana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gilroy 0 4 1 2 0 0 7
Up Next: vs. S. California, today, 3:30pm
Little League Softball West Regional Standings
(Through Monday)
Southwest Pool
Arizona 2-0
Gilroy (N. Calif.) 1-0
Nevada 1-1
S. Calif. 0-1
Montana 0-2
Northwest Pool
Oregon 1-0
Washington 1-0
Host (Cascade LL) 1-1
Alaska 0-1
Host 0-1
*Top two teams in each pool advance to championship playoffs
