GHS softball ends eight-game skid with three-run rally in 7th to
top Live Oak, 3-0
MORGAN HILL – This is what Gilroy High softball coach Julie Berggren has been talking about since league play started.
After struggling in one facet of the game or another for much of the Tri-County Athletic League season, Gilroy finally put it all together Monday evening. A fine pitching effort backed by solid defense and an opportunistic offense led the Mustangs to a 3-0 victory over host Live Oak at Community Park in Morgan Hill.
“This is the way we started the year and it’s nice to see it come back before it was all over,” Berggren said. “We were hitting the ball hard, and we were outstanding defensively – we didn’t make any errors, which has been our nemesis all year.”
In picking up its second league win of the season, Gilroy relied heavily on the right arm of starting pitcher Sarah Villar, who tossed a three-hit shutout at the Acorns. In the first meeting between the two teams, Live Oak beat Gilroy 3-0 in extra innings on April 1.
Through the first six innings, it looked like Monday’s game would also go into extra frames as Villar and Live Oak pitcher Juliette Bowers matched scoreless innings. In fact, Bowers had a perfect game going through the sixth.
Gilroy finally mounted a rally in the top of the seventh inning. Yolanda Esquivel led off with a high chopper to Bowers, who leapt and snagged the ball but threw wildly to first. The next batter, Kayla Aldridge, reached base on a bunt that the Live Oak second baseman had go off her glove and into short rightfield, with both runners advancing.
After a strikeout, Mustang Patricia Olvera came up with her team’s first hit, a line-drive single to center that scored Esquivel for a 1-0 lead. Russhelle Preeshl followed with an infield single to score Aldridge for 2-0, but Olvera was caught off third for the second out. However, Amanda Tellez smacked a one-hopper off the Live Oak pitcher that was thrown down the rightfield line to score Preeshl for 3-0.
“We did it,” Villar said. “The girls really started to see the ball and they hit it hard. We executed. It’s very big. Gilroy and Live Oak is always a big rivalry, and I have a bunch of friends on that team.”
Live Oak coach Barry McDonnell said Gilroy earned the victory despite his team’s shaky defense.
“They hit the ball to score,” McDonnell said. “That’s the hardest I’ve seen (Bowers) hit since the beginning of the season.”
Meanwhile, Live Oak was unable to convert on its limited opportunities. After getting their first two batters on base with singles in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Acorns were shut down by Villar, who got three straight outs to escape the jam.
Gilroy improved to 2-8 in T-CAL and 9-12 overall with the victory, while Live Oak fell to 5-5 in T-CAL and 12-10 overall with the loss.
