GHS softball suffers 5-0 loss to V. Christian
SANTA CLARA – The struggle to produce runs continued for the Gilroy High softball team, which managed only four hits in Saturday’s 5-0 rain-shortened loss to Valley Christian in the Mission City Invite.
“Everyone says it’s the Giroy curse,” said head coach Julie Berggren of her team’s hitting woes. “We work on things. One of the things we are really trying to do is get the girls to be aggressive when they step up to the plate.”
The Lady Mustangs still could not generate enough offense to hang with Valley Christian, which scored one run in the first inning and fourth in the third.
The game, which was the second straight for Gilroy without starting shortstop Kayla Aldridge and first baseman Erin Magill, was called after six innings due to heavy rain at Mission College in Santa Clara.
“It was raining so hard and the wind was blowing that the rain was coming in sideways,” Berggren said.
Sophomore hurler Sarah Villar pitched all six innings for Gilroy, striking out five and allowing nine hits.
Gilroy put runners on first and second with no outs in the second inning when freshman Russhelle Preeshl and junior Kendall Costa had base hits. But the runners could not be advanced.
In the third inning down by only a run, freshman Yolanda Esquivel singled, but she was erased from the base paths when she got caught attempting to steal second base.
Freshman Patty Olvera got the only other Gilroy hit in the fourth inning.
Preeshl walked with two outs in the sixth inning and advanced to third base on a pair of past balls, but again the clutch hit was not there for Gilroy
The loss dropped the Lady Mustangs’ record to 8-11 overall and 1-6 in the Tri-County Athletic League. Gilroy, which has made the playoffs six straight seasons, will play back-to-back home games this week with league-leading Notre Dame coming to town on Tuesday and North Salinas on Thursday.
“We have a big week coming up. We’re going to break out some day and it would be awesome if it would happen this week, and I think it can,” Berggren said. “Nobody thinks we’re going to do anything. They think we’re done. I think that’s the best time for us to do it.”
“Look at our stats, most teams would lay down now, but I don’t think this team will,” the coach added. “They have a lot of pride in themselves and in their program. I don’t think anyone’s seen the end of us yet.”
It only gets tougher for Gilroy this week, as Notre Dame will throw ace hurler Kim Reeder, who was on the winning side of an 8-1 nod over the Lady Mustangs in the first meeting.
“She’s one of the best pitchers in the section,” said Berggren of Reeder. “Execution is the key. If we can execute and produce the way we’ve taught them how to, we should have a very competitive game.”
