The Chaos traveling team, top row, from left: Dusty Lester,

Salinas – In this past weekend’s 10-team Northern California State Championship Tournament, the Gilroy Chaos 10-and-under fastpitch softball squad was the team to beat.

The Chaos outscored its opponents 27-5 in the first three games en route to a third-place finish in the double-elimination tournament held in Salinas.

Heading into the semifinals on the second day of the tournament, the Chaos and Escalan Dream Catchers were the only teams left undefeated. Against Escalan, Casey Lester took the mound for the first six innings and held the Dream Catchers hitless for her 12th consecutive hitless inning.

But with a runner on third with no outs late in the game, the Dream Catchers squeaked a run across for the 1-0 win. Kalyana Mah and Randi Rogers provided the only Chaos hits of the game.

On Independence Day, the third and final day of the tournament, the Chaos was one of three teams still standing. But the Gilroy girls fell to local rival the Salinas Rockets, 8-3, to wind up in third place for the tournament.

Despite the two losses, coach James Jimenez was happy with his team’s play at the tournament.

“We learned a lot,” Jimenez said. “The way the girls played this past weekend really made a huge impression to their parents and spectators at our game. We were definitely the talk on the field.

“The girls batted great and I could not ask for more than what the girls put out.”

On the first day of the tournament, Chaos pitcher Celeste M. Jimenez held a top-ranked team, the USA Elite team, to two runs in five innings while racking up four strikeouts.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Chaos girls came to bat and scored seven runs to rally for the victory. Helping the team in its outstanding offensive performance were Aly Olvera and Rogers, who both went 2-for-4, and Shawnte “Big Dog” Garcia, who blasted a home run.

“There were some days we were out at Goldsmith Field practicing for four to five hours, just on hitting and boy, did it show,” Jimenez said.

“From the top to the bottom of the lineup, the girls rallied and had fun doing it.”

In the second game, the Chaos faced off against the California High Energy Hot Shots.

Lester, who struck out all six batters in the first two innings and also homered and tripled, had to leave the game with an injury. But the Hot Shots could not stop the hot bats of the Chaos.

The offensive firepower of Mah (2-for-2, two triples, three RBIs), Garcia (two triples, three RBIs) and Gabbie Solario (double) led the Chaos to a 10-3 win. Mah pitched the last two innings, preserving the win.

Next, the Chaos took on the undefeated West Side Bullets. Lester returned from injury to throw a no-hitter through four innings and racked up nine strikeouts, leading the Chaos to a 10-0 win, its third victory of the day.

Gilroy’s offensive highlight of the game was Amber Gamboa’s powerful home run.

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