Gilroy can expect to have some flashbacks when it opens the
Central Coast Section baseball playoffs.
Gilroy can expect to have some flashbacks when it opens the Central Coast Section baseball playoffs.
Just last year, the Mustangs hosted Archbishop Mitty in the first round of the playoffs and dropped an 8-6 heartbreaker in 10 innings. Wednesday, No. 5 seed Gilroy hopes to avoid a similar fate when the No. 12 Monarchs come calling in the CCS opener at 4pm.
The Mustangs closed an up-and-down season on a roll, winning six of their last seven. The only loss in that stretch came to Salinas – a team many figured to be the favorite to win the Tri-County Athletic League title.
With its 6-5 extra-inning win over Alisal, Gilroy finished the league schedule with a 9-3 mark and shared the TCAL crown with San Benito. It was the Mustangs first title since winning the Monterey Bay League in 1991.
For a team who has on separate occasions scored and allowed 22 runs in a game, the contest against Mitty – from the powerful West Catholic Athletic League – figures to be a challenge. Gilroy is 0-3 against WCAL teams this year, suffering two losses to No. 6 seed Bellarmine Prep and a loss to No. 9 St. Francis.
The Gilroy softball team (23-7) earned the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 Piedmont Hills (12-13) at 4pm Wednesday at Salinas Sports Complex. Coach Catherine Hallada will be sure that the Mustangs look past the Pirates losing record and see a team that finished its season with a 1-0 win over Live Oak – a team that took Gilroy to extra innings and went on to win the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division.
The Mustangs enter the playoffs strong, having won six of their final seven games to finish in a three-way tie for second. The highlight of its season is easily the 1-0 loss it pinned on Mitty, the only loss suffered this season by the Monarchs, who own the top seed in Division II.
Jasmine Perez leads the attack for Gilroy with seven home runs and 36 RBIs and the Patty Olvera (13 wins) and Melinda Ortiz (nine wins) give the Mustangs a good one-two punch in the circle.
A win for Gilroy would set the Mustangs up against No. 3 Lynbrook at 10am Saturday at Salinas Sports Complex.
