Gilroy
– With the exception of one game this weekend, the Gilroy bats
were blazing.
That one game, however, relegated the Mustangs to the Silver
Division in the Circle of Champions where Gilroy finished
second.
Gilroy – With the exception of one game this weekend, the Gilroy bats were blazing.
That one game, however, relegated the Mustangs to the Silver Division in the Circle of Champions where Gilroy finished second.
And yet, the 6-5, nine-inning loss to Burlingame in the Silver Division final may have been one of the most exciting games played. A dramatic two-run home run by Jasmine Perez in the bottom of the seventh sent the game into extra innings where the Mustangs came up just short in spite of a 10-hit attack.
“We were hitting the ball, and we were hitting for power,” GHS coach Catherine Hallada said.
During a five-game weekend where the Mustangs went 3-2, they banged out 49 hits, 15 for extra bases. And that includes the opener Friday when Watsonville whiz Noemi Torres shackled Gilroy, allowing just two hits in an 11-0 win.
Melinda Ortiz and Torres traded zeroes for four innings before Watsonville exploded for all of its runs in the fifth against three Mustang pitchers. Amanda Cassel had a double, single and four RBIs in the inning.
“They were hitting the whole game,” Hallada said. “They just weren’t scoring. It didn’t matter who pitched.”
Gilroy (9-3) bounced back later that evening to beat Valley Christian 10-4. Perez went 3 for 3 with a triple to lead a 14-hit attack. Lauryn Chris, Angelica Galindo and Alicia Reese all had two hits. Chris had a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored.
In a quirk of scheduling, the same two teams matched up early Saturday. The final result was the same as Gilroy won 6-1. Perez had another big game with a home run, double and three RBIs. Chris also had two hits and scored three runs. Patty Olvera, Reese and Amanda Tellez each had two hits.
The Mustangs then used the long ball to pound Seaside, 9-1. Reese hit two home runs and drove in five runs to lead the way. Chris also homered and scored two runs. Perez had two hits.
Chris, Olvera and Ortiz had two hits each against Burlingame. Brittany Balanesi had a triple and Tellez scored two runs.
While Hallada was disappointed that the Mustangs didn’t qualify for the Gold Division, she was happy with the offense.
“Jasmine is hitting fantastic,” Hallada said. “She does the job. Lauryn and Amanda are getting on base. Britt is doing well with sacrifice bunts. I have confidence in all 12 players. We have three girls on the bench at a time and all three are good players.”
Because the Mustangs dropped into the Silver Division, they ended up playing five games which Hallada felt was a plus.
“We did well, but I had higher expectations,” the second-year coach said. “I hoped we would get in the Gold bracket. Being in Silver got us more games. We got a lot of at-bats and did a lot of good hitting.”
Gilroy is back in action at 4:30pm today when it hosts Alvarez in a Tri-County Athletic League game.
