Gilroy High softball still in title race after 4-0 home
loss.
GILROY – With the Tri-County Athletic League stock-piled with heavy hitters like North Salinas, Hollister and Notre Dame – not to mention Live Oak – the Gilroy High softball team did not expect to run through its league schedule with an unblemished record.
In the opening weeks of T-CAL action, this year’s big four have all knocked each other around. But heading into the Lady Mustangs’ Friday home game against Notre Dame, the garlic girls remained the only undefeated team in league.
It was Gilroy’s turn though, as a three-hit attack was not nearly enough to match the Lady Spirits’ three-run fourth frame that spelled the beginning of the end for the locals in their 4-0 loss.
It’s all even again with Gilroy playing host to North Salinas on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. and we’ve still got a whole lot of season left.
“This is only our third game in league. I knew no one was going to go undefeated,” said second-year skipper Julie Berggren, whose squad holds a 2-1 mark in T-CAL like its three closest rivals. “We’re young. We have a lot of stuff to work on, but at the same time we hung in there with an excellent team.”
The Lady Mustangs were deadlocked in a scoreless tie when things went awry in the fatal fourth inning. Senior ace Jennifer Olvera was near perfect her first time through the Notre Dame line-up – only allowing a first-inning, lead-off single that was later erased by an inning-ending double-play.
But in the fourth on a bunt attempt hit softly back to the mound, Olvera’s hard throw to first went off the glove of second baseman Dallas Hernandez and left two runners on with no outs. The Lady Spirits jumped on their first solid opportunity – first bunting the runners into scoring position. Following a ground out fielded by Olvera that did not advance the runners, a sacrifice fly and a two-run triple put Notre Dame ahead, 3-0.
“It’s disappointing to see us make simple errors,” Berggren said. “Against a team as good as this, one little error and they’ll jump all over you.”
Gilroy strung together two hits in the bottom of the fifth with singles by junior catcher Bria DeLorenzo and junior third baseman Cherise Martinez – but could not get on the scoreboard.
“If we can’t score, we can’t win. It’s as simple as that,” Berggren said. “We had some excellent at-bats… Overall, I’m a little disappointed because we didn’t score any runs.”
Notre Dame added a fourth insurance run in the top of the sixth inning, while the Lady Mustangs’ only other threat came in their final at-bats with two walks and a pair of fielder’s choices that did not generate a run.
“We have tons of games ahead of us,” said Berggren, with no confidence lost in her bunch. “We’ll come back with a tough game on Tuesday.”
GHS SOFTBALL STATS
Record: League 2-1 Overall 7-4
Top Hitters:
Bria Delorenzo .444 (4-9)
Jennifer Olvera .375 (3-8)
Francesca Lopez .286 (3-8)
Dallas Hernandez .222 (2-9)
Cherise Martinez .222 (2-9)
Laura Hennessee .200 (1-5)
Doubles:
None
Triples:
Jennifer Olvera : 1
Francesca Lopez: 1
Home Runs:
None
Pitching:
Jennifer Olvera League 2-1 Overall: 7-1
ERA Innings AB Hits Runs ER SO BB
.000 21 75 10 4 0 15 0
