Lao Tzu, the ancient softball philosopher from the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, said that a journey of a thousand outs begins with a single strikeout. Pitcher Savanah Castro ended hers with six.
The Gilroy Little League Majors Softball team ended its journey to the Western Regional tourney Tuesday with a solid victory over Centennial Little League, the representative from Nevada, by a score of 5-2. Gilroy, the state champion from Northern California, completed pool play with an even 2-2 record.
Castro allowed no earned runs, walked none, and struck out five batters on her way to a complete game victory.
“I felt nervous at first,” she told a reporter from the San Bernardino Sun. “But then I knew my defense would back me up and then I felt comfortable at my position.”
Castro has distinguished herself in the Western Regionals by virtue of allowing zero earned runs and only two hits in eight innings. Her seven strikeouts rank her second on the team to Brianna Budelli’s’ seven.
Gilroy was down by one unearned run when she occupied the circle in the bottom of the first inning.
“When we were down by one I was a little nervous, but I knew my team would back me up with hitting,” Castro said. “They’re good hitters.”
Castro exemplifies the praise she heaped on her team mates. She was one of nine different Gilroy players to reach base against Nevada, going one for two with an RBI. For the entirety of pool play, however, it was she who led her team with a .429 batting average.
The girls from Gilroy could muster but one hit in the bottom of the first inning, an infield hit by speedster Isabelle Reynolds. She was erased at second by an accurate throw from Nevada catcher Bob Hilke. Yes, that’s not a typo; the catcher’s name is Bob. After putting up a ‘goose egg’ in the top of the second inning, Gilroy got their offense started.
Sarah Starks led off the bottom of the second with a base on balls. She took second base on a wild pitch and reached third on an infield hit by the quick-footed Vanessa Zozaya. Budelli, after a perfunctory ‘take’ to allow Zozaya to reach second base without a throw (it is scored as ‘catcher’s indifference’), smashed a ground ball up the middle of the diamond that scored Starks. Castro worked the count full before she lined a shot into short center field that was caught by a diving Ally Boyd. Zozaya, having reached third on Budelli’s hit, scored easily. Gilroy was on the board 2-1.
The top of the third caused some stress for the Northern California champs as errors led to one run. That, however, would be all that Castro would give up on this warm, breezy evening in San Bernardino. With shadows slowly crossing the field at Al Houghton Stadium, Castro went on to shut out the Nevada squad for the remainder of the game.
Castro’s girls, though, weren’t done scoring. Alyssa Olivares lead off the bottom of the third inning and was plunked by pitcher Red Barry (again, not a typo). Olivares stole second, advanced to third on AnnaIsabel Perez’s groundout to first and scored on Reynolds’s fly to left field.
In the fourth, Christina Chavez worked the count for lead-off walk, stole second base, advanced to third on Zozaya’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch during Mia Garnica’s at-bat. Garnica walked and stole second. A base on balls to Kendall Irwin and an infield hit by Olivares, who just eluded the tag by the first baseman, loaded the bases with two outs for AnnaIsabel Perez.
Perez managed to turn a 3-0 count into a full count. On a 3-2 changeup, she ripped a grounder that the second baseman failed to handle, scoring Garnica for the fifth and final Gilroy run of the game and the Western Regionals.
“I feel good about this game and about this tournament. It has been an invaluable experience,” Gilroy manager Norma Castro said. “This is a good group of girls. They know how to play. We focus on three key elements of team work: mental game, togetherness and effort. We knew we had to win this one. These girls — every time they lose one, they come back with fire; they come back wanting to win. They don’t give up easily.”
The entire team met in the interview room after the game along with manager Norma Castro, coaches Jon Castro and Joe Budelli. The joy of victory and the glow of camaraderie was clearly evident on their ‘eye-blackened,’ sweaty countenances. They were interviewed by a reporter from the San Bernardino Sun and it was apparent that few of them had ever had that experience. There answers to his questions were laced with giggles, sideways glances, brilliant smiles, and obvious esprit de corps.
“Good” and “really good” were the most popular response when the players were asked how they felt, how they fielded, how they batted, and even how the “wonderful little league cafeteria food” tasted. Manager Castro finished the press conference by saying, “These girls deserve a big hand!”
Their journey to the tourney is over. These girls will play many more years for little league, travel clubs and, ultimately, their respective high school. Regardless of when and where they play in the future, they will all take with them something they will never forget — they are California State Champions.
