Sophomore Galindo delivers game-winning hit in eighth to beat
North Salinas 2-1
Gilroy – Saturday, it was freshman Jasmine Perez. Tuesday, it was sophomore Angelica Galindo.
Three days after Perez hit a bases-loaded triple to drive home Gilroy’s winning run against perennial power Notre Dame at the Steinbeck Classic, Galindo became the latest young Lady Mustang to deliver a clutch winning hit.
With the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1 in the eight inning against North Salinas at home Tuesday, first baseman Galindo ripped a two-out single to left field to lift the Mustangs to a 2-1 victory.
“It sounds really bad that I didn’t know where the pitch was,” Galindo said after the game. “But all I knew was that I had to get a hit. I’ve had problems hitting and I was in a pretty big slump.”
But not against the Vikings. Galindo was one of three Mustangs with two hits in the game. Senior pitcher Sarah Villar, who drove in Gilroy’s other run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game, and senior shortstop Patty Olvera also had a pair of hits.
Gilroy’s win brings the team to 12-5 overall and a third-place 4-2 in the Tri-County Athletic League heading into Thursday’s game with San Benito. North Salinas dropped to 7-9-1 and 1-4 in league.
Villar, who kept the Viking hitters off-balance with a mixed bag of off-speed pitches, went all eight innings for the Mustangs to improve her record to 7-2. Villar struck out seven batters and walked two while allowing five hits.
Not surprisingly, the Mustangs treated the extra inning like business as usual. Two of Gilroy’s three home games this season have gone into extra innings, including Tuesday’s contest with North Salinas. The Mustangs came out on top in both.
“We get into extra innings and they don’t feel the pressure,” said Gilroy head coach Catherine Hallada. “I’m the one that feels the pressure.”
Perez started off the eighth inning reaching first on a bloop hit off the glove of North Salinas’ diving shortstop. Olvera followed with a grounder to short and Perez beat the force out at second. Liz Ines put down a sac bunt to push Perez and Olvera to third and second. North Salinas freshman pitcher Danielle Shipman then intentionally walked Villar, who singled up the middle earlier in the game to tie the score. After catcher Brittany Balanesi popped out to short right field, Galindo came to the plate to belt the winning hit.
Galindo not only came through at the plate, but in the field as well. The sophomore has filled in nicely at first base for starter Olvera since the beginning of spring break. Olvera moved to shortstop to fill in for regular Kylie Herrada, who is in Hawaii for the break.
“She’s great at first base,” Hallada said. “She knows what to do.”
To get to the deciding eighth inning, Gilroy relied on some key defensive plays from third baseman Amanda Tellez and left fielder Yolanda Esquivel. Junior Esquivel thwarted the Vikings’ attempt to advance a runner by making a quick play on a sac bunt attempt and getting the force out at second base for the first out of the seventh. For the third out in the top of the eighth, Esquivel dove and snow-coned a screaming line drive off the bat of Elizabeth Fleming for the third out. Fleming had previously belted a big double to center field.
Gilroy plays San Benito for the second time at home Thursday at 4pm.
