GILROY — Sobrato started to catch fire in the final two innings Thursday, but Christopher put out the flames.
The Cougars held off the rally, winning 9-6 over the Bulldogs at home to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Christopher capitalized on a big third inning where it would take the lead for good. The Cougars trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third, but put up a five spot which was started by a two-out triple from Karli Martinez.
After Pati Soria walked, Brook Loesch brought Martinez home with a single to second base, tying the game a 2-2. Lindsey Buessing reached on a dropped third strike to load the bases with Morgan England at the plate. England hit a line drive single to right field to drive Soria and Loesch home, giving Christopher it’s first lead of the game at 4-2. Michaela Decker was walked, keeping the bags full, when Brittany Souza singled which allowed Buessing to score. Juliana Santiago was walked to score England and the Cougars’ final run of the inning to lead 6-2.
England led the team going 2 for 3 with two RBIs , a stolen base and a walk. Martinez went 2 for 5 with three runs, a triple and stolen base while Loesch was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Souza was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run.
“We’re really getting more comfortable in the box,” Cougars coach Allison Robinson said. “I feel like, as a team, we’re hitting the ball well (with our) one through nine batters. Even my subs that I’m putting in are putting some good swings on the bat. As a team we’ve got a lot of confidence right now. We’ve got to work on our defense a little bit, but overall I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.”
Trailing 7-3 heading into the sixth, the Bulldogs had runners in scoring position with nobody out. Heather Sjostedt grounded out to the second basemen, but not before pushing a run across and moving the other just 90 feet from home plate. Kayla Rooney singled to bring get Sobrato within two, 7-5, but Christopher wouldn’t keep it close for long.
The Cougars answered with two runs of their own when Emily Fredricks reached on an error, allowing Nikki Villanueva and Souza to score, giving them a four-point lead again at 9-5.
Sobrato would muster up one more in the top of the seventh, but it just wasn’t enough.
“My girls did a fantastic job,” Sobrato coach Lisa Cancilla said. “The season is just getting going, we haven’t even started league yet. …I’m very proud of them and the way they came back. They were pumped up. We’ve got a long way to go and we’ve just got to keep getting better.”
Mackenzie Holt got the win in the circle, putting in four innings of work. She gave up three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out one.
Sobrato was able to score twice in the first inning, but Holt said her confidence wasn’t shaken.
“I just didn’t think about it,” she said. “I tried to stay calm and just go pitch by pitch and get each batter.”
Sobrato committed five errors in the game while Christopher committed three. While the Cougars defense needs a little work, Holt said she was proud of her team for keeping its composure when the going got tough.
“Our defense, whenever we fall apart we get back together,” she said.
Christopher will be back in action at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Willow Glen.
Sobrato, however, will host Live Oak at 4 p.m. today. Cancilla said her team continues to learn and grow with each game.
“I think it’s kind of a never ending process,” she said. “You’re always working on fundamentals – fielding grounders, fly balls as you can see. You think they’re routine fly balls, but there’s never routine fly balls. Just a lot of hitting, repetition over and over again – it’s just the basic fundamentals.”
