12-under softball squad wins second straight tourney
TURLOCK – The Gilroy Hotshots 12-under softball team swept through the USSSA World Series qualifier on April 5 in Turlock – winning five consecutive games for a second straight tournament title as well as a second World Series berth.
The Hotshots took the field early Saturday morning for their first game against the Hilmar Hotties – exploding for a 15-run first inning en route to a 22-1 victory. After a Vanessa Wilkins’ lead-off single, teammate Brittany Balanesi drove her home with a double. The flood gate opened as Melinda Ortiz doubled in two runs, and teammate Angelica Galindo singled in one run.
The runs kept on coming as Amanda Spellman drew a walk and then Nicole Arce slammed an RBI triple. After Lauryn Chris reached base on an error, teammates Jasmine Perez and Danielle Miller hit back-to-back singles. Mandy Lafuente worked a base-on-balls and then Wilkins – in her second at-bat of the opening inning – doubled in two more runs.
The first frame ended only after the Hotshots ran through their line-up twice, scoring 15 runs. Wilkins got the ‘W’ on the mound – allowing only one earned run.
In the second game against the Westside Blitz, the Hotshots – backed by Chris’ two-hitter – squeeked out a 6-4 victory.
Highlights of the game were doubles by Wilkins and Perez, a triple by Wilkins, and singles by Balanesi, Ortiz, and Spellman.
Game-three featured Balanesi on the rubber – pitching a three-hit shutout to lead the locals to a 3-0 victory.
Gilroy’s offense opened with a walk to Spellman followed by a Chris’ single to put runners at the corners. Galindo’s sacrifice scored the first run, and then Chris stole home to score the second run of the second frame. The only other run came in the fourth inning when Arce walked, stole second, and scored when Chris reached first on an error.
The three wins in a row placed the Hotshots as the top seed in the championship round.
With pool play out of the way, Gilroy took care of the fourth seed in short order behind Wilkins’ shutout pitching – cruising to a 10-0 victory.
The 10-run rule came into play after three and a half innings of play and pushed the Hotshots into the tournament championship.
Twelve hours and four games later, the Hotshots started the championship game and jumped ahead by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning with singles from Balanesi, Ortiz and Arce. Gilroy never looked back – taking the title with an 8-1 victory.
The girls broke the game wide open in the third inning by scoring five runs – including a two-run homer off the bat of Wilkins. Spellman belted an RBI single in the inning and Arce tripled her in. Gilroy’s Danielle Miller reached base in the fourth inning on a walk, was sacrificed to second by teammate Emily Haygood, stole third, and scored on a Wilkins’ fielder’s choice.
Ortiz pitched a complete-game – issuing only two walks and no hits with six strikeouts.
The Hotshots scored 49 runs and allowed only six in a display of power hitting, steady fielding, and a whole lot of teamwork.
