After surrendering a run in the top of the first and leaving the
bases loaded in their half of the inning, the Cougars bats erupted
for 12 hits and 15 unanswered runs while starting pitcher Aly
Olvera breezed through the Sharks’ lineup the rest of the way.
Moments after his Christopher High softball team thumped visiting St. Francis Central Coast Catholic, manager Larry Nabzeska let out a monstrous roar as he approached the postgame huddle.
“I do that after we win,” he said. “It’s makes them laugh.”
The Cougars had plenty to smile about following a 15-1 victory – called after five innings – over the Sharks on Tuesday in Gilroy.
After surrendering a run in the top of the first and leaving the bases loaded in their half of the inning, the Cougars bats erupted for 12 hits and 15 unanswered runs while starting pitcher Aly Olvera breezed through the Sharks’ lineup the rest of the way.
Olvera struck out seven and allowed just one hit, which came with two outs in the final inning.
The offensive fireworks, though, is something Nabzeska and the Cougars have been waiting for after a narrow 4-3 win the team’s previous outing against Milpitas.
“We have been practicing a lot on hitting, getting more swings,” said Olvera, whose two-RBI single in the second gave the Cougars a 4-1 lead entering the third.
After back-to-back singles from Brittney Souza and Olivia Barajas, and a walk to Arianna Vasquez to load the bases to start the third, Kayla Medrano scorched a triple to center, plating all three Cougars.
Olvera and Mariza Rodriguez followed with RBI-doubles for a 9-1 advantage. Mariah Martinez brought home the Cougars’ sixth run of the inning as they sent 11 batters to the dish.
“They swing the bat well, they just weren’t picking up the ball (in past games),” Nabzeska said. “We found a pitcher that we could hit and we were feeling comfortable and swinging hard.”
The fourth played out similar to the third as the Cougars continued to pound out the hits.
Marizza Lucio made it 11-1 with a sacrifice fly, Olvera chased home Janelle Hernandez with an RBI-triple and both Kaslin Ettema and Kristen Dennis poked run-scoring hits to conclude the barrage.
The Cougars are 4-1-1 through their non-league portion of the schedule. Monterey Bay League action begins next Tuesday at Monte Vista Christian. The Cougars host Monterey on March 24.
NOTE: CHS’s tilt against Harbor originally scheduled for Thursday as been cancelled.
