No. 14-seed Gavilan takes third seed to decisive third game in
NorCal playoffs first round.
VISALIA – Head coach Nikki Dequin led the No. 14-seeded Gavilan College women’s softball team into Visalia to face the No. 3-seeded College of the Sequoias for the first round of the Northern California Regional Playoffs on Friday and Saturday. And the Lady Rams nearly emerged victorious.
After dropping the first game 5-4 in the best-of-three series Friday, the Lady Rams responded behind a complete-game from pitcher Melinda Ortiz, forcing a deciding third game with a 3-0 win over the Giants on Saturday.
The two teams engaged in the elimination game later on in the day on Saturday. The Lady Rams jumped out to an 2-0 lead, but yielded the momentum as the Giants rattled off seven unanswered runs to claim the victory 7-2 , ending Gavilan’s season.
“It was a good match up between the two teams, they just beat us,” Dequin said.
Facing the Giants’ ace Alycia Campos, who beat the Lady Rams in Game 1, Gavilan posted two runs in the top of the first as Amanda Ross singled home Nikki Lobato and Emily Castro.
“We were unable to score after that, even though we had opportunities” Dequin said of the offensive woes in Game 3. “(Campos) really kept us off balance. She was the deciding factor for their team.”
The Giants evened things at 2-all in the bottom half of the first to negate the Lady Rams’ hot start. COS tacked on three runs in the third and padded the lead with one run in both the fifth and sixth innings.
“I think the right team went on,” Dequin said. “As a team, there are adjustments that we didn’t make mentally to be one of the top teams in Northern California. Physically, I think we are there.”
Gavilan began the series in similar fashion, taking an early lead, then surrendering the advantage.
Castro doubled home Lobato in the top of the first to give the Lady Rams a 1-0 lead in Game 1. They used a three-run third to keep pace with the Giants but ultimately came up a run short.
Jasmine Perez, had two hits and Lobato singled home her second run of the game.
Ashley Harrington-Sandoval put the Lady Rams on the board in Game 2 with an RBI-single in the second inning. Ross drove in the game’s second run in the third and Ashley Gamboa put the finishing touches on the scoring with an RBI-single in the fourth. Ortiz limited the Giants’ bats to just four hits.
The Lady Rams close the year with a 26-14 record. They finished second behind San Jose City College in the Coast Conference South standings. The Jaguars were swept in their first-round series by Siskiyous, 8-4 and 8-7.
