Unfortunately for the Gilroy All-Stars, their chance to end up
World Series champs depended largely on the performance of two
other teams in their pool on Monday.
Portland – Unfortunately for the Gilroy All-Stars, their chance to end up World Series champs depended largely on the performance of two other teams in their pool on Monday.
Gilroy, representing the West, did its part, getting an 8-5 win against the Central representatives from Louisville, Ky. Monday evening. But the 2-2 squad from the Garlic City also needed Asia-Pacific – which had already qualified for Thursday’s semifinals by having one of the top two records in the pool – to beat the South earlier in the day. Had that happened, Gilroy would have been in a three-way tie for second place and in the running for the semifinals by the tiebreaker rule which is based on run differential.
But previously undefeated Asia-Pacific, which was without its two top pitchers and offensive players Veronica Belleza and Annalie Benjamen due to ejections Saturday, fell to the South 4-2, thus ending Gilroy’s world championship hopes.
“If Asia-Pacific had its regular pitchers, the South didn’t really have a chance,” said Gilroy manager Dennis Castro after the game. “But as long as I’ve been playing this game, I’ve learned that that’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
Of course, the Gilroy coaches, players and fans alike wished they could take back that five-error extra-inning loss to the South earlier in the week so the Gilroy team wouldn’t have had to depend on another squad’s performance late in the tournament.
“They were kind of sad,” said second baseman Michelle Sosa about her teammates’ reaction to finding out the South team had beaten Asia-Pacific. “But we got over it.”
The West representatives went straight at Central, which needed to beat Gilroy to get into the semifinals ahead of the South. Gilroy charged ahead against the Louisville, Ky. team Monday evening and finished pool play with a bang.
A five-run third inning put Gilroy on its way to a 6-0 lead through four innings. Central surged back in the bottom of the fifth and closed the gap to 6-5. But in the sixth inning, the Garlic City girls put two more runs on the board and held the home team from Louisville in the bottom half for the 8-5 win.
In the top of the third, Dani Hemeon, pinch running for Marisa Gamboa, who reached on an error, slid into home on a passed ball for the first run of the game. A few plays later, first baseman Lindsay Holt belted a double over the Central center fielder’s head, driving in shortstop Alissa Castro and winning pitcher Danielle Kinoshita to make it 3-0. Then Central pitcher Krista Adams got shaky and loaded the bases as Holt, Sam Parraz and catcher Melanie Morelos all got aboard. Adams walked home Holt and Parraz to make it 5-0 Gilroy before getting out of the inning.
Gilroy stretched the lead to 6-0 in the top of the fourth when Holt blasted a hard grounder to Central third baseman Stephanie Thieneman, who bobbled the ball and didn’t get a good throw off to first. Castro, who was on third after hitting a towering double that nearly made it to the left field fence, ended up scoring.
The double was one of two big hits for leadoff hitter Castro on the night, who got her game time inspiration from her grandmother.
“Right before the game, my grandma called and said, ‘Kick some Kentucky butt,'” said the shortstop, who was 3-4 with an RBI and three runs scored.
Central rallied back in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, closing the gap to 6-5 with a combined five hits. But Gilroy shut the door in the sixth inning.
Outfielder Stephanie Rodriquez led off with a single to left. Then up came Castro, who hit her second solid double of the night and sent the speedy Rodriquez (1-for-2, RBI) home from first to make it 7-5 Gilroy.
Castro, who wisely took third base when Central tried to make a play on Rodriquez at home, scored the last run of the game thanks to a Central error on a Sosa grounder to third.
Also providing offensive firepower for Gilroy were Parraz (1-for-1, RBI), Adrianna Osuna (1-for-2) and Kinoshita (1-for-3, RBI).
After the final out, the South team from McLean, Va. and its fans breathed a sigh of relief and even thanked the Gilroy team for winning. The orange-clad clan occupied one side of the bleachers for the whole game on the Gilroy side, quietly hoping to see their team join Asia-Pacific, the East (Orange, Conn.) and the Southwest (New Iberia, La.) in the semifinals. The Gilroy win meant no three-way tie between Asia-Pacific, South and Central, which would have also had a 3-1 record had it beat the West.
But Dennis Castro also felt the win proved something else.
“I think (the win today) goes to show that we should be in the semifinals,” Castro said. “But it’s the school of the hard knocks.”
If anything, Castro hopes his team’s time at the World Series has been a learning experience and something his players will carry with them as they keep moving up in their softball careers.
“The girls are still here to learn,” he said. “Hopefully, it sticks in their head.”
Gilroy will play its fifth and final game, most likely on Wednesday at noon, against Latin America for fifth place at the World Series.
On Saturday afternoon, the Gilroy team bounced back from two tough losses to beat the Europe team 8-1.
Gilroy took advantage of a less experienced Brzeg, Poland team early on. After taking a 1-0 lead after the first inning, Gilroy scored five runs off three hits from Castro, Holt and Osuna in the top of the third to take a 6-0 lead.
Poland scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth when first baseman Kasia Tunska hit an RBI single to right field.
After Gilroy scored two more runs, one in the fifth and one in the sixth, the home team Poland made a surge in its last at bat. But with Europe runners on second and third and one out, Gilroy ended the game with a double play. Tunska grounded out to Castro at short and first baseman Holt then made a throw to the plate where Morelos held on to the ball and tagged a sliding Karolina Janowska for the third out.
Picking up the win on the mound for Gilroy was Parraz, who allowed just five hits.
NEWS&NOTES
World Series Birthdays: Before the game, the game announcer recognized two Gilroy birthdays. Outfielder Marisa Gamboa turned 13 Sunday and Little League information officer Jeff Sosa, also the father of Michelle Sosa, celebrated his birthday Monday. Both were brought out to home plate before the game against Central.
Triple the fun: In the first inning of Monday’s game, Central made the first ever triple play in the history of the Little League Softball World Series. The play happened when first baseman Lindsay Holt flied out to Central center fielder Peyton Wilson. Wilson threw to second baseman Samantha Lindsay, where Alissa Castro was doubled up. Then Lindsay caught Michelle Sosa at first base.
