Gilroy bounces back from Day 1 loss to soundly defeat Asia
Pacific 16-5 at the Little League Softball World Series
Portland – The Gilroy All-Stars needed this one.
After going hitless in a deflating 9-0 loss to the South Thursday, the Gilroy All-Stars returned to Alpenrose Stadium and beat Asia Pacific 16-5 Friday at the Little League Softball World Series.
Before the game, Gilroy fans – decked out in purple shirts to support their West team – vowed to be louder supporters. And as their cheers got louder, so did Gilroy’s bats. In all, the Garlic All-Stars belted 15 hits.
“Emotionally, this was a great game, for the girls to come back from an emotional loss,” said Gilroy manager Gene Carlisle.
Several Gilroy players had multi-hit games, including starting pitcher Casey Lester (3-for-4, double, 5 RBI’s), catcher Melanie Morelos (3-for-5, 3 doubles, 3 RBI) and outfielder Kaylana Mah (2-for-5, 2 RBI). Dani Hemeon, Nicole Lara, Amanda Poso, Stephanie Rodriquez, Sarina Sandoval, Sarah Spindel and Elaina Vasquez also had hits.
Gilroy (1-1) takes on Europe, represented by Ramstein, Germany, this morning at 10am. The All-Stars have a bye tomorrow before going up against the East team Monday at 1pm.
“We just had to let it go,” said third baseman Poso of the Opening Day loss to the South. “It’s behind us and there’s nothing we can do about it but come back and play our game.”
Gilroy did, showing few lingering effects from the previous day. Against the team out of Manila, Philippines, Gilroy held a 6-0 lead by the second inning and didn’t look back.
In the top of the second, shortstop Rodriquez led off with a single. First baseman Vasquez followed with a beautiful bunt down the third base line that immediately came to a stop in the infield grass. She reached base and Rodriquez was able to move ahead two bases to third. Outfielder Spindel drove in Rodriquez with a single and Lara brought Vasquez home with a double to right field. Those hits put Gilroy ahead 2-0.
Two batters later with the bases loaded, Lester smacked a one-hop double to the left-field fence which cleared the bases and put Gilroy up 5-0.
In the circle, Lester, nursing a sprained ankle from the previous day, was strong also. She pitched a complete game for Gilroy, scattering four hits, striking out six and walking five while trying to adjust to an unusually high strike zone.
“I don’t know what was up with that,” Lester said after the game, smiling. “In travel ball, those are strikes.”
Gilroy tacked on five runs in the fourth and two in each of the last two innings. A hard-swinging Asia Pacific team began making contact halfway through the game, but Gilroy’s lead was too much to surmount.
“We have to win four more games (to get to the championship game),” Carlisle said. “I still believe we can do it.”
1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Gilroy 0 6 1 5 2 2 16 15 6
Asia Pacific 0 0 2 3 0 0 5 4 2
Up Next for Gilroy: vs Europe, today, 10am
vs East, Monday, 1pm
World Series Buzz
Leave the Gun, Take the Garlic – Gilroy’s garlic reputation is alive and well at the World Series. Tournament participants keep asking manager Gene Carlisle if the Gilroy contingent brought any gifts of stinking rose to share. Nancy Sosa, mother of second baseman Michelle Sosa, had special purple T-shirts made for the Gilroy fans that read “Gilroy Garlic Girls” on the front and “Back-to-Back Western Regional Champions” on the back. (Of course, the shirts included Garlic bulb artwork.)
Neat Repeat – Gilroy is the only back-to-back World Series qualifier out for the West in over 12 years.
Flower Power – Third baseman Amanda Poso appears to hold Gilroy’s lucky charm. At the West Regional last week, her brother gave her a sunflower before a game. Since that day, Poso has brought the flower to every game but Thursday‚s against the South. Gilroy lost that game, but won the others when the flower was present in the dugout. So despite the flower’s brown, degenerated state – “It‚s dead now,” she says – Poso will continue the superstition.
World Series Standings
(Through Friday)
Pool A
East 2-0
Southwest 1-0
Canada 0-1
Latin America 0-1
Oregon D4 0-1
Pool B
Central 1-0
South 1-0
West (Gilroy) 1-1
Asia Pacific 1-1
Europe 0-2
* Top two teams from each pool move on to playoffs
Friday’s Results
Central 11, Europe 0
East 6, Canada 0
Oregon Dist. 4 9, Latin America 0
Get Your Car Washed, Support the World Series Team
Members and coaches from the 2005 Little League Softball World Series team will be holding a car wash Saturday to raise money for this year’s World Series team. The event will go from 9am-3pm and take place at Jim’s Auto Repair, 298 First St., Gilroy
