Not even an A-list Hollywood screenwriter could have packed more
drama into the extra-inning 10-9 Gilroy victory over Pendleton
(Ore.) in the Little League Softball Western Regional final
Sunday.
Gilroy – Not even an A-list Hollywood screenwriter could have packed more drama into the extra-inning 10-9 Gilroy victory over Pendleton (Ore.) in the Little League Softball Western Regional final Sunday.
Down 9-7 in the 10th inning, with a trip to the Little League Softball World Series on the line, Gilroy’s unprecedented run looked like it was about to come to an end.
With two outs against them, fear began to grip the Gilroy dugout.
“We saw tears in everyone’s eyes,” said shortstop and pitcher Alissa Castro, who had just popped out for the second out of the inning.
But second baseman Michelle Sosa, who was at the plate, was mad. Nervous, but mad.
“I was mad because we were losing,” she said. “It was the longest game I ever played. And the most exciting. I was so nervous, it was hard to breathe.”
With two strikes against her, Sosa (4-for-6) smacked a shot in the hole between shortstop and third base, sparking a rally.
After Sosa, third baseman Brenna O’Neill (3 hits) got a hit. Then first baseman Lindsay Holt (3 hits) drove in Sosa and O’Neill with a single of her own to tie the game 9-9.
Catcher Melanie Morelos singled, moving Holt to third. That brought up Adrianna Osuna (3 hits), who delivered the knockout punch to Pendleton with a line drive that drove in Holt and ended the game. That sent the home team Gilroy dugout and its fans into a frenzy.
“We couldn’t believe that we won. We were down two runs.” Sosa said. “Everybody was jumping up and down and screaming. It was really exciting.”
Added a hoarse-voiced Castro Monday, “Oh my God, we’re still shocked. We’re still trying to process the win. It’s crazy.”
The team will now represent the West when the World Series opens Thursday at Alpenrose Field in Portland. Gilroy’s first game is at 5pm Thursday against the South.
Everything was smooth sailing for Gilroy through the first four innings. Gilroy took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third off hits from Osuna, Elaina Vasquez, starting pitcher Danielle Kinoshita, Stephanie Rodriquez and Sosa.
Gilroy held it together through the fourth inning, but in the fifth and sixth innings, the defense committed an uncharacteristic five errors and let Pendleton, the West’s reining champion, go ahead 6-5.
“I think one thing we realized in the game that could have hurt us is we made several errors,” said manager Dennis Castro. “In the end, that didn’t really hurt us, but ended up making (the game) that much longer.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Gilroy had to score or start packing for home. With two outs, Alissa Castro slid into home for the tying run. But the play sparked some controversy. As Castro slid, she collided with the Pendleton catcher, who had the ball in her glove. The umpire made an obstruction call, but the Oregon players and coaches though he called Castro out. They erupted from the dugout and started celebrating.
“(I thought) I heard ‘out’ and i just started bawling,” Alissa Castro said.
Jeff Sosa, Gilroy Little League information officer and scorekeeper for the team, spoke to some umpires about the call after the game. They confirmed it was the right call.
“(The catcher was) six feet in front of home plate and the ball arrived the same time as the runner,” Jeff Sosa said. “It was definitely obstruction as it’s defined in the Little League rules.”
But Pendleton manager Scott McGrath didn’t agree. He argued the call and was ejected from the game.
“You know, I do the best I can to keep my mouth shut when it comes to umpires,” McGrath told Tim Pyle of The Columbian newspaper. “In fact, I treat them with respect. But that was probably the worst call I’ve ever seen in my life.”
With new life, Gilroy kept the score tied until the top of the ninth. Two consecutive Pendleton doubles gave the Oregon team a 7-6 lead. Vasquez brought Gilroy back yet again when she beat out an infield hit and drove in Holt, who had reached on an error.
In the top of the 10th, Dennis Castro was forced to pull Kinoshita (3 earned runs, walk, 6 K’s) from the mound due to the 9-inning Little League rule for pitchers. Alissa Castro, who had only pitched one inning of all-star play up to that point, replaced her and endured a rough inning where Pendleton scored two runs on three hits and one error. Gilroy eventually got out of the inning down 9-7 and headed into what would be the dramatic last inning that culminated in the win and a berth in the World Series.
“It was a great game, a tiring game,” said Dennis Castro. “These girls never gave up and that was big thing.”
