‘Baler softball team hands Notre Dame first TCAL loss; San
Benito scores big 3-0 victory
Hollister – Make no mistake about it. This was a big game.
Despite the reality that a share of the Tri-County Athletic League title is unlikely, the San Benito softball team had plenty on its to-do list when first-place Notre Dame came to town on Tuesday.
“We wanted to make a statement – put up a lot of runs and dominate,” San Benito head coach Scott Smith said. “We were going to test ourselves today. Are we ready for CCS?”
And with their 3-0 victory over Notre Dame, the ‘Balers (9-2 TCAL) accomplished exactly what they had hoped to, answering Smith’s query with a decisive ‘Yes.’ In handing the Spirits their first TCAL loss of the season, San Benito showed it is ready for primetime, executing its gameplan to perfection against a highly-rated opponent.
With one game remaining in the regular season, the ‘Balers ensured that they will be the team that no one wants to face once the Central Coast Section playoffs begin next Wednesday. At 25-3 overall, San Benito has now won 16 of its past 17 games, and its past three by a combined score of 25-0.
After suffering a 7-2 loss at Notre Dame on April 6, the ‘Balers knew they would have little or no margin for error in Tuesday’s contest. With freshman pitcher Marissa Ibarra keeping Spirits’ batters off balance all afternoon and an error-free defense playing a quiet, but essential role, San Benito knew that if it could get a lead, it would be tough to beat.
And it didn’t take long for the Lady ‘Balers to jump on the scoreboard. Shortstop Elena Fata gave Notre Dame (24-4, 10-1 TCAL) notice that a victory in this rematch wouldn’t come easily by hammering a Nicole Grummons’ pitch for a triple to centerfield to lead off the first for the hosts. Though San Benito missed its first two opportunities to bring Fata home, right fielder Lizzy Gatto came up huge in her clean-up role.
Battling deep into a 1-2 count with four straight foul balls, Gatto finally struck a slowly hit grounder to short and raced down the first-base line. As Fata crossed home plate, Gatto stretched to beat out Lauren Schutzler’s throw and put the ‘Balers up 1-0. The ball got past Notre Dame first baseman Theresa Cardinale, sending Gatto to second, but Grummons recovered by inducing a lineout to end the inning.
With Ibarra allowing only a second-inning single to Tasha Stokes in a near-perfect first three innings and Grummons settling down to strike out five of the next nine ‘Balers she faced, both teams knew that any offense would be at a premium.
The Spirits got leadoff singles in the third and fourth, from Briana Cureton and Stokes, respectively, and sacrificed the runners over both times. But Notre Dame’s bid to tie the game fell short, with Ibarra retiring the next two batters on both occasions.
“After that, we knew we needed to get some more runs,” Fata said, “because we knew (the 1-0 lead) wasn’t going to be enough.”
After its errors helped Notre Dame triumph in the teams’ first game, San Benito saw the Spirits give it a boost in extending its lead. First, ‘Balers first baseman Ari Romero reached on a dropped ball with one out and then stole second on a fortunate break for San Benito with Rachel Maheu at the plate (“I meant to give her the bunt, but I gave her the steal,” Smith said).
Another Spirits’ fielding error allowed Maheu to reach first and Romero to take third. After Maheu stole second, Fata made the most of the ‘Balers’ opportunity. The sophomore drove in both of her teammates with a single, giving San Benito the decisive 3-0 advantage.
Ibarra set down the Spirits in order in the sixth and then, after a leadoff single in the seventh, induced a 1-4-3 double play to halt Notre Dame’s last-ditch effort.
Fata reached base in all three of her plate appearances – she was hit by a pitch in the third – and finished 2-for-2 with a run and 2 RBIs to lead the ‘Balers’ offense. San Benito managed only three other hits, but the team’s pitching and defense made the lead stand up. Ibarra notched her second straight shutout, allowing four hits while striking out one and issuing no walks.
After seeing his team’s five-game winning streak end – a span in which the Spirits outscored their opponents 41-1 – Notre Dame head coach Joe Given said his team was out-matched in terms of effort level.
“Hollister played a very good energy game,” Given said. “I think we showed up here expecting to win. I just thought they were more confident. We didn’t play with any real fire and enthusiasm.”
The ‘Balers and their coach said Tuesday’s victory has implications beyond simply evening the score with Notre Dame.
“At the beginning of the season, we were like the underdogs,” said San Benito senior Kristen Archuleta of her young team. “Now, we’ve proved we’re a mature team and we can compete with all the high-level teams.”
Smith said it wasn’t so much the victory as it was the way the ‘Balers secured that outcome that is so critical on the eve of the postseason.
“We didn’t want to win it on a cheap hit,” Smith said. “We wanted to earn it. I felt like we dominated today, as the win goes.”
“As far as big wins, I think it’s the biggest win since I’ve been a part of this school,” the seven-year coach continued. “This is a very talented Notre Dame team, so it’s right up there. It’s the most significant win we’ve had all year.”
With one game remaining for both teams, San Benito needs help to catch the Spirits in the league standings. Should the ‘Balers defeat Salinas tomorrow AND Notre Dame fall to North Salinas, San Benito and Notre Dame would share the TCAL championship. After having suffered a 15-1 defeat at the hands of the Spirits last month, North Salinas (5-6 TCAL) would appear to be a likely victim for Notre Dame, but Given wasn’t ready to start celebrating yet.
“If we come out lackadaisical like (Tuesday), anything can happen, especially in our league,” the Notre Dame coach said. “You take that one little lull and it’ll cost us. I’m glad we have that one-game cushion.”
San Benito visits Salinas at 4pm tomorrow. The CCS seeding meeting is set for Saturday and the first-round of the playoffs begin next Wednesday.
