GILROY
–– The Gavilan College softball squad used a mixture of steady
fielding and timely hitting to back freshman hurler Tanya Isbell’s
complete-game effort for Thursday’s 6-1 win over Foothill.
GILROY –– The Gavilan College softball squad used a mixture of steady fielding and timely hitting to back freshman hurler Tanya Isbell’s complete-game effort for Thursday’s 6-1 win over Foothill.
Isbell, of Morgan Hill, scattered eight hits, allowed only one run, and struck out five batters to lead the Lady Rams to victory.
“I’ve also been really pleased with the pitching of Tanya Isbell recently. She’s been improving every week, especially on her mental focus and her ability to change speeds and throw a variety of pitches to different locations,” head coach Tim Kenworthy said. “It’s been rewarding and fun to watch her progress.”
After giving up two base hits in the opening inning, Isbell got out of the jam unscathed.
The Lady Rams then got their first at-bats and knocked in five runs to give their ace a comfortable 5-0 cushion.
“We busted out of a mid-season hitting slump,” said Kenworthy, whose squad tallied seven hits. “Our bats came alive.”
Following back-to-back base knocks from Isbell and freshman Katrina Villa, freshman Megan MacDonald worked a base-on-balls to load the bases up for freshman Vicki Velasquez – who singled in the first run. Velasquez had two hits on the day.
Freshman Marisol Luna-Gonzalez then knocked in a run and reached base on a fielding error.
The big hit of the inning was freshman Ashley Magana’s base-clearing triple down the right-field line.
Foothill scored its only run in the second inning, but the Lady Rams came back with their sixth run in the third inning.
Magana singled and advanced with an infielder’s obstruction call on freshman Frances Carasco’s soft grounder to the right side of the infield.
Magana eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.
“She really needed those hits, because she knows she’s been letting too many good pitches go by without swinging,” said Kenworthy of Magana. “She has a good swing, but she knows she just needs to widen her stance in order to keep her feet still.”
The Lady Rams will play a rain make-up game at Monterey Peninsula College today and then they return home Tuesday against Cabrillo, which Gavilan has defeated twice this season.
“Although we’ve been hampered with injuries and illnesses all season long, and we lack experience at a couple of key positions, our team as a whole has competed well, and in recent weeks we’ve elevated our play,” Kenworthy said.
