Gatto’s bat leads ‘Balers to 6-3 victory over Gilroy
Gilroy – The smiles on their faces said it all. The ‘Balers knew Thursday’s game against Gilroy was an important one and they had just put an exclamation point on their eventual 6-3 victory.
With the San Benito softball team holding tight to a three-run lead entering the seventh inning, sophomore Lizzy Gatto delivered the decisive blow with a two-run home run over the leftfield fence. And the Lady ‘Balers were ready to celebrate when she got back to the dugout.
“I just really wanted to hit it,” said Gatto, who finished 2-for-3 with two runs. “I was all amped up and ready to hit it.”
Fortified by Gatto’s blast, San Benito had the wiggle room to overcome the Mustangs’ late charge – host Gilroy scored twice on three hits in the bottom of the seventh – and still prevail in an important Tri-County Athletic League game. With the victory, the ‘Balers extended their winning streak to seven games and improved to 3-2 in league play.
After suffering a 2-0 home defeat to Gilroy on March 21, a game in which Mustangs ace Sarah Villar limited the ‘Balers to one hit in the teams’ TCAL opener, San Benito had been looking forward to atoning for one of its two losses.
The ‘Balers (16-2) appeared on the verge of striking first when Ari Romero connected on a two-out single in the second that sent pinch runner Danielle Scibuola around third and heading home. But Gilroy right fielder Jasmine Perez unleashed a perfect strike that gunned down Scibuola at the plate and got the Mustangs out of the inning unscathed.
Gilroy (12-6, 4-3 TCAL) used a walk, a single and three ‘Balers’ errors to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second and looked primed to score even more with a runner on third and no outs. But on Villar’s grounder to third, Gilroy center fielder Liz Ines broke for home, and San Benito third baseman Jacqueline Clayton gloved the ball in plenty of time to throw her out at the plate. A strikeout and a foul out later, ‘Balers starter Marissa Ibarra quieted the Mustangs’ threat.
Nonetheless, with Villar on the hill, San Benito knew it would have to find a way to get its bats on track to have a chance to win. Ashley Perreira and Elena Fata singled one batter apart in the third, but Villar induced a popout for the second out and then put ‘Balers No. 3 hitter Kristen Archuleta in an 0-2 hole. Refusing to succumb to Villar, Archuleta worked the count and eventually slapped a single to center that drove in Perreira to tie the game at 1.
“To me, that was the turning point of the game,” San Benito head coach Scott Smith said. “It was huge. That really set the tone. If she’d not done that, I’m not sure we would’ve come back.”
Buoyed by Archuleta’s hit, San Benito put scored in three of the last four innings. Gatto doubled and Romero singled to score on a Gilroy throwing error and a passed ball, respectively, in the fourth. The next inning, Clayton singled, stole second and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Audra Brown to push the ‘Balers’ lead to 4-1.
Meanwhile, after Gilroy scored the game’s first run, Ibarra set down 17 of the next 21 batters she faced, allowing only one Mustang to reach second base. San Benito’s freshman starter finished with a complete game victory, striking out five and issuing two walks.
The Mustangs finally got their offense going with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, receiving back-to-back singles by Yolanda Esquivel and Lauryn Chris. When Amanda Tellez followed with a two-run double, the Mustangs pulled within 6-3, but Gilroy head coach Catherine Hallada said her team needed to be focused much sooner.
“Our intensity before every game isn’t quite there,” Hallada related. “Seventh inning? That’s a different story. Seventh inning, they’re ready to come out and win.”
San Benito posted nine hits against Villar and reliever Brittany Balanesi. Gatto led the offense with her six total bases and Romero followed up with a 2-for-3, one run effort.
Chris, Tellez and Ines all recorded two hits for Gilroy.
Archuleta said the ‘Balers had been eager to play this game since their earlier loss.
“We were motivated,” Archuleta shared. “For me and the other two seniors, this was the last time playing them, so we really wanted to win.”
Gatto agreed: “It was really good to beat Gilroy since they beat us last time; show them we’re up to that level,” the San Benito right fielder said. “It was a big game that we needed to win.”
San Benito returns to the diamond this afternoon with a 4pm home contest against Live Oak.
