Gavilan had just three hits through five innings Tuesday.
Gavilan had just three hits through five innings Tuesday.
It wasn’t that the Rams were suffering a hangover from their doubleheader defeat Friday against De Anza. Jen McBain was pitching too well for that. And yet Gavilan wasn’t getting the timely hit.
That changed in the sixth inning and continued in the seventh when the Rams’ bats came alive in a 12-7 Coast Conference win over Hartnell. It was Gavilan’s first win over the Panthers after two earlier-season losses. It was also the Rams final away game for the season.
“We were putting the ball in play,” Gavilan coach Nikki Dequin-Thompson said. “The wind was blowing and we were hitting balls right at people. I kept telling them all year they were going to catch a break, and we finally did.”
Actually, the Rams (13-26, 7-15) made their own breaks by wearing down Panther starter Ashley Ross. McBain homered in the sixth and Aneisa Ceballos had a two-run single to stake Gavilan to a 5-3 lead.
Hartnell tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Adriana Figueroa’s home run.
And then it all came together for the Rams in the seventh as Amanda Perez started and finished a seven-run inning. Perez singled and scored on McBain’s double. Tiffany McIntosh was safe on an error as McBain scored. Amanda Jackson also reached on an error. Breanna Hernandez knocked in a run with a single. After Ceballos walked, Megan Smart was safe on a fielder’s choice. With Smart running on contact, Melissa Gaxiola’s base hit drove in three runs. Perez’s RBI single capped the outburst.
The Rams continued to have defensive woes, committing seven errors. But McBain’s clutch pitching helped Gavilan. McBain allowed four earned runs with four strikeouts. McBain, Perez and Jackson all had two hits for the Rams.
“Jen did a great job on the mound,” Dequin-Thompson said. “We still committed a lot of errors. But we got some things in our favor and were able to stay aggressive with our hitting and running. We did what we needed to do to win.”
In its next-to-last game, Gavilan hosts West Valley College at 3pm Thursday.
Gavilan 010 103 7 – 12 12 7
Hartnell 010 022 2 – 7 9 7
McBain and Rosevear; Ross and Enriquez. 2B-GAV, McBain. HART, Villarreal, Pina, Sinkler. HR-GAV, McBain. HART, Figueroa.
Baseball
Gavilan let a five-run lead disappear Tuesday as Cabrillo College rallied for a 6-5 Coast Conference win in Aptos.
It was the second straight tough defeat for the Rams, who led Coast Conference North Division-leading Chabot by three runs Monday before the host Gladiators came from behind for a 14-10 win. It was a different game from the first time the two teams met when Chabot won easily 14-2 in Gilroy.
