Lady ‘Balers overwhelm Salinas 9-0 to secure TCAL second place;
Ibarra again brilliant in holding Cowboys to one hit in
complete-game shutout
Hollister – Marissa Ibarra is on her game. And so is the San Benito softball team.
Two days after combining with senior Sam Felice to record a perfect game against Sobrato, Ibarra took a no hitter into the sixth inning against visiting Salinas on Thursday. Backed by their freshman pitcher’s efficient one hitter, the Lady ‘Balers rolled over yet another opponent, emerging with a 9-0 shutout.
All of these San Benito victories – the team has now won 15 of its past 16 games – are made possible because the ‘Balers are clicking across the board. In addition to solid pitching, San Benito (24-3, 8-2 TCAL) has used an effective defense and timely hitting to field a squad that looks more and more capable of making a deep run in the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs.
Even after overwhelming the Cowboys, allowing only three balls to be hit to the outfield in recording the complete-game shutout, Ibarra said most of the credit should go to her teammates in the field.
“My defense is working really good behind me and that’s a big plus,” said Ibarra after surrendering just a two-out single to Salinas’ Chelsea Williams in the sixth. “It makes me feel more confident and I know if I make a mistake, they’ve got it.”
But that’s just the thing about San Benito. The ‘Balers have been making very few mistakes – defensive or otherwise – the biggest reason why they haven’t lost a Tri-County Athletic League game since falling 7-2 at Notre Dame on April 6.
‘Balers head coach Scott Smith pointed to Thursday’s methodical victory over Salinas as a sign that his team is peaking at the right time.
“We played our best,” Smith said. “We probably had our best game at bat. … I thought this was our best, honestly. It was a good win.”
In the teams’ first contest this season after their April 4 contest was postponed, San Benito got the only run it would need in the first inning. Freshman Jacqueline Clayton lined a one-out single to center, stole second base on the next pitch and advanced to third on a groundout. ‘Balers clean-up hitter Lizzy Gatto followed with a double to right, driving in Clayton to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.
Needing one more win to secure a second-place TCAL finish, San Benito made sure not to let that opportunity slip away by pulling away from the Cowboys (12-9, 4-5 TCAL) in an eight-run third. After sophomores Rachel Maheu and Elena Fata reached on a single and a fielding error, respectively, shortstop Kristen Archuleta knocked them both in with a one-out double to push the ‘Balers’ advantage to 3-0.
Though the ‘Balers recorded six hits in sending 12 batters to the plate, Salinas contributed to its own demise by committing three errors in the inning.
“It just really deflated us,” Cowboys head coach Greg Omoto said. “It was 1-0 at that point. … You’ve got to catch the ball. You can’t give a good team opportunities and that’s what we did.”
The only intrigue remaining was whether Ibarra could notch the no hitter. Through five innings, the Cowboys only managed one baserunner, courtesy of a San Benito throwing error in the second. With Ibarra mixing her pitches well to keep Salinas’ hitters off balance, the freshman set down 11 consecutive batters heading into the sixth.
Salinas finally appeared to break through when first baseman Amy Yonemitsu lined a shot through the hole on the right side of the infield, but ‘Balers right fielder Gatto scooped up the ball and threw her out at first.
San Benito’s defense again came through after Cowboys junior Courtney Curtis followed by knocking a swinging bunt down the third-base line. Third baseman Clayton’s bang-bang reaction to glove the ball allowed San Benito to again throw out the runner at first.
After another infield throwing error allowed Suzanne Riddleberger to reach base, Williams broke up the no-hit bid with a clean, first-pitch single to left.
Nine different ‘Balers recorded hits, led by Maheu’s 2-for-3, two-run performance. Felice came off the bench to deliver a pinch-hit single in the sixth.
Though she was the only regular to go hitless, left fielder Audra Brown executed a perfect sacrifice bunt in the third, a play that enabled Lindsay Clay to drive in Archuleta for the team’s fourth run one batter later.
Maheu spoke of the batting approach that led to San Benito’s 10-hit showing.
“It’s really windy out here,” Maheu said, “so we just try to keep it on the ground and hit it hard.”
The ‘Balers stole three bases on the day, but Salinas also gunned down two runners at second on strong throws from catcher Corrina Enriquez. Cowboys center fielder Tiffany Ward made a great shoestring catch in the fifth to rob Ari Romero of her second hit.
After taking the weekend off for the first time in more than a month, San Benito hosts TCAL-leading Notre Dame on Tuesday, the one team it has yet to beat.
Despite having no chance to alter its final standing in league play, Smith said the contest remains significant.
“It means something anyway,” said Smith, noting the opportunity for the ‘Balers to test themselves against a top-notch opponent the week before the CCS playoffs begin. “We love playing tough teams.”
With the section seedings to be announced next weekend, Smith hopes that the ‘Balers earn at least a top-five seed in the Division I field.
After hosting Notre Dame on Tuesday at 4pm, San Benito completes its regular season by visiting Salinas in a make-up game next Thursday.
