No. 1 San Benito trumps No. 5 Carlmont in CCS semifinals, 5-0;
Lady ‘Balers will play No. 6 Gilroy in Saturday’s championship
San Jose
Even in the postseason, even after 22 wins this season, Marisa Ibarra is looking for an edge.
After allowing two runs on eight hits against No. 9 Evergreen Valley last Saturday, in a pitching performance that she described as poor, Ibarra got in a practice session with her pitching coach this past week.
She wanted to work on her mechanics, she said.
“I went to see my pitching coach so I could work on everything,” Ibarra added.
The Hollister hurler, seemingly not rattled at all by the situation or what was at stake Thursday night, delivered a seven-hit shutout and led San Benito to a 5-0 triumph against fifth-ranked Carlmont in the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Division I softball playoffs.
The practice session evidently worked.
“Obviously, we pitched better,” manager Scott Smith said when comparing his team’s two CCS games. “[Ibarra] kept the ball down and made big pitches when she needed it.”
The win over Carlmont – which was the third in a row against the Scots, dating back to last year’s 2-1 CCS championship win – puts top-seeded San Benito into an all-Tri-County Athletic League final with No. 6 Gilroy. The Mustangs defeated second-seeded Monta Vista 6-0 Thursday.
“I’m glad they’re there,” said Smith of Gilroy, noting the formidable teams in the TCAL. “It should be a barn-burner on Saturday.”
Ibarra and the Lady ‘Baler defense assured Thursday’s shutout victory was anything but a barn-burner, though, as they forced Carlmont to strand nine runners on base, four of whom were in scoring position.
The Scots had perhaps their best chance to grab the momentum in the first inning, Smith felt. Carlmont put runners on first and third with one out, and after a hit by Caitlin Steele was caught by center fielder Rachel Maheu, pinch-runner Meagan Hansen neglected to tag up from third. The ensuing throw home from Maheu prevented Hansen from scoring.
“She didn’t tag at third and that changed the whole game,” Smith said. “We dodged a bullet. If they had gotten on the scoreboard first, it would have changed the ball game.”
Instead, JC Clayton single-handedly changed the ball game in the third inning. The San Benito junior lead-off the bottom frame with an inside-the-park home run – her third this year – and put San Benito up 1-0.
Later that inning, Lindsey Clay connected on a two-out double to left field that saw Lizzy Gatto score from first base.
The rather vocal Clay, who lets out a powerful grunt with each swing (“It’s kind of a release of energy when you’re swinging,” she said), has been displaying the hot bat lately for San Benito after going 2-for-4 with two RBIs against Evergreen Valley.
On Thursday, Clayton (3-for-4, HR, RBI) and Clay (2-for-3, 3 RBIs) combined for five of San Benito’s nine hits.
“We’ve been here before … We’ve been practicing really hard,” Clay said. “We practice really hard so we can relax and enjoy the game.”
A senior, Clay later connected on a two-run single in the fifth and Bre Fata followed with a sac fly that scored Gatto, supplying Ibarra with more than enough run support to seal the victory.
Ibarra threw seven innings and allowed just one extra-base hit. She struck out three.
The Lady ‘Balers, winners of the last two CCS Division I titles, will look to make it three in row Saturday against Gilroy.
San Benito (27-4) has already seen Gilroy twice this season – both games resulting in San Benito victories. On April 8, the Lady ‘Balers easily dispatched Gilroy 7-0, while their May 1 contest saw the Mustangs take a 2-1 lead to the final frame only to see San Benito plate two runs in the bottom of the seventh to steal a 3-2 win.
With the way the Mustangs had been playing toward the end of the league season – good hitting and strong defense, Smith said – the San Benito manager figured the TCAL rival would be there at the end.
“I picked them early on,” Smith said. “I thought they’d be there, for sure.”
San Benito and Gilroy will play Saturday for the Division I championship. First pitch is at 3 p.m. at PAL Stadium in San Jose.
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