This was their destiny. CCS Champions.
And we’d all known it for the three days leading up to the title game.
While Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Watsonville was the crowning achievement, the Lady ‘Balers secured their championship aura by surviving powerhouse Carlmont in last Tuesday’s semifinal.
“It felt like we played two championship games, actually,” left fielder Audra Brown said.
More often than not, when a team wins a championship, its players and coaches can look back on the season and pinpoint one singular moment that defined the year. For the San Benito softball team, that moment came by overcoming Carlmont in extra frames.
After matching the Scots and ace Ashley Chinn in a scoreless duel late into the night at PAL Stadium, the Lady ‘Balers seemed to finally have run out of gas when Carlmont got a triple to lead off the bottom of the eighth. The winning run on third base and no outs? That’s more than a pickle. That’s called one step from Season Over.
But not for the San Benito girls.
As lightening-fast as Carlmont seemed to flatten the Lady ‘Balers, San Benito popped right back up to deliver a devastating blow by catching that Scots runner off third base in the ‘look-back’ rule.
The momentum-shift was so striking that the Lady ‘Balers, who had been no-hit by Chinn through eight innings, thundered to seven runs-SEVEN RUNS!-in the ninth to catapult themselves to the championship game against Watsonville.
Even Carlmont head coach Jim Liggett, who has lead the Scots to seven CCS titles, knew San Benito was this year’s Team of Destiny.
“A no-hitter through eight and you lose 7-0?” Liggett related. “It was like it wasn’t in the cards.”
But for the Lady ‘Balers, that resurrection – not just to silence the Scots’ threat but also to so thoroughly batter Chinn afterwards – exposed their hand for all to see. A royal flush.
After that heart-pounding triumph, Saturday’s victory over Watsonville seemed assured. Despite having lost in its two previous trips to the championship game, only a catastrophic meltdown could have kept San Benito from the perch atop the CCS.
Credit the Lady ‘Balers for not losing their focus against an opponent that made the most of sneaking into the tournament by upsetting its three previous foes, but let’s be honest. The title was San Benito’s to lose.
The team had given plenty of indications along the way that this was its year. The 10-2 Tri-County Athletic League season, which included a convincing 3-0 victory over league-champion Notre Dame. The 1-0 triumph over Jackie Hill and mighty Leigh. The 13-game winning streak, the 16 shutouts and the school-record 29 wins.
But it wasn’t until the Lady ‘Balers overcame Carlmont in the semis that we knew for sure. They were destined.
“I think it really was because of Carlmont,” junior Jordan Lee said during the ‘Balers championship celebration Saturday. “That was more of the championship game for me. Once we beat them, we knew we were going to have this.”
And by polishing off the Wildcatz, San Benito cemented their legacy.
As champions.
