Softball team started league play this week
To say that the San Benito High School softball team is the
favorite to repeat as Central Coast Section Champions this season
may be the understatement of the year.
Softball team started league play this week
To say that the San Benito High School softball team is the favorite to repeat as Central Coast Section Champions this season may be the understatement of the year.
To put it mildly, the Balers are on fire right now. They’re 8-1, have scored 37 times while the team’s defense has only given up nine runs so far. And five of those runs came when the team’s pitching ace Marissa Ibarra was deliberately pulled from the lineup before a showdown with Carlmont – a team the Balers beat last year in the section semifinals.
“We didn’t want to show them too much,” said Scott Smith, the head coach. “We didn’t pitch Marissa. We batted J.C. (Clayton) from the right side, we didn’t steal and we didn’t let Rachel Maheu drag bunt. On the other hand, they showed us everything so we have a lot of notes ready for the playoffs.”
A year ago, the Balers beat Carlmont 7-0 before ousting Watsonville in the finals to take the school’s first-ever Division I section title in the sport.
While another show down with Carlmont won’t come until the playoffs roll around in May, the Balers begin their quest to win a league title this week as play in the Tri County Athletic League kicked off on Tuesday.
“We’re probably a little ahead of where we were last year,” Smith said. “We’re still playing to only about 40 percent of our potential. We’re just not doing the little things well – we’re making mental and throwing errors, and we’re not executing the rundown well.”
Smith may believe that his team is playing at only 40 percent, but it would be a hard sell to convince anyone that Ibarra is not firing on all cylinders.
This season she is 9-0, has a no-hitter under her belt, and three shutouts to boot. On top of that she won the final seven games she pitched a year ago by shutout.
This season her ERA is a mind-blowing .020, which is why she appears to be the odds-on favorite to win the league’s Most Outstanding Pitcher award again this year.
“I think she’s throwing a bit harder than she was a year ago,” Smith said. “Because she’s throwing harder she has had some more control problems, but she hasn’t had a lot of hard hit balls off of her. Her changeup is solid and good, too.”
On top of Ibarra’s stellar play the Balers are picking up wins thanks to the team’s solid defense and clutch hitting.
Some of the lineup shifts that have paid off this season were the moving of Lizzy Gatto from right field to third base. J.C. Clayton has also performed well after being shifted from third to second base.
Clayton is also showing her prowess with the bat this season as she leads the team with a .514 batting average. In the recent 5-1 loss to Carlmont it was Clayton who accounted for the team’s only run, hitting from the right side.
“I have her bat right handed so they don’t get a good look at her and she hits a homerun over the fence,” Smith said. “I thought, maybe I’m making a mistake letting her hit left-handed, but she is so good with the drag bunt, slapping and hitting for power from that side.”
The Balers have also showed an ability to hit for power this season as Gatto and Audra Brown have each homered and Lindsay Clay, the team’s designated hitter, has had several extra base hits.
Junior Lena Fata is playing shortstop again this year while Brown has shifted her spot in the field from leftfield to first base this season. Ashley Perreira has also played well behind the plate.
