A lack of focus after a tough loss to Notre Dame last week came
back to bite the San Benito High softball team on Tuesday.
A lack of focus after a tough loss to Notre Dame last week came back to bite the San Benito High softball team on Tuesday.
Despite a solid pitching performance by Danielle Hernandez and a few scoring opportunities, the Haybalers couldn’t cash in an expected Tri-County Athletic League victory at upstart Live Oak, losing 1-0 on an Acorn run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
San Benito coach Scott Smith said his team simply wasn’t ready to play after last week’s 3-2 loss in a first-place battle with the Spirits.
“After the game against Notre Dame, we might have looked past Live Oak,” Smith said. “Not that Live Oak isn’t a good team, we know they’re a good team, but we weren’t ready for them and it really showed in our at-bats. We haven’t looked that bad at the plate in a long time.”
Hernandez and Live Oak’s Juliette Bowers battled in a scoreless tie through the first six and a half innings. The difference was that while Hernandez had a perfect game going, Bowers had to dance through trouble as the Balers put runners on base.
San Benito got a runner to second base in the fifth after Amy Baxter reached on a flyball base hit and moved up on a wild pitch.
The Balers put a runner on third base in the sixth when Nicole Burns led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a fielder’s choice.
And, San Benito had runners at second and third in the top of the seventh in the persons of Kristen Archuleta and Megan C. Smith.
But the Balers just couldn’t get the big hit to score a run. Despite Hernandez’s perfect-game effort through six innings, Smith said his ace pitcher was not at her best.
Indeed, Live Oak made plenty of contact against Hernandez, hitting at least five line drives right at Baler fielders and striking out just twice in seven innings.
“She was far from where she needs to be,” Smith said. “I think she has two strikeouts in the last 20 innings. I need Dani to rise up and become a better pitcher. I challenged her in that last inning to show me what she had.”
Live Oak (4-2 in league, 8-6 overall) got its first baserunner against Hernandez in the bottom of the seventh when Bowers led off with a solid single to left.
Then after an Acorn strikeout, Justine McDonald sacrificed Bowers to second base into scoring position.
After April Herrera was walked intentionally, Alyssa Adamo slammed a single to centerfield that brought Bowers home with the winning run just ahead of the throw.
Live Oak coach Barry McDonnell said his team was excited about the victory after getting shut out 2-0 by Hernandez and San Benito in its TCAL opener at Hollister.
“It was nice to be on the right side of the score this time,” he said. “It was a big win. It’s always good to beat a team like Hollister, one of the top teams in CCS.”
San Benito (4-2 in league, 11-4 overall) lost its second straight TCAL game and fell into a second-place tie with the Acorns.
