San Benito keeps pace with Notre Dame with 5-2 win against
Gilroy; will battle Spirits in Hollister next
HOLLISTER
It started just the way Gilroy wanted it to.
Three days after its surprising upset of previously undefeated Notre Dame, when it plated a single run in the first and managed to hold off the Spirits’ best efforts through the remaining seven innings, the GHS softball team got off to a similar start Thursday in Hollister.
Following a leadoff single in the first off San Benito’s Marisa Ibarra, who earned the 100th victory of her high school career recently against Salinas, the Mustangs pushed an early run across the board when Jasmine Perez roped a double past a diving Jessica Vest at shortstop and into left field.
“We knew we had this game in that first inning with that first run,” Perez said. “We were thinking, if we can beat Notre Dame, we can also beat Hollister.”
But Ibarra, who celebrated her 103rd career victory after the game, seemed to find another level when she needed to.
Although she allowed seven hits, Ibarra struck out eight and kept Gilroy silent long enough for the Lady ‘Balers to plate three runs in the bottom of the sixth Thursday to score a 5-2 win.
“I think it fueled our fire, that they scored in the first inning,” Ibarra said afterward. “We knew we had to play better and get those runs back.”
Knotted at 2-all in the sixth, Marissa Moisa’s liner over the third base bag scored Mari Vallejo from third easily and supplied the Lady ‘Balers with the go-ahead run, as well as the game’s eventual winning run.
Moisa, who also gave San Benito a 2-1 lead in the fourth when she singled home Jessica Steigleman, was playing in just her second game in a month. The freshman returned to the lineup Wednesday after suffering a quad injury earlier this season.
“We knew it was a big game,” San Benito manager Scott Smith said.
“We thought this was a very pivotal game with Gilroy.”
With San Benito to play both Notre Dame and the Mustangs again next week, Smith noted the Central Coast Section seeding rule that says you can’t be seeded ahead of a team in the postseason if you don’t finish ahead of them in league.
A loss to Gilroy on Thursday would have brought the two rival schools to within one game of each other with next Thursday’s match-up looming.
“We were on a couple games winning streak and hadn’t been there for a while,” Gilroy manager Catherine Hallada said. “Beating Notre Dame, I don’t think they could have been more confident with them. I think that definitely helped us in the first couple of innings, getting us started in the game.”
Gilroy pitcher Sam Parraz, who threw against San Benito earlier this season at a tournament in Salinas, allowed five runs on nine hits and received strong support from her Mustang teammates.
“She pitched an incredible game last time and she did a great job this time,” Hallada said. “She mixed it up back there.
“I think Hollister was hitting a little bit more than Notre Dame was. We were hitting more as well. I think that said a lot about us, putting pressure on the TCAL.”
After San Benito tied the game at 1-all in the third behind Taylor Powell’s grounder to the right side that gave a sprinting J.C. Clayton just enough time to score from third base, Gilroy loaded the bases with one out in the following frame behind singles from Perez and Emily Castro, and a walk to Melanie Morales.
Ibarra hunkered down, though, and struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
“I think my mentality changes,” she said. “I tell myself that I need to bear down, these are crucial outs.”
Threatening again in the fifth, Gilroy came through with the clutch hit and tied the game at 2-all when Perez blooped a single into right field and scored Casey Lester from second. San Benito tried to get Perez out at first base, but she beat the throw just in time and perhaps supplied additional time to Lester, who beat the ensuing throw to the plate.
“Everybody had really good hits and we came out strong,” Perez said. “I think we dropped it in the last two innings.
“But everyone kept their heads up.”
San Benito’s three-run sixth gave the Lady ‘Balers all it would need to hold back Gilroy. Following Moisa’s go-ahead run, Jessica Vest ripped an RBI single into left field, plating Moisa, while Marissa Adame trailed with a single up the middle to score Clayton from second base.
“I didn’t give up,” said Vest, who hit the ball hard in her first three at-bats but had nothing to show for it.
“It was frustrating, but I knew my next at-bat I was gonna get there.
“I knew even if I didn’t get it done, my teammates would.”
Gilroy (4-4 TCAL, 10-10-1 overall) will visit North Salinas Tuesday, while San Benito (8-1 TCAL, 22-3) will host Notre Dame in a battle between one-loss teams.
The Spirits defeated the Lady ‘Balers 1-0 in 10 innings the last time, in a game that was forced to go to an international tiebreaker after nine scoreless innings.
“It’s good to keep pace with Notre Dame,” Vest said. “But we have to treat each game like any other. We can’t look past anyone.”
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A full story on Marisa Ibarra’s 100th career victory will be in Tuesday’s edition of the Free Lance.
