Amanda Rosevear dug up an article written prior to the women’s
softball season and showed it to coach Nikki-Dequin Thompson.
Gilroy – Amanda Rosevear dug up an article written prior to the women’s softball season and showed it to coach Nikki-Dequin Thompson.
In the article, Dequin-Thompson was talking about how she believed Gavilan would not only show improvement from last year but actually compete successfully with several Coast Conference teams.
The Rams catcher and coach discussed the subject several days ago as Gavilan was in the midst of a losing streak that reached six games Thursday. Dequin-Thompson assured Rosevear that she still believed in the Rams and that she wasn’t discouraged about the recent slump.
If there was one inning that lended credence to Dequin-Thompson’s faith in her team, it was in the fifth frame Friday of Gavilan’s 10-2 win over Mission College.
The Rams, leading 6-2 entering the fifth, quickly got two outs and Amanda Perez fell into an 0-2 hole. And then something happened that Dequin-Thompson could only think about last season but knew her team was not capable of accomplishing.
Perez singled and stole second. Rosevear had an RBI double. Megan Smart got an RBI single, continued to second on the throw to the infield and stole third. Jen McBain delivered an RBI single. An error put runners at first and third. Tiffany McIntosh followed with an RBI single.
The game ended by the mercy rule. Gavilan, which had been shut out in two straight games, finished with 11 hits in five innings.
“We definitely believe we can win,” said Smart, the speedy outfielder who contributed two hits, two stolen bases, two RBIs and three runs scored. “Sometimes it doesn’t go our way. But we know that if we keep the momentum going, we’re going to get hits and sooner or later the breaks will happen for us.”
The Rams (10-20 overall, 3-10 conference) made their own breaks Friday by playing the aggressive softball that Dequin-Thompson preaches. They took extra bases whenever possible. Some of the players even waited for their pitches. Only one of their hits went for extra bases. But Gavilan was able to play opportunistic softball and rode the solid five-hit pitching of McBain.
The Rams jumped on Mission at the start, scoring five first-inning runs. They did it with three singles, three stolen bases, one walk and one error. Amanda Jackson had the only RBI hit in the inning. McBain and Aniesa Ceballos each knocked in runs with fielders choices. Amanda Perez had a sacrifice fly.
“Everyone’s picking each other up,” Smart said. “We’re practicing harder and boosting our intensity level.”
For her part, Smart tries “to get my hits, to get on base, taking the extra bases when I can. I try to keep everyone up. I talk a lot.”
You won’t catch Dequin-Thompson complaining about that.
“She has speed,” Dequin-Thompson said of Smart. “When she’s on and she’s aggressive, it helps us as a team.”
Thursday, McBain also collected two hits, two RBIs, two runs and a stolen base. Rosevear had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Haylie Cloud had two hits and an RBI.
“This is not last year,” Dequin-Thompson said. “This is a completely different team. They have more confidence and more ability. I’ve seen progress every game. (Thursday) even when we lost (3-0 to De Anza) we did things well.”
In that game, the Rams hit the ball hard but right at people. They left seven runners on base. And Perez, who was officially 0 for 0, walked twice and was hit by a pitch.
They may be small steps that don’t always lead to wins. Progress isn’t always measured by wins and losses, as Dequin-Thompson pointed out.
And that’s the reason why the coach is still a believer.
Mission 0 2 0 0 0 – 2 5 4
Gavilan 5 0 0 1 4 – 10 11 2
Gonsalves and Torregroza. McBain and Rosevear. 2B-MIS, Torregroza. GAV, Rosevear.
