The road for a seventh-straight Central Coast Section Division I championship is set for the Balers softball team, and manager Scott Smith likes his team’s chances.
“If I had to draw up the best way for us to win, this would be it,” Smith said.
The Balers (20-3) were selected as the third seed in the tournament and given a bye. The Balers will face the winner of North Salinas and St. Francis on Saturday. The location is still to be determined.
The berth came just days after the Balers clinched their third-straight Tri-County Athletic League title with a 10-2 win over Alvarez. Despite losing two league games this year, San Benito dominated the TCAL by allowing only 31 total runs.
Against Alvarez, San Benito jumped on the Eagles early and allowed every member of the team to play, Smith said.
“I took all the starters out,” he said. “I wanted everybody to get some playing time before we get ready for CCS.”
Senior Mia Vodanovich played all nine positions.
“That was really fun,” Smith said.
The Balers now turn their attention to their six-straight CCS championships.
“I still feel like we have the best team in all of Division I,” Smith said. “We swing the bat really well and Megan (Sabbatini) is a great pitcher. The only thing that could hold us back is our defense.”
To win, the Balers will also rely on their championship experience. Despite not having a senior in the everyday lineup, San Benito has six players that have experienced at least one CCS championship.
“There aren’t any other teams that can say that,” Smith said. “That should give us a little bit of an edge.”
Baseball
San Benito clinched its seventh-straight TCAL title on Thursday after beating Alisal 5-1 and watching Palma lose 4-0 to Salinas.
The Balers (21-6) reward is a third seed in the CCS playoffs and a game against Sequoia (16-8-1) at 4 p.m. Wednesday at San Benito High.
If the Balers win, they will face the winner of Archbishop Mitty (16-12) and Menlo Atherton (19-8).
San Benito clinched the TCAL title with a strong five-inning performance by Anthony Ocampo. The starter limited Alisal to three hits and one unearned run.
San Benito started the scoring early with one run in the first inning and three in the third.
Michael Breen finished 3-for-4 and Jacob Tonascia finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
