Notre Dame provides late-inning heroics as Spirits keep Lady
‘Balers at bay, 2-1 in eight innings
HOLLISTER
If there is a silver lining for the San Benito Lady ‘Balers, if there is something positive to be taken away from Tuesday’s first-place battle with Notre Dame at home, it’s the blueprint only a game with a playoff atmosphere can provide.
“We talked about doing the little things in this game that was going to be important,” San Benito manager Scott Smith said. “And the team that did the little things, like catching the ball, playing catch, getting the bunts down, was probably going to win. And that’s what it kind of came down to.”
With the Central Coast Section Championships upcoming, these games can only help.
But with the top spot in the Tri-County Athletic League on the line between a pair of one-loss teams Tuesday, the visiting Spirits once again scored some late-inning heroics to keep San Benito at bay, 2-1.
Knotted at 1-all in the top of the eighth, with Notre Dame’s Brittney Giammanco on third and one out – she reached third after an error, a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt – teammate Savanah Chaffee bounced a high chopper that spring-loaded off home plate and carried enough hang time to score a sliding Giammanco from third.
San Benito pitcher Marisa Ibarra corralled the bouncing ball and made a quick throw to the plate, but was unable to get the sprinting Spirit in time.
“I think the umpire was getting ready to call her out, but then she saw the ball on the ground,” Smith said. “(Marissa Adame) blocked the plate great. She did a great job blocking the base.”
In the home half of the inning, JC Clayton led off with double and Taylor Powell followed to first after getting hit by a pitch to keep the game interesting, but Notre Dame starter Kylie Linnane (8IP, 1R, 4H, 2BB, 7K, 2HBP) struck out two of the next three batters to end the threat, the game, and give the Spirits a one-game lead in the TCAL with just two games remaining.
“That last inning, well, even the first inning when they scored, we just didn’t handle the ball and gave them an extra out,” Smith said.
Both of San Benito’s (8-2 TCAL, 22-4) losses this season in the TCAL have come against the Spirits. Previously on April 1, Notre Dame (9-1 TCAL, 23-5-1) edged the Lady ‘Balers 1-0 in 10 innings after the international tiebreaker came into effect.
But some felt Tuesday’s loss was more difficult to swallow, considering what was at stake.
“The TCAL was pretty much on the line for us and Notre Dame,” Clayton said. “But it was a game we could build off of … take the negative out of it and give it to Gilroy and give it to North Salinas and hold down second place.”
The negative, unfortunately, came in the form of approximately five errors, Smith said, as well as a lack of clutch hitting that left seven Lady ‘Balers on base, all of whom were in scoring position.
The Spirits took a 1-0 lead in the first when cleanup hitter Shanae Gasperson ripped a hard hit ball to the left side that resulted in a fielding error, while San Benito tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Taylor Powell’s bad-hop single – it was a good hop from San Benito’s perspective – found its way into left field and scored courtesy runner Lenae Stevens from second base.
But just like last time, regulation wasn’t enough for San Benito and Notre Dame, as each team posted goose eggs until the eighth inning.
“I think we were a little nervous as it was such a big game for us,” said the freshman Powell, who felt the Lady ‘Balers could grow positively from this game – a learning experience.
Clayton was involved in a scary play in the third when she was hit in the head by a pitch. The BYU-bound senior said the hit was near her temple, although stated she was okay after the game.
When asked what needed to change between now and the playoffs, Clayton didn’t hesitate.
“We’re giving up extra outs,” she said. “We had four or five errors, and that, in the end, killed us.”
Despite the errors, though, starter Marisa Ibarra managed to never let the game get out of hand. Following a rough first inning in which she allowed two walks, Ibarra (8IP, 2R, 3H, 4BB, 7K, 1HBP) retired 16 of the next 20 batters she faced, heading into the eighth inning.
San Benito will play Gilroy Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
“I think if we play a little stronger defensive game, they probably don’t score on us,” Smith said. “I thought Marisa pitched a good game. But defensively, we probably had five errors today, and you just can’t make those kind of mistakes.”
