High School Sports

Before the first pitch of Saturday’s Division I Central Coast Section title game against Leland, San Benito starting pitcher Megan Sabbatini was nervous. Despite being a veteran of the title game – having played a role on three championship teams – she didn’t know what to expect.

It didn’t take long for San Benito baseball coach Billy Aviles to note the reasons why the Balers finished the 2013 baseball season one game short of playing for a title. After dedicating the season’s success to three faucets - timely hitting, good defense and strong pitching - Wednesday’s semifinal game wasn’t the Balers best showing.

For most of their softball playing lives, Megan Sabbatini, Brittany Newman and Taylor Fabing have played alongside each other. On Tuesday, the three San Benito High seniors signed letters of intent to play college softball separate from each other.

The South Valley will be well represented at Friday’s Central Coast Section track and field championship at Gilroy High.

For the Balers, pitching wins championships, and during Saturday’s second round Central Coast Section game against Archbishop Mitty, they got a gem from Robert Soto.

Thanks to an eighth inning inside the park home run by Ellie Burley, the San Benito softball team escaped the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs Saturday in a thrilling 4-3 victory over North Salinas. It’s the fourth time the Balers defeated the Vikings this year.

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning in the first round of the Central Coast Section playoffs, the Balers chance for a third straight run to the CCS championship game was about to fade away.

In her final Monterey Bay League race Friday at Gilroy High, San Benito’s Vanessa Estrada went out on top. Estrada set the MBL record, breaking her time set earlier this year finishing the 3200 meter course in 11:02.73. Her time was more than a minute faster than North Salinas’ Kyle Almazan.