Gray clouds parted, making way for blue skies Thursday just as
Hollister High was set to encounter Salinas in a Tri-County
Athletic League softball contest.
Gray clouds parted, making way for blue skies Thursday just as Hollister High was set to encounter Salinas in a Tri-County Athletic League softball contest.
The Balers played as if inspired by the rare sight of the sun, something which had been missing for nigh on 24 hours.
In, perhaps, their best team effort of the season, the Balers shut out the Cowboys 4-0 behind stellar pitching from Alyssa Baker and a defense which didn’t crumble once. The victory was much-needed by the Balers (14-6, 6-3), who were coming off a rough 2-0 defeat at North Salinas last Tuesday.
For the first four innings, the game was a duel between Baker (5-2) and Cowboys sophomore Jessica Boyle.
The Cowboys (10-10, 2-7) mustered just two hits off Baker, who pitched to just one batter over the minimum. In the top of the first, Susanne Riddleberger outran a skillful bunt in front of the plate for the first hit. Riddleberger, though, was gunned down trying to steal secondle throw from Baler catcher Amy Baxter. In the second, Lauren Jimenez singled sharply to left. Jimenez was summarily doubled off first when Melinda McEldowney lined to Baler first baseman J.T. Temperino, who was right on first base when she caught it with Jimenez six yards off the base.
After Baker notched one of her four k’s to end the second, she set down 14 straight batters before hitting Boyle with a fastball with two out in the seventh.
“That’s one of the best games Alyssa has pitched,” said Baxter.
“This was the first game in awhile that I’ve called every one of Alyssa’s pitches,” said Baler head coach Scott Smith. “Her dropball and curveball were excellent. Usually I just call fastball, curveball with her, but not today.”
Back to Baxter. The junior had a hand in the Balers’ first run, though, it wasn’t the way she or Smith had it planned. With Jenny Maheu on at third and Nashia Alvarez on at second and one out, Baxter laid down a more than adequate suicide squeeze bunt. While Maheu, who couldn’t take off until the pitch was released, did her job by breaking to the plate properly, Baxter backed up towards the backstopas if to get out of the way.
Boyle tried to throw out Maheu at the plate, but the ball got away. It was about that time that Baxter, who heard a stern voice from the bench telling her to run, ran to first. With Alvarez now at third, Cowboys catcher Kalli Lemke opted not to try to throw out Baxter as all hands were safe.
Just one’s typical sac-fielder’s choice RBI – one that had the Baler bench in stitches, while Salinas head coach Steve Roland sat on a bucket in front of his dugout doing a slow burn.
“I wasn’t thinking,” said Baxter as to why she didn’t run at first. “I, er, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I thought Amy and Jenny were going to collide,” said Smith, who promised to talk to Baxter about the episode after the game. “Then they both would have been called out.”
Hollister, which held on for a precarious 1-0 win at Salinas on April 1, wasn’t going to go that route this time. Megan Smith walked to ignite the three-run fifth. Temperino laid down a sac bunt. With two out, Maheu clubbed a 2-1 pitch from Boyle into the left-center field gap for an RBI triple. Alvarez, who hit a bullet off Cowboys third baseman Jimenez’ glove in the first inning for a hit, ripped a single to left to plate Maheu. Kim Dabo made it three straight hits for the Balers when she hit a low liner off of Boyle’s shin as the ball rolled towards third. After Dabo stole second, Alvarez scored on a wild pitch.
“This was our best game as far as being selective at the plate,” said Scott Smith. “We were patient and took her deep in the count.”
“There were two good teams and two good pitchers out there,” said Roland. “We’ve been struggling offensively, like most every team in this league has. This is a tough league. We go outside the league and we usually win.”
The Balers return to the Watsonville Tournament this Saturday vs. Aragon at 11:30 a.m. before a Monday road test at first place Notre Dame.
Baler bits: Shelbi Dillon threw out another opposing runner from right field when Boyle’s bid for a hit in the fourth was denied. – Liz Stewart, who replaced Temperino at first base, made a nice stab of a line drive from Cowboys pinch-hitter Daniella Martinez in the sixth. – Dabo, playing center field, came in on a threatening pop-up by Jimenez in short left to make the catch. – While North Salinas-Gilroy rained out Wednesday, Notre Dame ace Kim Reeder twirled a perfect game as the Spirits won at Live Oak 4-0 to run their league skein to 8-1.
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Boyle and Lemke; Baker and Baxter. WP – Baker (5-2). LP – Boyle (n-a). 3B – Maheu (H). 2 hits – Maheu, Alvarez (H).
