APTOS — Cabrillo College’s softball team knocked off Hartnell in nine innings March 18 and the Panthers didn’t forget. They avenged that loss with a 4-1 win over the host Seahawks on Thursday in the teams’ all-important Coast Conference game.
Seahawks coach Kristy Rosinger hopes her team doesn’t forget this one. She wants a more inspired effort from her squad, which has suffered back-to-back losses after seeing its 15-game win streak snapped by San Jose City on Tuesday.
“It might be a blessing in disguise,” Rosinger said. “I think our team, after going on a win streak, has kinda become complacent, and stopped working hard at practice. So, hopefully, this can be a wake-up call to turn it around.”
Cabrillo (25-10, 8-5) is out of the conference title hunt, but it as plenty to play for as it prepares for postseason — a home playoff game. The top eight team in the RPI rankings will host, and the Seahawks sit at No. 8. They have three games remaining in the regular season: a nonconference doubleheader against visiting Shasta (5-26) on Friday, and a home game against conference foe West Valley (28-7, 10-3) on Tuesday.
Hartnell (22-14, 5-7), No. 16 in the RPI rankings, is fighting to finish in the top 16 and make the playoffs. The Panthers played like a hungry bunch in their latest win.
“This win was super important,” said Natalie Basaldua, the Panthers’ coach. “We’ve been battling this whole season, staying with the top teams, and to take this win today really showed that we’re here to compete this year.”
Cabrillo pitcher Alicia Mendez pitched well enough to win, but she didn’t get much offensive support and her defense made some ill-timed errors that the Panthers capitalized on.
In the third inning, Hartnell’s Linda Ornelas singled to shortstop and wound up at second after the ball was thrown away at first. She scored Allison Manuel’s two-out single.
The Panthers made it a 3-0 game in the fourth. Gabriela Holmes and Charlee Hoover reached on fielding errors at shortstop, were sacrificed over, and scored on Autiana Telles’ one-out double. Telles was thrown out at third, while trying for a triple.
“That two-run double was huge,” Basaldua said. “She’s a little, tiny girl in that box. You think she’s going to drop that bunt, but we know what we have, and she has power. She’s done it against many teams, and she came out and produced for us today.”
The Seahawks broke through for a run in the bottom half of the inning. Dillyn Vasconcellos reached on a fielding error at third base, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored when Aaliyah Gomez reached on a throwing error from the Panthers’ shortstop.
Ornelas singled and scored an insurance run on Olivia Robledo’s two-out double in the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kasydi Bennett walked and Abreanna Alba reached on an infield single with one out, but the Panthers turned a double play to end the game.
Cabrillo stranded nine runners on base.
“I think we were hungry for it; we just didn’t show out today,” Vasconcellos said.
Hoover, the winning pitcher, allowed five hits and two walks in her complete-game outing. She struck out three batters.
“We didn’t adjust at the plate,” Rosinger said. “We need to hit it on the ground and we kept swinging at high pitches and elevating the pitch. The umpire was calling ’em low, so those are the pitches we should be waiting for, and we didn’t do that.”
Vasconcellos agreed with Rosinger. She said the Seahawks need to have a better idea of what needs to be accomplished with runners in scoring position, before they step in the batter’s box, and work harder during practice.
Both player and coach are confident the Seahawks can fix the mistakes that unfolded against Hartnell. The Seahawks have a good squad and they know it. The girls do their best play for each other.
“I think our bond is pretty tight,” Vasconcellos said.
THE SCORE
Hartnell 4, Cabrillo 1
Up next: Shasta at Cabrillo (DH)
When: Friday, 10 a.m. and noon