This is definitely not last season
’s Live Oak High softball team. After winning just one league
game last season, this year’s Acorns squad is sitting pretty in
second place in the Tri-County Athletic League standings after a
stirring 1-0 victory over visiting Hollister-San Benito at
Community Park on Tuesday. “This is a more m
ature team,” Live Oak coach Barry McDonnell said.
This is definitely not last season’s Live Oak High softball team.
After winning just one league game last season, this year’s Acorns squad is sitting pretty in second place in the Tri-County Athletic League standings after a stirring 1-0 victory over visiting Hollister-San Benito at Community Park on Tuesday.
“This is a more mature team,” Live Oak coach Barry McDonnell said.
Live Oak (4-2 in TCAL, 8-6 overall) got the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh, and final, inning on an RBI single from Alyssa Adamo that plated Juliette Bowers.
The Acorns avenged a 2-0 loss to the Balers in the TCAL opener and have now won four of their past five league games.
Live Oak and Hollister (4-2 in TCAL, 11-4 overall) are tied for second behind first-place Notre Dame.
“This is a big win,” McDonnell said. “It’s always good to beat a team like Hollister, one of the top teams in CCS. It was nice to be on the right side of the score this time.”
The Acorns and starting pitcher Bowers hung tough against the Balers despite a lack of scoring opport-unities earlier in the game.
Hollister’s Danielle Hernandez kept the Acorns off-balance for much of the way and had a perfect game going into the final inning.
Meanwhile, Bowers had to dance through trouble for most of the game as the Balers put runners on base.
San Benito got a runner to second base in the fifth, put a runner on third base in the sixth, and had runners at second and third in the top of the seventh. But Bowers got the big outs when she needed them.
Meanwhile, Live Oak wasn’t having any luck against Hernandez despite making plenty of contact, hitting at least five line drives right at Baler fielders and striking out just twice in seven innings.
Live Oak got its first baserunner against Hernandez in the bottom of the seventh when Bowers led off with a solid single to left.
Then, after a strikeout, Justine McDonald sacrificed Bowers to second base and into scoring position.
After April Herrera was walked intentionally, Adamo slammed a single to left-center that brought Bowers home with the winning run just ahead of the throw.
