Morgan Hill
– Casey Post said she was nervous when she took the mound
Wednesday for Sobrato’s Blossom Valley Athletic League opener
against Prospect.
Morgan Hill – Casey Post said she was nervous when she took the mound Wednesday for Sobrato’s Blossom Valley Athletic League opener against Prospect.
It was understandable since Post has been doing most of the catching this season, helping sophomore pitcher Danielle Clampett develop. But Clampett was ill and only available to hit, so coach Rob Piper handed Post the ball. And Post hardly looked like a player battling nerves.
In fact, the junior righthander made the Panthers look like they were battling nerves. Post kept Prospect off balance all game and the Bulldogs used timely hitting to gain their historic first league win, 5-3.
Post yielded eight hits and only one earned run. She struck out seven including six in a row to end the first into the third inning. And she didn’t walk a batter in helping snap the Panthers’ three-game win streak.
“I was a little nervous,” Post said. “But my team was OK behind me. This boosts our confidence so much, making us feel we can compete in this league.”
Sobrato (2-5 overall, 1-0 BVAL) had to play from behind after getting two runners thrown out at the plate in the first two innings. In the second inning, the Bulldogs had four singles and yet scored only one run on Samantha Sanchez’s base hit.
Prospect (3-4, 0-1) took advantage of two errors in the fourth to score two unearned runs on Sierra Ackerman’s base hit. The Panthers extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth on Stacy Rock’s RBI double.
But Sobrato showed its grit in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three times. Kristi Amundson started the rally with a base hit. After an error and Brittany Vandergrift’s single, the Bulldogs had runners at second and third with none out. Freshman Frankie Kellett drilled a hard single to center to score one run. The second run scored when the centerfielder let the ball get past her and Kellett made it to third. Post then delivered what proved to be the game-winner with a single.
Sobrato added a key insurance run in the sixth on Vandergrift’s base hit. Prospect threatened in the seventh, putting runners on second and third. But Post and Kellett worked a pickoff play at third that snuffed the rally.
The Bulldogs finished with 11 hits – two each from Clampett, Vandergrift and Serena Santiago.
“Everyone did their part,” Post said. “I am happy with how we played.”
So was Piper, who noted the team’s tough preseason which yielded some one-sided losses had prepared the team for league.
“We played tougher teams on purpose,” Piper said. “Now that we’ve seen better teams, we’re not intimidated with our league games. These girls have a better picture of what they have to do. I am happy for them because they have worked really hard and have been pushed a lot.”
On Wednesday, they pushed back led by a junior pitcher who hadn’t thrown seven innings in any one game in several years, and yet who looked like she belonged on the mound.
Sobrato resumes BVAL action at 3:30pm today at Independence.
