Lady Bulldogs making most of final few games
MORGAN HILL — Though they are not relishing their 2009 campaign, which now features a 2-12 mark in Santa Teresa Division play, the Sobrato softball players aren’t in a hurry to watch it end.
Against Santa Teresa, a team that beat them by 10 runs a month ago, they battled from start to finish Tuesday only to be foiled by one faulty inning. The Saints outshined a late rally by the Bulldogs with five runs in the fourth and escaped Sobrato High School with an 8-3 victory.
“We just wanted to battle because this was one of our last games and we’re not ready to give up,” sophomore shortstop Nicole Larson said. “We don’t want to show anyone that we’re ready to give up. We’re not quitting.”
Larson, who went 2-for-2 batting with a triple and a pair of walks, scored her second run of the game in the sixth, when Danielle Clampett blooped a two-out single into shallow center. Sarina Santiago also scored on the play — which would have been dramatic if not for the Saints’ big fourth inning.
“We went down by a lot in the fourth, but the girls kept saying positive things and telling each other not to give up,” Sobrato coach Bob Clampett said. “I don’t have to tell the girls to keep their heads up; they can tell themselves that and they did.”
Clinging to a 2-1 lead after the third inning, Santa Teresa (11-11-2 overall, 7-4 league) broke the game open with six consecutive singles off Katie Machado, including RBI knocks by Tawni Jobke, Alyssa Bailey and Mary Schoenberg. The Saints totaled seven of their 13 hits in the fourth and ended the scoring spree with Taylor McCloud’s single that made it 7-1. The Bulldogs were in business before that. They left the bases loaded in the first, but tied it 1-1 when Frankie Kellett scored Larson on a double to deep right field.
Machado, meanwhile, gave up two runs on three hits through a manageable first three innings. The sophomore got help in the second, when four of her teammates combined for an unusual double play. After fielding a bunt by Jobke, sophomore catcher Allison Stoner threw to Clampett at first base for one out, then Clampett threw to Larson who, along with Kellett, nailed Klarke Lister in a rundown between second and third.
Kellet snagged a line drive and threw to Clampett for another double play to end the third.
“We were doing a lot better than last time we played them,” Stoner, who finished 2 for 4, said. “Overall, we had good defense. They hit Katie in the fourth, but that was really it.
“We kept our heads in it the whole way. I think we could have won this game with better defense, but we still did pretty well.”
McCloud went 3 for 4, and Schoenberg and Bailey singled twice with Schoenberg collecting two RBIs. McCloud doubled home Ashleigh Richelle for the Saints’ first run and scored on Sarah Powell’s single in the seventh.
Anissa Becerrill matched Machado with a complete-game effort, striking out 11 to get the win.
Santa Teresa put 14 players in the game.
“They’re a good team,” Bob Clampett said. “We played them pretty well except for that one inning, so there’s some positive things to build on.”
Sobrato has two games left, starting Tuesday at Branham. The Bulldogs’ final home game is Thursday against Independence.
“As long as they don’t give up, there are good things to take from this season,” Bob Clampett said. The younger girls like Katie, Nicole and Allison are going to be even better for us next year. We have a lot to build on.”
