Live Oak’s Rachel Ditta throws to first for the out during their game Tuesday against Leland.

When the Live Oak Acorns clinched playoff eligibility two weeks ago, they were a team few would want to face with their softball season on the line.

They knocked off Westmont, the then-No. 5 ranked team in the Central Coast Section, on April 24 and three days later beat Leigh 7-6 for their seventh victory in eight games. It was also their last.

Hoping to make amends Tuesday, the Acorns instead dropped a thrilling 8-5 decision to plucky Leland for their fourth straight loss and continued to fade at the worst time of year.

It was Senior day at a sweltering Live Oak High School – the temperature exceeded 90 degrees – but the real must-win game became Wednesday’s regular-season finale at Santa Teresa.

“It’d definitely be good for us going into CCS,” said Annika Camacho, one of six LOHS seniors honored before the game. “We’ve got to pick ourselves up.”

Live Oak and Leland are tied for third place in the always-stout Mount Hamilton Division, with Santa Teresa trailing by half a game. The Acorns are still playing quality ball and will still likely receive a third straight CCS playoff berth at the seeding meeting on Saturday. But LOHS manager Barry McDonnell expressed some concern over his team’s sudden dearth in Ws.

“It’s just like last season,” he said. “Toward the end, we were getting the right hits at the right time, [but] mistakes cost a lot. Sometimes you make a mistakes, and you don’t get hurt. Now, the little mistakes are really coming back to bite us.”

The Chargers led 4-1 after two innings, with all four of their runs coming as a result of overthrows and misplayed grounders. The real crusher, though, came after a close call against Live Oak in the third inning. With two outs, Acorns starter Katie Obbema threw what could have been a called third strike against Leland’s Alexis Morales on her 10th pitch of the at-bat. It turned out to be Ball 2. Morales turned on the next pitch and crushed it over the left-field wall for a 5-1 lead.

“The other teams are getting the breaks now,” said Camacho, who singled twice and made several key plays at first base. “We’re doing the same thing we were when we were winning.”

The Acorns totaled 12 hits and chased off Devyn Quevedo after 3 2/3 innings. They scattered five runs across the first four innings to pull even, 5-5. Jenny Obbema, Tiffany Moore and Camacho singled home runs, and Moore added a tying two-RBI single in the fourth. Rachel Ditta scored three times during that stretch and finished 3 for 4.

“We just kept it loud in the dugout,” Acorns center fielder Ashley Zerr said. “Anisha [Patel] does a really good job keeping everyone pumped and fired up, and it stresses out the other team a little bit, gets them annoyed.

“Annika always comes out with a lot of heart, and that helped, too.”

Camacho and Jenny Obbema batted 2 for 4, and Moore went 2 for 3 with a walk. Katie Obbema had a hit as well while striking out three in a complete game. She allowed nine hits and one bases-loaded walk.

Lisa Gilardi, an exchange student from Italy, scored her first run in her first league game while pinch-running for Moore in the third.

“All the seniors got a hit except for Lisa, who got on base and scored a run,” McDonnell said. “It was pretty cool.”

Leland’s Holly Geranen came through on two fronts. The sophomore plated three runs in a 2-for-4 effort and pitched a scoreless final three innings of relief.

The Chargers (14-10, 7-6) have won five of their last seven, with losses to No. 4 Valley Christian and No. 6 Westmont.

“This is a good time to get hot,” Leland manager Joe Gron said. “This is a tough league every year, up and down. It’s tough to win no matter what, but it’s a good test for CCS.”

The Acorns (12-10, 7-6) are already feeling the playoff pressure.

“It makes this last game super important because we all want to make it,” Zerr said. “It hasn’t hit me yet that it could be over soon. We’re trying to make the season last as long as we can.”

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