A day after winning a share of its first league title, the Sobrato softball team earned its first Central Coast Section playoff berth on Saturday.
The Bulldogs received the No. 5 seed in the Division II tournament and will host No. 12 Gilroy in the first round at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Sobrato tied for first place in the Santa Teresa Division with Prospect. The Bulldogs missed out on an outright championship with an 11-5 loss at Willow Glen last Wednesday, but they finished the regular season strong, beating Oak Grove 9-6 on Friday in San Jose to clinch a share of first.
Samantha Ribeiro went 2 for 3, Heather Johnson singled twice and stole two bases, and Mackenzie Mitchell hit her second home run of the season for Sobrato. Morgan Martinelli added a sacrifice fly and matched teammates Marissa Heffernan and Nicole Kiles with an RBI.
Samantha Torres struck out three and allowed four earned runs in 12 hits, as the Bulldogs (15-5, 12-2) wrapped their best regular season in program history.
“It was absolute euphoria,” SHS manager Gene Ciraulo said. “We’re absolutely excited for being a part of a historical happening for Sobrato softball.”
Ciraulo felt a sense of relief as well, knowing his team had the talent to advance farther than any SHS team before it.
“We did not want to drop it at the least moment,” he said.
Gilroy (12-13), a traditional power that reached the Division I final in three of the last four years, finished third in the Tri-County Athletic League.
Ciraulo is a friend of Mustangs assistant coach Joe Gonzalez. The two sat next to each other as the playoff brackets were released Saturday.
“We know all about the rivalry between Morgan Hill and Gilroy,” Ciraulo said. “We looked at each other like, ‘Here we go again.’”
- Live Oak missed the cut for sectionals by two at-large spots.
The Acorns lost their last five games, including four in league play, to fall to fifth in the Mount Hamilton Division but stood a decent shot at a third straight postseason.
They finished 12-10 overall and 7-6 in league.
Baseball
The Live Oak Acorns failed to make the postseason despite winning their last four games to become eligible.
Live Oak (14-12, 11-10) tied for second in the Santa Teresa Division with Evergreen Valley, which earned the No. 16 seed in the Division I sectional. The Cougars finished ahead of the Acorns by virtue of winning two of their three meetings.
The Acorns ended their season with a 10-0 victory at Piedmont Hills on Friday, with Live Oak senior Jakob Conlan pitching a complete game for his third straight win.
Conlan (4-4) struck out three and gave up two walks and six hits. He also collected three hits, including a double.
John Forestieri homered and singled, Aaron Armijo went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Matt Bergantz, Mitch Hickey and Ben Nuno matched Forestieri with two hits for the Acorns. Bergantz doubled and drove in two runs.
- The Sobrato Bulldogs got in almost their entire roster during a 7-2 victory at Santa Teresa on Friday.
Eleven different SHS players totaled a hit, with Zayne Patino homering in a 2-for-3 effort, and Andrew Bueno singled twice. Patino drove in three runs, and Nick Giordano two for the Bulldogs, who finished 9-18 and 7-14 in the Mount Hamilton Division.
Tanner DiSibio and Patino combined for a four hitter. DiSibio struck out three in five innings.
