Sobrato softball completed its third straight year in the top division and it was another fine season, marked by a great playoff run.
It’s very competitive in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mt. Hamilton Division, and the 2025 team had to overcome several hurdles, including injuries. And they did.
The result was their second consecutive fourth-place finish and another playoff invite. In their post-season opener, the sixth-seeded Bulldogs shut out third-seeded Prospect 2-0 on the road.
In that May 24 morning contest, veteran Sobrato pitcher Sam Zimmerman threw six superb innings, allowing no runs and just two hits. Amber Rodriguez came on in the seventh as the closer and finished off the game.
Prospect, at 17-5, had won 12 of their last 13 games, falling only to Live Oak. Streak ended. Most notably, the Panthers had scored 9.2 runs a game but no one made it past second base on this day.
“I am really excited about it,” Zimmerman said after the game. “We pushed through. Our defense came through. We could have hit a little better but we definitely were on our game.”
The Bulldogs jumped ahead right from the get-go. Jordan Bouton doubled to left to lead off the game. Zoe Rodriguez bunted and reached first with her speed. With one out, Zimmerman lashed a hard-hit grounder to third which became a fielder’s choice as Bouton scored.
In the second inning, Gracie Marchan led off with a single to left and Angelina Bugg walked. Marchan was later forced out but Bugg moved around, courtesy of a Prospect error, and came home for a 2-0 lead.
On the other end, Prospect batters were flummoxed. Zimmerman struck out the side in both the second and fourth innings.
“I threw a lot of change ups,” Zimmerman said. “I really like my changeup. It gets them off balance.”
Saratoga had a reputation for speed, steals and small ball. But the Bulldogs kept them under control.
“Their leadoff hitter is lightning in a bottle,” Sobrato coach Dave Bauer said. “But we mostly kept her off the bases. Sam hides her changeup well. They can’t recognize the difference between the drop ball and the changeup. And her rise ball gets them to pop up.”
Bauer shifted Amber Rodriguez in to pitch in the seventh to close out the game.
“Amber has different pitches and her speed keeps them off balance,” Bauer said. “It changes up the look against them. Sam is more up and down, with drops and the change-up. Amber moves the ball left and right.”
Sobrato took the win and moved into a semifinal with Aptos but could not keep up with the Mariners, falling 9-2. Sunny Fernandez had two hits for Sobrato and Bouton knocked in the two runs.
A disappointing defeat, especially when just one game away from a CCS final.
Yet it was a solid season, especially given injuries on a team that was not that deep and also fairly young. Star hitter Brooklyn Amato, a senior, was sidelined from mid-season with a knee injury.
Zimmerman missed a handful of games. Julia Carlsen battled a hamstring injury and contributed at DH when unable to play in the field.
The Bulldogs still put together a fine season and a big playoff win. The defense featured Sunny Fernandez at catcher, Marchan at third, the double dynamite sister duo of senior Zoe Rodriguez at short and sophomore Amber Rodriguez at second, and Alyssa Nava at first.
The outfield featured Isabel Reichert, Bouton and Bugg from left to right. During the season, Carlsen, Kiera Garcia, Sophia Hawthorne, Bree Arnhart and others provided depth all over the field.
The season mark was 12-11 overall, 6-8 in league play. Pitching was the biggest strength, with six of the 12 wins coming by shutout (twice) or allowing only a single run (four times). Zimmerman threw 93.1 innings with a 10-7 record and a 3.75 ERA. Amber Rodriguez tossed 52.2 innings and finished 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA.
Zimmerman, a junior, has been pitching for Sobrato since she was a freshman. Her career marks are currently 37-18 with a 2.64 ERA in 325.2 innings.
The 2025 Bulldogs team features a number of juniors and sophomores and thus has a strong base for the future. Yet seniors such as Zoe Rodriguez, Amato and Nava were stalwarts in the lineup and will be missed.
The 2025 offense was led by Amato and Zimmerman. Amato hit 19-for-37 for a sparkling .514 average and stole 12 bases without being caught once. Her injury put a big dent in the Bulldogs’ attack.
Zimmerman was a force in the batter’s box as well as on the mound. She hit 30-for-57 for a .526 average and contributed 20 RBIs. Carlsen hit 24-for-55 for .436 with 17 RBIs. Bouton was 31-for-78 for .397 with 23 runs scored and 21 RBIs. Amber Rodriguez hit 29-for-78 for .372, with 18 runs and 16 RBIs. Marchan hit .340 and Zoe Rodriguez and Nava both hit .333.
Highlights of the year included a season-opening five-game win streak. That run featured wins over Christopher 11-7 and San Mateo 8-6, along with a league debut blowout of Westmont 13-1. Later in the year, Sobrato fought for a playoff slot and grabbed a big upset win.
It’s been a strong three-year run for the Bulldogs. The 2023 team was something special, racking up a 19-4 record and an unbeaten 8-0 slate in league play. The team won a memorable 13-12 11-inning donnybrook over Wilcox to open the CCS Division 1 playoffs and then lost 4-0 to Westmont in the semifinals.
Graduations hit hard but the 2024 squad finished fourth in league and moved on to the playoffs, losing 5-1 to Salinas. The 2025 team matched the fourth-place finish and picked up a CCS Division III win in the post-season.
A strong returning core, headlined by Zimmerman and Bouton, will look to continue the success. Carlsen, Amber Rodriguez, Marchan, Garcia, Bugg, Reichert and Fernandez are all underclassmen and will bring a lot of talent and experience back.
