Live Oak softball manager Barry McDonnell was confident his
Acorns would win two of their remaining four games in what has been
another grueling Mount Hamilton Division stretch to make the
Central Coast Section playoffs
MORGAN HILL
Live Oak softball manager Barry McDonnell was confident his Acorns would win at least two of their remaining four Mount Hamilton Division games to qualify the Central Coast Section playoffs.
That was before they beat Piedmont Hills 10-4 Thursday with another collective effort, this one led by Jenny Obbema, Rachel Ditta and catcher Pati Monterrey. It was Wednesday, and the Acorns had just dropped a frustrating 4-2 decision to Leigh in which they battled well against Lizzy Hogan, the Longhorns’ all-league ace, but could not put the ball in open space.
Such losses this late in the season can spell disaster for a desperate team. The Acorns are clearly something else.
“We’re a very strong team, so we’re confident we can do this,” Monterrey said.
“We’re not getting down or anything like that,” senior center fielder Kayla Cisneroz said. “We’re a close team. We pick each other up and stay positive. We know we’re doing fine.”
It has taken them this long to mesh partly because a lengthy winter season, spring break and, for some team members, a field trip to Europe. But the Acorns (13-11, 6-5) have begun playing to their potential in time for a pressure-packed final week.
Missing the playoffs would be disappointing, given the Acorns’ experience, talent and depth. That scenario seems unlikely after the Acorns pummeled Piedmont Hills, shaving their magic number to one with three games left (Live Oak plays at Pioneer at 3:30 p.m. today).
Cisneroz said her team needed to score at a higher frequency after Wednesday’s loss, and the Acorns responded Thursday with 17 hits, including a combined 10 singles by Obbema (four), Ditta (three) and Monterrey (three). Freshman shortstop Grace Hargadon added a single, a double, two runs and two RBIs; Diana Lopez singled and drove in two runs, and Katie Obbema plated a run to go with a single and a double.
Live Oak scattered six runs across the final two innings.
“They’ve got to keep playing the way they’re playing,” McDonnell said. “They’re fired up; they’re playing strong; they’re hitting the ball good. … If we just keep playing the way we are, I think we can do this.”
Junior pitcher Katie Obbema delivered once again for the Acorns’ third win in four league games.
“She’s really carrying us right now,” Monterrey said. “She has a good mentality to get her pitches in when she needs it. She’s been really strong this year.”
Hargadon is making a run at Freshman of the Year honors with her clutch hitting and magnet-like glove work.
“We moved her from third to short, and it’s made a huge difference,” McDonnell said. “It gave her a little more range; she has such a good arm. If she gets anywhere near the ball, it’s an out.”
A win over Pioneer would give Live Oak reason to stay loose against visiting Westmont (ranked fifth in the CCS by the San Jose Mercury News) Tuesday and at Leland on Saturday.
It’s a safe bet the Acorns won’t take either game lightly, regardless of the circumstance.
“They’ve had that mentality all yearlong — they don’t care what the score is or who they’re playing,” McDonnell said. “They just go out and battle until the last out.”
