Britton eighth-grader homers twice in Northern California
championship win
WEST SACRAMENTO — The afterglow from her first grand slam has worn off for Morgan Hill’s Mackenzie Mitchell. It did not last long.
The Britton Middle School eighth-grader did her part to help Gilroy Little League’s Junior softball team rise to the top at the Division II Northern California Tournament in West Sacramento. Mitchell homered twice in the July 21 championship game, including a bases-loaded round-tripper in the fourth inning and a two-run job in the first, as Gilroy beat Paradise 10-1 to earn a trip back to the Western Regional.
The impressive win capped a 42-2 cumulative-scoring romp through the tournament with Mitchell’s grand slam adding an appropriate finish. The celebration, however, was short lived. Gilroy is aiming for another championship this summer.
“It’s really exciting, but we haven’t forgot about last year,” said Mitchell, who, along with seven of her 11 teammates, was part of the Gilroy Majors squad that lost in the regional final in 2009, narrowly missing a trip to the Little League World Series. “It was hard because we had worked so hard to get that far. So, to go one game short; we’ve remembered that.”
There is no argument there. The veteran group of 13- and 14-year-olds kept the unfond memories of last year in their heads as they powered through four lopsided wins at state, a 15-0 triumph over Chester, a 7-1 besting of Paradise and a 10-0 victory over Antioch to set up a rematch with Paradise.
Gilroy will represent Northern California at the Western Regional, which begins Thursday in Tucson, Ariz.
“These girls are something special. We knew going into the championship game that they were ready,” manager Rudy Perales said. “They came to the field very loose, upbeat and confident, which gave us coaches a really good feeling. We really enjoy how well they all get along, and we are really proud of how they represent Gilroy on the field.”
Mitchell and teammate Crissy Simpson are also representing Morgan Hill, their hometown. Mitchell catches for a talented rotation that is one of many strengths on the Gilroy team.
“We have great hitting and defense,” she said. “Our hitting and overall play is good, too. We’re much stronger than last year. We’ve been pushing each other.”
Gilroy parlayed Mitchell’s first homer in the championship game to a 3-0 lead after one inning. With the bases loaded in the fourth, Mitchell came up to bat hoping for a good pitch. She connected with a high fastball.
“I just tried to make contact,” she said. “I’m not really a power hitter.”
