Justin-Siena uses first and fifth inning rallies to beat El Molino, win first game on new on-campus field
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
The Justin-Siena softball had their home opener on Thursday.
It was the first game they played on their new field after spending a season playing at Napa Valley College’s Storm Field.
“The girls were excited, and we were just as excited,” Justin-Siena coach Tim Garcia said of winning the first game on their new diamond. “We’ve spent the last year building this thing, so it’s a nice feeling and we’re really excited to have the opportunity to play on it.”
The Braves came away with a 8-3 win.
It all started in the bottom the first when Justin-Siena (2-0) plated two runs. After singling Clare Garcia later scored on a Izzy Poulsen single. Clare Halsey reached on an error and later came around to score on a Eleanor Meyers single.
In the bottom of the third the Braves plated three more runs. Garcia reached on a ground-rule double and scored on Poulsen’s single. Poulsen later scored when Sarah Reynolds drew a bases-loaded walk. After drawing a walk, Meyers scored on a single by Jocelyn Stojack.
Justin-Siena scored runs in the third and sixth as well.
El Molino (0-1) scored their runs in the third, fourth, and seventh innings.
Garcia got the win. Over a complete game effort she struck out nine and walked five.
“She pitched well today,” Garcia said of his daughters effort. “This is only her second outing and she’s still getting her stamina up and getting her innings in, so she didn’t seem to have any problem with it. She cruised right through it. They didn’t really hit the ball too hard.”
She also had to pitch through some errors, as she allowed all three runs to score. However, only two runs were earned.
“She’s a veteran, she’s been through this,” Garcia added. “She’s been through this stuff before, so she just came up to the challenge.”
Justin-Siena will host Berean Christian-Walnut Creek on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
“They’re going to be tough, they’re always tough,” Garcia said of the matchup with Barean Christian. “They’ve beaten us the last two seasons we’ve played them. They’re just a well-coached team, and they’re a good ball club. They’re always up there with the top dogs in the NCS.”
