Justin-Siena blasts two home runs, makes great plays on defense to beat Drake in thriller
By Kyle Foster
Twitter: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Exhale, exhale, exhale.
That’s what everyone was doing after the Justin-Siena softball team beat former Marin County Athletic League foe Sir Francis Drake of San Anselmo by a score of 9-8.
“I think it’s a really big confidence booster,” Justin-Siena senior Victoria Politz said of the win. “Last season and previous seasons we wouldn’t have necessarily had the energy to come back, but this year we’ve really been pulling it together at the end and I’m really excited to see what we can do in league.”
In the top of the first Drake (1-0) was able to push across a run. But then, in the bottom half of the inning the Braves (6-1) were able to push two runs across. It all started when Jocelyn Stojack led off with an infield single before scoring on Clare Halsey’s two-run home run to left-center field that ended up on Solano Avenue.
“It felt so good,” Halsey explained of her home run.
In the third inning the Pirates tied the game up with a solo home run of their own. However, the Braves were able to fight back and put up a two spot in the bottom half of the inning. It all started when Halsey began the inning with a single a later scored on a Politz bunt single. Politz then came in on Michelle Lozano single.
In the top of the fourth Drake was able to push across two more runs, but the real highlight of the inning came when Politz made a game-saving inning-ending catch by leaning over the fence in center field to rob the Pirates of a home run.
“That’s one of the biggest plays I think we’ve had all year so far,” Justin-Siena coach Tim Garcia said of Politz’s amazing catch. “For her to really reach back over the fence and pull that home run back in, pretty amazing.”
“I saw the ball, honestly I didn’t know where the fence was, but I was just going for it no matter what,” Politz explained of her catch.
In the top of the fifth the Pirates were able to push across three more runs to bump their lead to 7-4.
Then, the flood gates opened. In the bottom of the sixth Justin-Siena was able to push across five runs to take a 9-4 lead. Melissa Lozano walked and Stojack singled and both came when Clare Garcia ripped a line drive double to center field. Then, a Halsey single brought home Garcia. The final runs of the inning came when Izzy Poulsen hit the second two-run homer of the day to bring in Halsey as the ball just squeaked over the fence in left field.
“First home run, so it feels pretty good,” Poulsen said of her homer in the bottom of the sixth.
Drake was able to score one more run in the top of the seventh, but with two outs and runner on the third the game ended when Halsey recorded a strike out. However, things wouldn’t be normal in this game where every limit was pushed if the game didn’t end on a drop third strike Poulsen to Stojack putout to end the contest.
The Braves used two pitchers on the day to come away with the victory. Eleanor Meyers started the game and went 3 and ⅓ innings. She walked two and struck out one. Halsey ended up getting the win over 3 and ⅔ innings of work. In her time on the mound she struck out five and walked none.
Up next for Justin-Siena is their Vine Valley Athletic League opener with their Trower Avenue rival as they’ll visit Vintage.
