Vintage grinds out victory over Sonoma Valley behind four-run second, six stolen bases to stay perfect in league play
By Kyle Foster
Follow on Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Sometimes the offense isn’t always going to be clicking. In those games, good teams find a way to win.
On Wednesday afternoon at Crusher Field, this is what the Vintage softball team did when they willed their way to a 5-2 victory over Sonoma Valley in a Vine Valley Athletic League game.
The Crushers (11-2-1, 7-0 VVAL) took control of the game in the bottom of the second where they pushed four runs across. It all started when Angie Rubalcava singled and stole second and then got to third on a Dessiana Garcia fielder’s choice before coming in on a bunt single by Desiree Griffith. On that same bunt single, Garcia moved to third and Griffith got to second as a result of throws going to different bases. When Taylor Lauritsen reached on an error, Garcia came home. An Audrey Manley groundout then brought in Griffith. Lauritsen scored when Brianna Allen walked with the bases loaded.
“I think that we definitely talked about a lot about the hits are contagious,” Manley said of the key rally in the second. “Just getting on in general is contagious. So once we had a few people on whether that be from a walk or from not even not not a hard hit, we were able to string things together quickly. Just from little contacts. I mean putting the ball in play anywhere is a good sign shows that you’re trying to make adjustments.”
Vintage scored their only other run in the fourth. Manley singled and was able to advance after Devin Viruet singled and Malina Viruet walked to load the bases. She then came in on a single bur Rubalcava.
Throughout the day, the Crushers had their chances to score. In the game, they left 9 runners on base while going 2-for-8 on the day with runners in scoring position. However, they were able to manufacture runs in this one as they swiped a total of 6 bases on 7 attempts in the game.
“I think we were just trying to be aggressive today and see what we could get whether we were able to make it there or not,” the younger Viruet said of the stolen bases and their impact on the game. “But I think we ended up doing pretty good and getting a lot of bags.”
Another reason the offense was tamed in this one was the fact that Sonoma Valley pitcher Kassedy Midgley attacked them on the inside of the plate, which made for some soft contact that they eventually adjusted to.
Leading the Vintage offense in the game were Rubalcava (2-for-3 stolen base, run, RBI), Desiree Griffith (2-for-3 stolen base, run, RBI), Lauritsen (1-for-3 walk, run, RBI, 2 stolen bases), Manley (1-for-3 run, RBI), Devin Viriuet (1-for-3 stolen base, walk), and Malina Viruet (1-for-1 stolen base, 3 walks).
Sonoma Valley (9-8, 2-5 VVAL) opened up the game by taking an early 1-0 lead in the first on a Midgely solo homer to left field. They also scored one more in the third when Gianna Chiotti walked and later scored on a single by Kayla Amormino.
Getting the win in the circle in the game was Rubalcava. In three innings, she walked 3 and struck out 2. She also gave up 2 hits and 2 earned runs while throwing 60 pitches. This was her 6th winning decision of the year.
Maybe more impressive in the game was Malina Viruet. The freshman pitcher worked the final 4 innings on the way to collecting an extended save. She struck out 5 and walked just 1 while throwing 57 pitches. She also gave up just one hit in the final four innings to get her second save of the season.
“I mean, her rise ball is incredible,” Manley said of Viruet. “I think that she’s so young and has so much to grow that her coming today and being able to be three up three down almost every inning was pretty incredible. I mean, she’s really worked hard this season. I think she deserved that four-inning shutout there.”
She was able to keep batters guessing by using her rise ball. It’s her main pitch and one that is rather comfortable for her.
“The rise is definitely my pitch I would say and I depend on it a lot,” Viruet said of her rise ball and why it’s so effective. “That’s like my go-to when I am pitching them and I just have a lot of confidence when I’m throwing it.”
Both teams will be back in action on Friday at 4 pm. Sonoma Valley will visit American Canyon. As for Vintage, they’ll have the league bye but host Foothill of Pleasanton. Their next league game will be next Wednesday night at 6 pm when they play Napa High in the second Big Game at Kiwanis Park. It will be the first Kiwanis game since 2022. In the most recent Big Game on March 15th, Vintage beat Napa 10-0.
In other VVAL games on Wednesday, Casa Grande beat American Canyon 11-1. The league standings can be seen here.
