In yet another one-run game, Casa Grande takes advantage of defensive miscues to beat Vintage for VVAL Tournament title
By Kyle Foster
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There is nothing worse than dropping a game that could’ve been yours had one or two things gone a tad bit differently. But that’s sports.
In Friday afternoon’s Vine Valley Athletic League tournament championship game at Vintage, this is what happened as Casa Grande-Petaluma edged the Crushers, 3-2, in yet another one-run game.
The Gauchos (20-2) took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fifth. It all began when Abby McSweeney singled and stole second before getting to third on a wild pitch. Lauren Ketchu then walked and swiped second to put runners at second and third for Alex Giacomini who singled to bring in McSweeney and Ketchu.
Casa Grande took the lead from the start as well with a run in the top of the first. Ketchu reached on a fielder’s choice and got to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a single and error with Giacomini at the plate.
“I think this one the difference is some untimely mistakes that we haven’t seen from our defense all season,” Vintage head coach Megan Lopez said. “Our bats came alive. Unfortunately, our hitting wasn’t able to offset some of the defensive stuff.”
Vintage (16-5-1) was able to take their lone lead of the game in the fourth where they scored a pair of runs. Cienna Alvarez reached on an error and stole second before scoring when Malina Viruet reached on an error. A Brianna Allen single moved Malina Viruet to second before she came in on a single by her older sister, Devin.
Leading the Crushers hitting attack in the game were Devin Viruet (2-for-3 RBI), Allen (1-for-3, and Abygail Sims (1-for-3)
Over the last few weeks, Sims has seen more and more playing time due to injuries and also having a hot bat. She has also been a great asset from the ninth spot in the order.
“Abby’s a junior this year, and we brought her up to really experience what our middle infielders are like because that’s what she will do for us next year is fill in those holes where our seniors are leaving,” Lopez said of Sims’ role. “We’ve really been watching her at practice and how hard she hits the ball, consistent line drives, and we’ve given her some opportunities, and she’s been pretty darn successful.”
Getting the win in the game was junior righty Lila Partridge. The Kansas University commit worked a complete game where she struck out 10 and walked just 1. She threw 114 pitches and gave up a pair of unearned runs in the game. She also allowed just four hits on the way to her 13th win of the year.
Getting the short end of the stick in the pitcher’s duel was Angie Rubalcava. The junior also went a complete game where she struck out 3 and walked 2 on 115 pitches. She also allowed three earned runs and 7 hits.
“Angie is very resilient,” Lopez explained. “She has the mindset that no matter what happens, when they score runs, she’s gonna battle and you saw that from her, both defensively and offensively. She had an at-bat today where she just fouled them off and fouled them off. She’s resilient. She’ll keep fighting.”
Both teams will now await their fate in the CIF North Coast Section playoffs that begin sometime next week. Despite the loss, this was a great tune-up for the Crushers as they head into the playoffs. Both teams will be heading into the playoffs on a roll. The Gauchos who have won 13 straight will go down to 2 and be a high seed.
“Casa always gives us great competition,” Lopez said of the battle the Crushers always have with the Gauchos. “ So while it didn’t end up in our favor this game, this is a great preparation game for us as we head into playoffs next week.”
Vintage has been projecting all year toward being a very high seed in Division 1. All signs point towards the Crushers being a top-four seed in the playoffs. The CIF North Coast Section will release the brackets sometime on Saturday. You can find the softball brackets here. As they go into the playoffs, the only losses as of late for Vintage is to Casa Grande.
“I feel pretty confident headed into (the) postseason,” Lopez said. “I feel confident in where we have set ourselves in the standings to make a good run. These girls have been dedicated and have worked hard and I think they’re peaking at the right time. We have put a schedule together for them to have some pretty strong competition and a lot of playoff-like games.”
