Casa Grande’s rallies in third, fourth innings lead them past Vintage in battle of VVAL heavies
By Kyle Foster
Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Some teams just make it hard to get outs. This can be due to experience or tons of reps. No matter how you look at it, all that stuff matters, especially in softball.
On Tuesday afternoon, Casa Grande of Petaluma got hits when it mattered to beat Vintage, 5-2, in a key Vine Valley Athletic League matchup between arguably the top two programs in the league.
The Gauchos (8-3-1 overall, 5-0 VVAL) quickly jumped out to a lead with a pair of runs in the third inning. It began when Abby McSweeney doubled to left field and then got to third on a single by Veronica Nunez-Miller. After Nunez-Miller stole second, they had a pair of runners in scoring position for Lauren Ketchu, who singled in McSweeney and advanced Nunez-Miller to third before she scored on a wild pitch.
Casa Grande then tallied three more runs in the fourth to go up 5-0. Evelyn Baca singled and got to second on a bunt single by Layce Carlomagno. On that same play, the throw to first went to right field and allowed Baca to get to third. Maeve Broadhead’s double to the left-center gap brought in Baca and advanced Carlomagno to third. In the very next at-bat, McSweeney sent her second double of the game down the left field line to plate Carlomagno and Broadhead.
“I think we just have to tip our hats to Casa today, they were able to string more hits along than we were,” said Vintage head coach Megan Lopez, who is in year four at the helm, having won a pair of VVAL regular season titles and a postseason tournament title so far. “They had more base running opportunities than we did.”
In the game, McSweeney had three doubles, 2 RBIs, and a run scored to lead the Gaucho offense from the leadoff spot while going 3-for-4 in the game.
As for the Crushers (6-3, 2-1 VVAL), they were able to break through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. It all began when Sydney Morton reached on an infield single and advanced to third on a double by Abygail Sims. A single by Aliyah McDonald brought in Morton and got Sims to third. Then, Sims came in when McDonald tried to swipe second.
The rally in the sixth was started from the bottom part of the lineup, which is filled with speedsters who can put a lot of pressure on the defense.
“The bottom of the order really took advantage in the sixth inning,” Lopez added. “I was happy to get a couple of runs and not take a shutout. And sometimes we just have to make adjustments. Standing up there and trying to get Lila’s (Partridge) timing down can be a challenge. So sometimes moving to a shorter game gives us a better opportunity with our speedier runners.”
The offensive attack was led in the game by Morton (1-for-2, run), Desiree Griffith (1-for-2), and Sims (1-for-3, double, run, stolen base).
Getting the win in the circle for Casa Grande was Lila Partridge. The senior righty went a complete game, striking out 8 and walking 1. The Kansas commit allowed 2 runs to score as well on 83 pitches.
Taking the loss despite pitching well was Angie Rubalcava. The senior right-hander hurled 4 innings where she struck out 3 and walked 3. She also allowed 5 runs to score, 3 of which were earned.
Shining in relief in the game was Noelle Rofkahr. The junior righty handled the final 3 frames, where she struck out 4 and gave up just 1 hit.
So far this season, it’s been an up-and-down year for the Crushers. They’ve not only been able to play at home till now, but have been dealt a rough hand with injuries. But the one pro of that is that they’ve been able to and forced to develop their young talent at the varsity level.
“With all the injuries that we have, it’s who steps up in moments of adversity and giving the girls who are younger experience,” Lopez explained. “I think that seeing this caliber of play versus Casa and when we go down to our Tracy tournament will only make them better this season and in the years to come.”
Vintage will continue league play on Friday afternoon at 4 pm when they visit American Canyon in what will be a battle for sole possession of second place in the VVAL.
