SAN JUAN BAUTISTA—Pajaro Valley junior Marlin Ruiz happened to be at the right place at the right time on the softball field Friday afternoon.
The third baseman made the game-winning double play that helped the Grizzlies capture a 14-13 win in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division play.
“Winning the game was really nerve racking but very exciting,” Ruiz said. “It feels really good to win. My wish for our team is to stay persistent in achieving our goals.”
With the bases loaded and the tying run on third, Ruiz caught a line drive and then tagged out the runner on third base to end the contest. The game was called in five innings due to darkness.
It was the first win of the season for the Grizzlies and their first victory since they beat Marina High, 17-7, on May 6, 2019.
Junior pitcher Analilia Rivera gave up five hits and eight walks while striking out three batters in four innings. She also had one RBI.
“Getting the win tonight felt like a huge release of pressure. After so much hard work we have finally seen it pay off,” Rivera said. “I am so proud of all of us. I want us all to keep having fun and get some more wins.”
Junior pitcher Alejandra Lopez made her first career appearance in the circle for the Grizzlies. She gave up one hit and five walks in one inning of relief.
Freshman outfielder Amoree Nieves had one RBI for Pajaro Valley, and fellow junior teammate Clara Garcia had one RBI and one run scored following a miscue by the Hawks.
After the ball went past the catcher, Garcia rounded third base and dove head first to slide under the tag at home plate.
“As I was rounding third base, I was just thinking that I’ve got to score. I guess my adrenaline kicked in when I got close to home so I dove head first to tag the plate,” Garcia said. “Winning tonight feels amazing. I hope our team keeps getting better with more experience.”
The Grizzlies (1-7, 1-6) host Soledad High (4-9, 2-3) in non-league action Monday at 4pm.
Alvarez 4, North Monterey County 3: Dani Amendola recorded nine strikeouts for the Eagles in their win over the Condors in PCAL Mission Division play Friday.
Victoria Castillo batted 2-for-2 with one home run and a triple for Alvarez (13-3, 3-1).
NMC (11-5, 3-1) will play at St. Francis High on Monday at 4:30pm.
St. Francis 10, Carmel 0: Sophomore infielder Aaliysah Gomez batted 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs for the Sharks in their win over the Padres in PCAL Mission Division play Wednesday.
Senior pitcher Alicia Mendez batted 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and two RBIs for St. Francis. She also recorded eight strikeouts and gave up just three hits in five innings of work in the circle.
Senior catcher Mariah Montalvo batted 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, and fellow teammate Aaliyah Gomez batted 2-for-4 with three runs scored for the Sharks (9-2, 3-2), who will host North Monterey County High on Monday at 4:30pm.
Baseball
Monte Vista Christian 14, King City 1: Senior pitcher Jacob Woods recorded five strikeouts for the Mustangs in their win over King City in PCAL Mission Division play Friday afternoon.
Woods gave up one run on one hit and a walk. He also batted 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
Luis Quintero, Gavin Allen and Mark Spohn all had multiple hits for MVC (10-5-1, 5-3), which will host Soledad (13-4, 8-2) on Tuesday at 4pm.
