Watsonville senior Jillian Lerma typically hits at the No. 2 spot in the batting lineup, meaning her role is to get on base with the intention to score runs.
However, that all changed Wednesday afternoon when the speedy shortstop smacked a three-run double to help lift the Wildcatz past North Salinas, 8-5, in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division softball action April 9.
“In the moment I thought, ‘Oh wow, that’s pretty far. I’ve never hit the ball that far,’” Lerma said. “I don’t think I’m going to hit it out every time, I just think small ball. But this time, there’s a lot of runners on, let’s try to hit it in the gap. Let’s try to hit it a little further than what I normally do.”
And just like that, Watsonville exploded for four runs in the sixth, starting with an RBI single by freshman outfielder Taylor Alves. Lerma then cleared the bases with a towering shot to left center field that gave them the lead for good.
“This league is stacked,” Watsonville head coach Patrick Rodriguez said. “Any win that we can pull in is a humongous win for us. What we’re preaching to girls is to play softball without so much pressure on them.”
Prior to her big hit, Lerma orchestrated an important two-out rally as she managed to get on first base with two outs in the fifth inning. With the score tied at 3-all, junior second baseman Mia Espinoza roped the ball to center field that drove in her teammate for the go-ahead run.
Wednesday’s win was a nice way for Watsonville to bounce back into the win column, especially against a formidable opponent in North Salinas that captured a Central Coast Section Division V title just two years ago. The ‘Catz improved to 1-2 in league play this season.
“It’s the Gabilan [Division]” Espinoza said. “You can’t go in saying, ‘Oh this team, let’s not take them that seriously’ or this team is really good. You have to go in with the same mentality with confidence thinking that you’re gonna go out there and do your best, no matter what team you’re facing.”
Espinoza and Lerma followed up with an excellent defensive play in the bottom half of the fifth that prevented the Vikings from tying or potentially taking the lead. Espinoza snatched a ground ball and tossed it to Lerma for the force out at second base. Lerma then rifled it to senior first baseman Ashley Jimenez for the double play.
Lerma said some players are still learning new positions, so executing plays on defense is a huge boost for them.
“Not only does it put a smile on their face, but it puts a smile on my face because they’re trying so hard in practice,” Lerma said. “The first league games, it was hard for them to understand it’s a mistake, I just have to shake it off. But once they learn that, it kind of flows for them.”
Espinoza batted 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while freshman catcher Bella Ruiz had a pair of hits and scored two runs for the ‘Catz. Teammate freshman Layla Romero had two doubles, a pair of RBIs and scored twice.
Junior pitcher Amelia Martinez allowed five runs—three earned—on seven hits while tallying six strikeouts to record the complete game victory, improving to 6-4 this season. The reigning PCAL Mission Division Pitcher of the Year currently has a 5.75 ERA and 77 total strikeouts.
Lerma also stepped up as a pitcher this season, and currently owns a 3-0 record. She has 11 total strikeouts and has allowed 13 runs on 14 hits in five appearances in the circle.
This year’s pack of ‘Catz might be young, yet they can surely smack the ball around. Espinoza is batting a .605 average (23-for-38) with one home run, eight doubles, 13 RBIs, 15 runs scored and five stolen bases.
“I took a lot of time in the offseason putting in the work with my travel team and also on my own,” she said. “I focused on what I needed to work on, which is my hands. I came in still putting in the work outside of practice, just the little things that I had to work on.”
Romero is batting a .484 average (15-for-31) with one triple, five doubles, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while Lerma is batting a .333 average (11-for-33) with five doubles, 12 RBIs and a team-best 17 runs scored.
And there doesn’t seem to be a sophomore slump for third baseman Esperanza Sigala, who has 11 base hits, including three doubles, 11 RBIs and six runs scored for Watsonville.
Watsonville began the 2025 spring campaign on a hot four game win streak, and it went 8-2 during the non-league portion of its schedule. However, they lost two straight to begin PCAL Gabilan Division play, falling to Monterey and defending CCS D-I champion Salinas in the teams’ league-opener April 2.
“We did kind of struggle in the start of the league, but I think we came in today with a totally different mindset, and our energy was way up,” Espinoza said. “And we kind of limited those mistakes that we’ve been making in the previous games, which I think was major.”
Rodriguez said some of those mistakes came on the defensive end, and it’s something they continue to improve on as the season progresses.
“We’ve been big on being competitive defensively because that’s the difference,” he said. “Even against Salinas and Monterey, I felt there were key moments where if we made the play, it would have prevented a lot of those runs that came in. We’re just trying to lock this down.”
Next up, the ‘Catz (9-4, 1-2) play Palma (2-6, 0-1) in PCAL Gabilan Division action at the Salinas Sports Complex on Friday at 4pm, and will host Watsonville Wildcatz Tournament No. 3 on Saturday morning.
