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It was a championship softball game, so spectators could expect to see some good pitching, solid hitting and sharp fielding.
They got all of that and more when the Jaguars met the Lions to decide the title in the Los GatosSaratoga girls under 10 fast pitch softball race.
The Jags pulled out a hard-earned 6-4 win over the Lions to clinch the crown. It was a three-run rally in the sixth inning that helped the Jaguars break the game wide open.
The clubs entered the final inning locked in a 3-3 tie. Kathryn Nobles doubled home Kendall Cichanowicz with a run to break the deadlock, then scored on a ground out by Kaitlyn Baab to make it 5-3. Meleah Guillardo reached base for the Jags and scored on a single by Lauren Campbell.
The Lions battled back with a run of their own in the home half of the sixth and had runners on second and third, but pitcher Megan Brading got the final out of the game with a strikeout to clinch the victory.
Amy Yamamura pitched the early innings for the Jaguars and managed to work out of a tough bases-loaded jam in the first. With one out, Yamamura fielded a comebacker and tossed to the plate for the force out. She struck out the next hitter to end the early threat.
The close championship game came as no surprise since the clubs had battled to an 11-11 tie in the regular season. The Lions rallied from an 11-7 deficit in the final inning to tie the score in a regular season game ended by the time limit.
The Lions entered the championship game with a 14-0-1 record to top the league standings. The Jaguars were 12-2-1 in the regular season. Both clubs won games in the league semifinals to advance to the finals of the 10-team tournament.
Rounding out the championship squad were Alyson Nilan-Axline, Corinne Moran, Kaetlyn Boyle and Emmie McKiernan. The team was coached by Moses Guillardo, Jake Guillardo and Mark Brading.
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