That was the feeling fans got when No. 3 Saratoga and No. 1 Archbishop Mitty went eye-to-eye in the CCS Division II softball title game last Saturday at PAL Stadium.

By their own admission, the Falcons felt fortunate to have advanced this far after taking the championship in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Mitty came in as the decided favorite in the playoffs with a powerhouse squad that came out on top of the very tough West Catholic Athletic League.

But Saratoga wasn't quite ready to just wave the white towel from the dugout and made sure the Monarchs were aware of that from the git go. Pitcher Nikki Franchi stepped to the plate with two out in the top of the first and lofted a deep drive to the gap in right center and scampered around to third as the ball rolled to the fence. However, Mitty didn't blink as catcher Suzanne Lessack went down swinging, leaving Franchi standing on third as the inning ended.

In the bottom of the first, Saratoga blinked. A one-out single was misplayed allowing the runner to reach second base. After stealing third, she scampered home on a dink single over first base to give Mitty a 1-0 lead. It was the only run Mitty would be able to muster, but it would prove to be enough to allow the Monarchs to squeeze out a 1-0 victory and claim the Division II championship.

The strong pitching and defense of the Monarchs was formidable which resulted in only three other Falcon batters reaching base over the course of the rest of the game. Designated hitter Cassie Bac roped a one-out line drive single to right in the second but was wiped out on a double-play to end the inning.

Franchi worked her way on with a one-out walk in the fourth and went to second on a throwing error but was stranded there. Bac reached first on a fielding error to lead off the fifth. Pinch runner Rachel Sabes raced to second on a fielder's choice but the threat ended with a strikeout and an infield out. Saratoga batters put the ball in play every inning, going down on strikes only five times, but couldn't find any holes.

The Falcons kept the game close and the outcome in doubt with solid pitching and tough defense. Franchi scattered five hits while striking out five and walking only two. Both center fielder Katie Reed and right fielder Victoria Azzi made fine catches on line drives in the early innings to thwart Mitty efforts. But it was two double-plays, one in the fifth and one in the sixth, which kept the Saratoga faithful hopeful.

A lead-off triple in the fifth looked like it would give Mitty the chance to score an insurance run, but with one out Azzi and Lessack teamed up to slam the door with a gem of a play. Azzi gathered in a fly ball to right for out number two and rifled a strike to the waiting Lessack at the plate to gun down the runner with room to spare. It brought a standing ovation from the crowd.

An inning later it was second baseman Steph Beheshti on the front end of another double-play that took the wind out of Mitty's sails. With runners on first and second on only one out, Beheshti moved quickly to her left to snag a sharp line drive and then flipped the ball to first baseman Chelsey Seagraves to double off the runner on first and once again kill a possible Monarch rally.

It had been a different story a few days earlier in a semifinal match-up with No. 2 Leigh when the Falcons took advantage of a few miscues, some solid pitching, and a little more offense to snatch a 2-1 win to propel them into the title game.

The Falcons didn't waste any time taking advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness on the part of Leigh's pitcher in the top of the first. Reed opened the game getting hit by a pitch and Priscilla Chan laid down a perfect bunt, legging it out for an infield hit. Franchi's keen eye at the plate resulted in a walk to load them up with no outs.

Lessack sent a hot grounder past the diving shortstop for a single to score Reed and the bases remained full. Lisa Brenner walked to force in the second run that would eventually prove to be the winner.

It looked like Leigh might come back with a score of its own in the bottom of the first when back to back singles put runners on first and second with one out. But Brenner came up with a fine defensive effort, scooping up a bloop behind the pitcher and rifling a shot to nail the runner at first. Franchi then struck out the next batter to close the door.

Franchi was solid on the mound, allowing only four hits while sitting down nine on strikes and walking only one. The defense rose to the occasion when needed, except in the fourth when it allowed one run in on an error after two were out.

Controversy occurred in the bottom of the fifth as Leigh attempted to tie the score. A two-out single put the tying run on base. The runner attempted to steal second and when the throw from catcher Lessack went past second into center field, the runner charged toward third base. Reed scooped up the errant throw and fired a shot to Chan at third that skipped past her toward the backstop. The runner hesitated slightly but then scampered toward home as Chan scrambled after the loose ball and sent a throw to Lessack who had the plate blocked. In a bang-bang play, ball and runner arrived at the same time and Lessack applied the tag as the umpire signaled an out before the ball dropped loose from her mitt.

Complaints about whether or not Lessack had control of the ball were lodged, but after an extended discussion among the three-man umpiring crew the final ruling was to let the play stand as called. It ended the inning and dashed Leigh's hope of tying the score.