Saratoga News
Sports
Warriors open CCS playoffs with back-to-back victories
By Kevin Sparrer
Spectators love to see a game go right down to the wire, with the last at-bat deciding which team goes home with a victory.
Players, on the other hand, want to score early and often to control the tempo of the game.
As it turns out, everyone got what they wanted when the Westmont girls softball team defeated Mountain View on Saturday in the Central Coast Section Division II quarterfinals at the Salinas Sports Complex.
The Warriors scored four runs in the first inning before the Spartans fought back to make it a one-run game. But in the end it was Westmont prevailing 6-5, and the Warriors advance to the CCS semifinals set for May 23, 7 p.m., at San Jose's PAL Stadium against No. 1 seed (23-1). The winner of the Wednesday game moves into the CCS championship game on May 26 at PAL against the winner of the No. 2 Fremont (18-6-1)-No. 3 Leigh (18-9) semifinal game.
Westmont, the No. 5 seed and a 10-0 winner over Sequoia in the first round of the tournament, improved to 19-11 with the victory over the Spartans last weekend.
The Mountain View pitcher helped the Warrior attack, allowing three runners on in the top of the first on two hit batters and a walk before a hit drove in a run. Then with the bases loaded, the pitcher walked in another run and another batter reached on an error that scored two more.
Mountain View was only able to score one in the bottom half of the first to give the Warriors an early 4-1 lead.
Westmont extended its lead with a run in the second and another in the third before Mountain View scored three in the fifth. Still leading 6-4, Westmont was able to hold on when the Spartans scored another in the seventh and the Warriors went home victorious.
Westmont had six hits in the win with Kelly Retzer knocking a pair of them. Jacque Kuhny, Courtney Fong, Samantha Willis and Christine Higgins each had one.
"Willis gets on base," said Westmont head coach Jon Hennig. "She's a slapper, and we've been able to drive her in."
Higgins, a freshman, tossed a 5-hitter to post her 13th win of the year.
"Higgins was doing well spotting her pitches, keeping batters off balance, throwing her curve, the drop ball and the change up," said Hennig.
Earlier in the week, Westmont decisively defeated Sequoia 10-0. The Warriors knocked out 14 hits in the win with Hannah Scott belting two doubles, Robyn Araujo going 2 for 2 and Kuhny and Krista Field adding two hits apiece. Jenny Bybee had a base-loaded triple to drive in three runs and Fong and Jessica Barrett each had singles.
"Kuhny, Araujo and Retzer have been hitting the ball well for us," added the coach.
Higgins whirled a 3-hitter and struck out nine for the win.
"There was only one runner to reach third against us," said Hennig. "We were in control of the game right from the start."
Westmont goes on to face Mitty in the semifinal round on May 23 under the lights at PAL Stadium.
"Mitty will be a difficult game for us," said Hennig. "This should be a good experience. We have a young team and we have gone beyond our expectations for this year. We'll come out and we'll play. Anything can happen on any given day. We just want to play our normal game, go out there and see what happens."
