Softball: SRV Can't Hold Big Lead in Loss to Cal High

With first place in the East Bay Athletic League on the line, the San Ramon Valley High softball team came up short against California on Friday.

Despite being up 5-0 after two innings, the Wolves weren't able to hold onto their lead, as they suffered from untimely errors in the field and ultimately fell 7-6 to the Grizzlies.

For the first three innings, San Ramon senior pitcher Kylie Day shut down the Cal offense, not allowing a single base runner. But in the fourth, Day began to struggle, as did the San Ramon defense — and Cal took advantage.

"We had a good first three innings, and then we played a poor last four innings," Wolves coach Gabe Adami said. "We made a lot of mistakes and I don't think we were focused."

In the fourth, Day hit two consecutive batters while the bases were loaded and with three of San Ramon's five errors in the same inning the Grizzlies were able to bring in six runs.

"It was a complete team effort today," Cal coach Kristina Thorson said. "Everybody stepped it up when they needed to, especially to get runs on the board."

Despite the lapse of concentration in the fourth, Day and the Wolves were able to refocus and came close to tying it back up in the sixth.

Adami said Day had pitched the day before in San Ramon's 1-0 win against Foothill, and while batting, had been hit in the left arm. Though she still suffered from her injury while playing Cal, Day managed to pitch the entire game, and only gave up four hits.

With only 11 earned runs on the season in 79 innings pitched, Day is a leader for the Wolves.

"She's just had a great season," Adami said. "She's no doubt one of the best pitchers in the league by far."

San Ramon had success early against the Cal's freshmen pitchers Kwyn Cooper and Andi Quilalang. After Cooper hit a batter and walked another with the bases loaded, Quilalang was subbed in, only to allow a base-clearing double to sophomore Nicole Foley.

According to Thorson, Cal's star pitcher, junior Brittany Wright, didn't start because she had just thrown the day before in the Grizzlies' 2-1 victory against Livermore. Wright came in at the end of the game to close it out proving San Ramon's earlier errors fatal.

Cal now sits at the top of the standings in the EBAL — the Grizzlies play play Carondelet on Tuesday, while the Wolves will be playing Monte Vista.

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box score

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California 7, San Ramon Valley 6

California (11-2, 5-1 EBAL) 000 601 0 — 7 4 0

San Ramon Valley (9-5, 4-2 EBAL) 050 001 0 — 6 2 5

Visitor: Niedzwecki (4-0-0), Catson (4-1-1), Fowler (4-1-2), Nisbit (4-1-0), Gomm (4-1-1), Duffy (3-1-0), Heller (1-0-0), Falzon (1-0-0), Mosser (3-1-0) Quilalang (3-1-0), Cooper (3-0-0), Totals 34-7-4.

Home: Liu (4-0-0), Pacioni (4-1-0), Bridges (4-1-0), Foley (4-0-2), Pavek (4-0-0), McDevitt (4-1-0), Day (4-1-0), Verdina (3-1-0), Chase (3-1-0), Totals 34-6-2.

Pitching

Visitor: Cooper 1 2/3 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 H, 3 K, 4 BB, 2 HB; Leon 4 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 K, 3 BB, 1 HB; Wright 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 0 BB, 0 HB

Home: Day 7 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 1 BB, 2 HB

Batting

2B — Gomm (Cal), Foley (SRV); RBI — Foley 3 (SRV)