SOFTBALL: Woodside Falls in PAL Ocean Showdown

The Score: San Mateo 4, Woodside 2.

The Star: Woodside High may have lost a critical Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division game on Friday, but it wasn’t because of a lack of production from No. 2 hitter Samantha Parker. The junior catcher gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning by blasting an RBI double to leftfield, and she finished 3-for-4. Unfortunately for Woodside, Parker was left stranded in scoring position three times.

The Turning Point: San Mateo’s three-run rally in the fourth. Woodside left-hander Ashley Miller (14-4) had allowed no hits and had faced one batter over the minimum in the first three innings as the Wildcats held a 1-0 lead. But San Mateo took control as Jennifer Gomez won an eight-pitch battle with a two-out, two-RBI single to right-center, and then Elisa Pineda followed with a run-scoring single to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage. With San Mateo pitcher Bailey Sutton (10-3) successfully weaving out of trouble (stranding nine runners), that hole proved too deep for Woodside to overcome.

The Quote: “Obviously we’re going to be upset. … It’s sad. It’s devastating. But we’re a great team, so we’ve just got to keep on going. It’s tough, but oh well. We just weren’t getting the right hit at the right time.” – Woodside senior pitcher Ashley Miller, on her team’s thoughts following the loss in Friday’s PAL Ocean showdown.

What’s Next? The Wildcats (15-4, 4-2 PAL Ocean) visit El Camino on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a league game.

The Bottom Line: Woodside’s hopes of a PAL Ocean championship and Central Coast Section playoff berth took a huge hit. The Wildcats, who trailed by a half game heading in, would have taken a half-game lead over San Mateo (10-3, 5-0) with a victory. Instead, the Bearcats, No. 9 in Patch's weekly , to Woodside's No. 10, now enjoy a 1 ½-game lead (and a two-game edge in the loss column). Only the PAL Ocean champion earns an automatic berth in the CCS playoffs, so Woodside will likely be left to hope for an at-large postseason bid. But lower-division teams often lack sufficient power points to advance via the at-large route.

Notes: After Parker’s first-inning double, Woodside couldn’t manage another RBI hit despite tagging Sutton for seven hits. Sutton’s finest work came in the fifth when the Wildcats loaded the bases with one out. Sutton (six strikeouts, two walks) got Nos. 4-5 batters Rebecca Pilakowski and Amanda Canepa to foul out to preserve a 3-1 lead. … Miller also allowed seven hits, all singles. The senior struck out seven and issued two walks. … San Mateo’s Nos. 3-5 batters went a combined 1-for-8, but Nos. 6-7 batters Gomez (1-for-2, two RBIs) and Pineda (2-for-3, two RBIs) did plenty of damage. They had combined for five RBIs in 52 at-bats entering Friday. … Woodside sophomore left fielder Sabrina Canepa went 2-for-3 with a stolen base. … Tayler Titus began San Mateo’s fourth-inning rally with a leadoff single, and she added a single in the fifth.

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San Mateo 4, Woodside 2

SM – 000 301 0 – 4 7 3

W – 100 001 0 – 2 7 1

WP: Sutton (10-3). LP: Miller (14-4).

2B: Parker (W). 3 hits: Parker (W). 2 hits: Titus, Pineda (SM); S. Canepa (W). 2 RBI: Gomez, Pineda (W).

Records: San Mateo 10-3, 5-0 PAL Ocean. Woodside 15-4, 4-2.