All hopes the Pescadero High School softball team had of reaching the postseason playoffs were dashed Tuesday, May 13, when they lost in the first matchup of a two-game series vs. Head Royce High School.
But the Vikings, who needed two wins in their final two games to qualify for the playoffs, bounced back to defeat Head Royce Thursday. And although the split wasn't enough for the team to earn a playoff berth, the win Thursday put the Vikings in a tie for fourth place in the BCL, and left coach Ron Sutliff feeling proud.
"They finally came together," Sutliff said. "They were out there yelling plays at each other, encouraging each other, and that was great."
The Pescadero squad had added incentive to win Thursday. Senior Regina Costello, playing in her final game for the Vikings, left the game after a Head Royce player accidentally hit her arm with a bat in the sixth inning. Costello, who was playing catcher at the time, was taken to the hospital. She sustained some torn ligaments and deep bruises.
Costello's departure served as a motivator for the Vikings, who had come back from a five-run deficit to tie the game in the top of the fifth inning. Pescadero then went on to score two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, and pitcher Stacy Bennett held Head Royce to two runs to win the game, 10-8.
Before leaving the game, Costello went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Stephanie Tibbles and Bennett both had two base hits and two RBIs, Kati Box scored two runs, and Emily McNaughton added two RBIs.
Earlier in the week, Pescadero was eliminated from postseason play when Head Royce won the first of the two-game series, 14-12.
The Vikings had the lead early in the game after Costello hit a two-run home run in the second inning to cap the squad's four-run rally. Bennett had an RBI double and Tara Simms knocked an RBI single to start off the scoring in the second inning.
Pescadero continued to hit well in the third, as Costello doubled to score one run. McNaughton would have scored as well, but did not slide in the play at home plate, which is required by softball rules, and thus was called out. It was the third out of the inning, and left three Vikings on base.
The end of the third frame turned out to be a pivotal point in the game, since Head Royce scored six runs in the fourth to take the lead. The squad tallied eight more runs in the seventh inning to earn the victory.