SAN JOSE, CA - Top-seeded Notre Dame-Salinas (25-6) built a 4-0 lead and pitcher Vanessa Gonzales took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but the Spirits had to hold off a no-quit Hillsdale-San Mateo to capture a record 16th CIFCCS title in a nail-biting 4-2 Division 2 victory. It was their fourth title in five years.
After scoring its runs No. 3 seed Hillsdale had two runners on base and the winning run at the plate but Gonzales was able to get a fly ball to right to end the game.
The first four and a half innings flew by as Gonzales had Hillsdale bottled up like a genie, but the Spirits could only manage two hits themselves off Knights sophomore pitcher Kealani Kaufusi.
That all changed when Notre Dame got a monstrous home run in the bottom of the fifth inning from Alexia Torculas to make it 1-0 Spirits. It was by far the longest and hardest hit ball in any of the three title games at PAL.
“That ball went 250-260 and it was smoked, a beautiful hit,” Notre Dame Coach Tom Cardinale said.
The way Gonzales was pitching it looked at the point like the long fly by the junior centerfielder might be enough.
When Notre Dame added three more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by junior catcher Kaeli Bush that drove in shortstop Aly Gomonet, and a single by Logan Riggenbach that knocked in Spencer Hyosaka and Bush, the 4-0 lead with Hillsdale only having three outs left looked insurmountable.
To their credit the third-seeded and young Hillsdale girls would not quit.
Hillsdale (19-12) got a leadoff single in the seventh by Bailey McDonough who then scored on a triple by Kaufusi. After the next two batters struck out Kaufusi scored on a single by Gabby Mataele and moved to second on a single by Haley Koga, but with runners on first and second Hillsdale was unable to score any more runs.
The Knights were looking for a fifth CCS championship but first since 1991, a year before Notre Dame won the first of its 16 titles.
Because of the points system only one team from the Monterey Bay – Gabilan made it to the Open Division and that team was San Benito. With the remaining teams were placed by enrollment with the next 16 going in a Division 1 bracket won by MBL – Gabilan runner-up Watsonville, Notre Dame fell into the Division 2 bracket of the remaining smaller schools. That meant the Spirits didn’t get a chance to win an Open title but its still a section championship.
“We’re just happy to be in CCS,” said Cardinale, who now has won four CCS titles in six years at the Spirits helm. “Even in Division 2 there are a lot of great teams and we needed to play well to win this and we played well, and that’s something we’re very pleased with.”
