NOVATO, CA – The Marin Catholic-Kentfield softball team doesn’t have a home field this season, so every one of their 23 games has been on the road, including the Marin County Athletic League Playoff championship game they had to play at San Marin against the Mustangs acting as the visiting team.
After the Wildcats had already beaten San Marin twice on the road as both a host and visiting team in league play, the third time could have been their caveat, but instead it produced a 10-7 victory for Marin Catholic (22-1) to go with a 14-0 record in league play and 2-0 record in the playoffs for a complete MCAL regular season and playoff sweep.
San Marin (17-5) scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but Marin Catholic answered with four runs in the bottom of the first frame, and with five more runs in the bottom of the fourth it was looking like they might 10-run rule the Mustangs after taking a 9-1 lead.
Not so fast. San Marin was without Utah-bound pitcher and slugger Madison Papenhausen, who is out for the season with knee problems, but there was no quit in the Mustangs.
Marin Catholic sophomore ace Annabel Teperson gave up the one run early but was sailing along with the eight run advantage when San Marin got four runs back in the top of the sixth courtesy of a grand slam home run by Summer Lake.
Teperson settled down and got the side out in the sixth but after Marin Catholic got a run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 10-5 lead she gave up two more runs in the top of the seventh before closing things out with her 10th strikeout of the game.
“It was a big moment for Annabel and the school and I think she felt the pressure and was a little tired,” Marin Catholic Coach Dave Albini said. “It’s been a long season and she battled like she has all season and we wouldn’t be here without her.”
Records were being researched but what is known is that it was the first time Marin Catholic has swept all their MCAL regular season and playoff games since at least 1996 and possibly never.
Besides the 10 strikeouts Teperson had an RBI double and scored on a single by senior Sydney Politzer, and she walked twice and scored both times.
Freshman Kilee Koch had a double, two RBI and two runs scored, Politzer had two hits and two RBI, and sophomore Kiera DeLacy was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Lake had the biggest bat for San Marin. The Mustangs junior was 2-for-4 with the grand slam, five RBI and a run scored. Cal-committed junior catcher Alexis Bishop had two doubles an d her courtesy runner scored both times.
“They didn’t have their pitcher but we still expected them to score some runs,” Albini remarked.
San Marin received the No. 5 seed in the NCS Division II playoffs and hosts Northgate on Tuesday.
As expected, Marin Catholic received the No. 1 seed in the Division III and drew a first round bye. They await the Tuesday winner of the Terra Linda at Albany game.
Because up until now Marin Catholic played all its games on the road, including nine games in MCAL league and playoffs combined as the home team, they needed to find a field or the top seed would be meaningless. Fortunately they have secured Tamalpais as a home field for the playoffs beginning with the quarterfinals.
“We’re very thankful to Tam for letting us use their field,” Albini said.
The field is likely the least of Albini’s concerns right now. Marin Catholic is not looking for a repeat of last year when they didn’t even win the MCAL league or playoffs and were the D3 top seed only to lose in the title game held at San Marin to Moreau Catholic who like last year are this year’s No. 2 seed.
“We were left with a bad taste in our mouths last year,” said Albini about the 8-6 title-game loss to Moreau Catholic. “We want to do better and win it all this year.”
