Not since Alhambra coach Paul Buccellato's first season at the helm of the Bulldogs' program had his team lost a game in league play - 81 straight games dating back to 2010. That streak ended Tuesday afternoon, as Concord posted an impressive 5-0 win over the Bulldogs.
"We know we have solid defense, so we just focused on playing our game, and getting an early lead," said Concord coach Megan Coddington. "(Alhambra) did hit the ball hard, but we played great defense."
The combination of great pitching and defense also ended another streak - it had been 125 games since Alhambra was held scoreless, dating back to an early non-league game against Monte Vista in 2013, before any of the current players were in high school.
"We know that you need to out-hit Alhambra if you are going to beat them, but Morgyn (Wynne) was in the zone yesterday," Coddington said. "Everything was working for her, hitting the corners, getting girls to chase a few of her pitches. Our shortstop, Sarah Clifton, also had a huge game, making a few great back-handed plays and tracking down a couple of shallow fly balls."
Concord got the early lead it needed, manufacturing a pair of runs in the second inning. Wynne drew a leadoff walk, and after Marina Delaluna's ground ball to third resulted in an out at second, Lexi San Filippo doubled to left-center, putting two runners in scoring position. Coddington then called for a suicide-squeeze, and Clifton laid down a perfect bunt, allowing Delaluna to slide home safely before Lindsey Osmer's throw got to the plate.
Elena Oceguera then laid down another bunt, scoring another run for an early 2-0 lead.
Wynne, meanwhile, allowed two runners to reach in both the second and third innings, but escaped any damage on each occasion. That set the Minutemen up for a big fourth inning, and it all started after the first two outs of the inning had been recorded.
Clifton doubled to left with two outs, and following a walk to Oceguera, Aleya Rath singled down the third-base line, scoring Clifton for a 3-0 lead. Three pitches later, Amber Desena doubled, scoring both Oceguera and Rath for a commanding five-run lead.
"It was just an awesome inning, for it all to happen with two outs," Coddington said. "We've been stressing patience at the plate, for the girls to find their pitch, and we did that in this game."
Any great offensive team is not going down without a fight, though, and the Bulldogs put together an opportunity in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Wynne recorded the first two outs of the inning on fly balls, Maci Shepherd singled to left and Kaylee Pond drew a walk. Leadoff batter Kimiko Zapanta then singled to left to load the bases, bringing Bri Perez to the plate, in the midst of another fantastic season. Perez stung the fourth pitch she saw, driving a liner between first and second, but the ball ricocheted off Zapanta's foot, resulting in an interference call and the final out of the game.
The final out of the game released a wave of emotions for Concord, with its historic win. With the Minutemen playing their final league game of the season this Thursday, however, Coddington also found the need to stress perspective, especially while trailing Alhambra by just one game.
"We have to come out tomorrow (against College Park) and take care of business."
Berkeley rallies to beat O'Dowd
Host Berkeley scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome an early two-run deficit and hold off Bishop O'Dowd, 3-2, in the semifinals of the WACC-Foothill tournament.
All three runs for the Yellowjackets came without a hit, as Makenzie Andrew scored on a wild pitch, Jadyn Lee scored on an error, and Dixie Lewis scored on another error following a passed ball.
Robyn Wampler was dominant in the circle for Berkeley, striking out 13 batters in the complete game effort and allowing just five hits. Claire Kaneko had a pair of hits for the Yellowjackets, while Frankie Hammoude had two hits, including a solo home run, for the Dragons.
Strong strikes out 17 in Freedom victory
Junior Vanessa Strong notched 17 strikeouts in the Falcons' 6-0 win over Liberty, scattering three hits to pick up the win and stay tied atop the BVAL.
Faith Derby and Ashlie Livermore each homered in the win for Freedom, who finishes the regular season on Thursday at Deer Valley.
Heritage lineup paces rout over Antioch
Heritage pounded out 17 hits, as the Patriots took down Antioch, 12-0 on Thursday afternoon.
Morgan Hess went 4-for-4 with three RBI and Kat Hall went 3-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Patriots, while Anyssia Ramirez also drove in three runs.
Heritage finishes the regular season at home against Liberty on Thursday.
