RYAN SILAPAN
Prep2Prep Senior Editor

May 31, 2016

SAN JOSE — When Holly Azevedo walked off the fielding loosely carrying yet another Central Coast Section Division II runner-up trophy the star right-handed pitcher was left wondering what could have been.

Azevedo, who has given a verbal commitment to UCLA, has led Pioneer to three consecutive CCS D-II title game appearances only to have fallen short each time to Archbishop Mitty including Saturday’s contest where the Monarchs rallied for four runs to defeat the Mustangs 4-3 at PAL Stadium.

Azevedo was staked to a three-run cushion — the first time she pitched with a lead in three CCS title games against Mitty — but the Mustangs were unable to close it out.

Outside of Azevedo’s freshman year, Pioneer has been at least as talented as Mitty the past two years.

The feeling was heading into Saturday’s game was that if Pioneer was finally going to get Mitty, the time was now.

Pioneer’s fatal flaw reared itself when it comes to beating Mitty on the biggest stage on Saturday and it has nothing to do with lack of talent, playing a competitive schedule, or Azevedo having an off day — even by her standards.

“I think we definitely had a shot to beat them but mentally we weren’t tough enough to go through with it,” Azevedo said after the game.

After Pioneer chased Mitty starter Savannah Smith from the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Monarchs turned to their other freshman pitcher Hannah Edwards, who held Pioneer to only three hits and no runs the rest of the game.

Edwards wasn’t overpowering like Azevedo — few pitchers in the country are — but was buoyed by her teammates' support to close the deal.

When Julia Lucas brought in McKinsey Thorpe with a sacrifice fly to give Mitty a 4-3 lead in the top of the sixth, it felt like the air in Pioneer’s bubble had been completely deflated. And Azevedo pitched a great game for anybody not named Holly Azevedo.

The junior’s stat line (7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 10 Ks) is nothing to be scoffed at. But after having a three-run cushion seeing four runs looks like 40 — much less than the 25 total Azevedo has given up in career at Pioneer.

As one of the nation's top pitchers and owner of one of the most impressive individual careers in California high school sports history, Azevedo is missing just one prize after three years of work at Pioneer. The San Jose public school has one more shot to capitalize on Azevedo's phenomenal talent.

“I’m hoping to get back here again,” Azevedo said of playing in a fourth CCS D-II title game. “Fourth year in a row I’m definitely hopeful for that.”

Pioneer will return 12 of its 13 players next year - including Azevedo - but will graduate its co-captain, leadoff hitter, shortstop and future San Jose State player Mac Drake, who happens to be Azevedo’s closest confidant on the team.

The Mustangs will again be among the top teams in the CCS in large put due to Azevedo, who along with her stellar pitching in the circle, batted .467 this year. And a fourth straight Pioneer-Mitty matchup in the D-II title game is a distinct possibility considering Mitty's likely improvement behind freshman star pitchers Hannah Edwards and Savannah Smith.

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Ryan Silapan can be reached at rsilapan@prep2prep.com follow him on Twitter @RyanSilapan