The Los Gatos softball team started out strong in its CCS Division I matchup at Santa Teresa Wednesday afternoon, but the host Saints (15-11) rallied for a 4-1 victory to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face top-seeded Carlmont (22-3) on Saturday. The Wildcats end their season with a 15-11 record.
Los Gatos took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but the Saints came back to take the lead in the third. After a Los Gatos error allowed Santa Teresa freshman Jessica Liquori to reach first, junior Lindsey Rafter hit a two-run home run to put the Saints up, 2-1, after three innings.
In the fourth inning, the Wildcats went down in order as Los Gatos designated hitter junior Allie Frey and junior Sydney Werner both hit flyouts and sophomore Ellen Church struck out.
The last two innings were more of the same for the Wildcats, as they continued to struggle on the field and weren't able to make solid contact against Santa Teresa senior pitcher Anissa Becerril, who was strong with an assortment of fast curve balls all throughout the game.
"We've had better days," said Los Gatos head coach Robert Gellman. "I think that we were just all stumped by [Becerril].”
In the fifth inning, Santa Teresa senior captain Allie Kornahrens hit the ball deep to right field, knocking home freshman Melissa Martinek and freshman Carly Keltner to make it 4-1.
“I fell that I could have done better as a batter, but overall I think I kicked butt today!” declared Keltner ecstatically.
“We had good defense and offense," added Martinek, "but my main focus was to watch the pitches more carefully and have more patience.”
