Two days, two splits, four one-run gam-es. It does not get any closer than the four games the Park University Gilbert softball team (8-14. 6-6) played with the University of Saint Katherine (8-22, 5-11) the last two days as the two teams battled on a stifling 90-plus degree day at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, Ariz.
Game 1 – Saint Katherine 11, Park Gilbert 10
Game one could have gotten away from the Buccaneers on a couple of occasions as the Firebirds held leads of four and five runs on a couple of different occasions, but the "Batilin' Bucs" kept themselves in the game with crooked number innings.
USK jumped on top in the first with a run off of starter Gabby Vallee who was pulled in in the second inning after getting in trouble again in favor of game on hero Jessica Mendoza who kept the Firebird bats at bay until the fourth when they put up a four spot to take a 5-0 lead.
Park Gilbert answered back in the bottom half of the innings with four runs themselves behind a two run double from third baseman Destinee Alvarez followed by two runs scoring on an error by USK second baseman America Santana off the bat of center fielder Tristin Jamar to cut the lead to 5-4
Mendoza could not keep the finger in the dike as USK put up three more runs in the fifth and Mendoza was pulled for Payton Priefer. Priefer also allowed three runs in the sixth.
After scoring four runs in the fourth, the Bucs added one in the fifth, two in the sixth and came into the bottom of the seventh trailing by four.11-7.
Just as they had the day before, the Buccaneers attempted a furious seventh inning rally, Anissa Corrales started things with a one-out single to right, followed by a Raylissa Garcia walk. Danielle Farinas singled home Corrales and the lead was sliced to three.
With two outs, Alvarez had an infield single to load the bases before Jamar had a single up the middle which glanced off the glove of the shortstop and stuck far enough away to allow two runs to score to make it a one run game with the tying run at second. But that is where things ended as Megan Campbell hit a hard grounder to third and USK third baseman Addi Betts stepped on the bag for the force out to end the game.
Alvarez went 3-5 with three RBI's and Farinas went 3-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Jamar went 3-5 and drove in three runs on the afternoon.
Game 2 – Park Gilbert 3, Saint Katherine 2
After the game one slug fest, game two turned in to a pitchers' duel between Bucs starter Abril Nerey and Firebirds hurler Catherine Dages.
Again, the Firebirds got ahead early, with single runs in the third and fourth, but the Buccaneers found the solution to the Dages mystery in the fourth.
It started with back-to-back singles by Farinas and Raylissa Garcia. Courtney Beckwith put down a sacrifice bunt to move them over. Campbell pinch hit for Nadia Gutierrez and promptly lifted a bloop single just over third to score Farinas and Campbell moved to second on the throw to third, Alvarez then had her own bloop single to just out of the reach of Santana to score Garcia before Zoe Corral drove in the final tally with another single to score Gutierrez who reentered the game as a runner for Campbell.
That was all Nerey would need as she shut down USK over the last three innings scattering five hits as she picked up her first win of her career. She tallies the complete game, allowing nine hits and two runs (both earned) one walk and four strikeouts.
Raylissa Garcia had two hits in the game to lead the Bucs, and an interesting note, the Buccaneers did not strike out in the game. On the injury front Jamar had to leave game two in the top of the first after injuring herself diving for a ball. She was evaluated and remained in the dugout for the rest of the game. Her status moving forward is day-to-day and they hope to have her available for next weekend's road trip to Simpson and Westcliff.
