’Cats grab piece of title

“I didn’t want to put too much pressure on them, but I’ve been in their ears (about the importance of this game),” said San Mateo coach Alyssa Jepsen. “I don’t know how long it’s been, but let’s get to CCS.”

Despite hosting the game, San Mateo (11-1 PAL Ocean) was actually the visitor because of scheduling and field issues earlier in the year. All that meant was the Bearcats immediately put the pressure on the Tigers’ defense, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. San Mateo tacked on three more in the third for a 7-1 lead but in the fourth, the Bearcats had a game’s worth of runs and hits in one inning. They scored 11 times on nine hits in the fourth inning alone, capitalizing on a trio of Terra Nova errors.

“I was a little nervous because I knew it was a must-win (game),” Jepsen said.

The best part, if you’re a San Mateo fan, was the fact it was a total team effort. Every starter had at least one hit, while eight of the nine had an RBI and scored a run.

Izzy Borges hit the trifecta for the Bearcats. She went 3 for 3 with a walk, drove in three runs and scored three times. Charlotte Velasquez, the No. 8 hitter, was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Pitcher Kylie Galea helped her cause by going 2 for 4 with three runs scored and a pair of runs driven in, while Emily Savage added two more RBIs on two hits and scored two runs.

“When you’re called upon, you have to do your job,” Jepsen said. “I just hoped everyone showed up, ready to do what they needed to do and they did.”

Kendall Richards, who went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI, led off the game with a single to center and came around to score on a Monet Scheller single to left. Borges added an RBI single and Savage had a run-scoring double to help the Bearcats to an early 4-0 lead in the first.

Terra Nova looked to be up to the task early, however, as the Tigers responded with a run in the bottom half of the first with a two-out rally. Kela Kapuniai reached on a two-out error and came around to score on a Gabby Coleman single to right-center field.

Coleman then retired the Bearcats in order in the second, but the Tigers could not take advantage of the momentum as Galea shut them down in the bottom of the frame.

San Mateo extended its lead to 7-1 in the third with three more runs. The big blow was a Velasquez two-run single that drove in San Mateo courtesy runner Sophia Jaro, who would score four times running for the catcher Scheller, and Borges, who had drawn a walk. Julia Cerreta drove in the third run of the inning with a double to the base of the fence in center field.

Terra Nova pulled back one run in the bottom of the third on a Kapuniai RBI single to plate Tori Jaques, who had singled.

The Bearcats, however, all but ended the game with the 11-run fourth. San Mateo sent 15 batters to the plate and scored six runs before the first out was recorded. Borges and Galea each had a pair of RBIs in two at-bats in the inning. Six players came to the plate twice in that fourth inning.

Now, the Bearcats will have to wait to see if they qualify for the postseason. Jepsen said she was told that with the tie with South City, the automatic CCS berth goes to the team with the most CCS points.

“If I did my math correctly, it should be us with the higher seed,” Jepsen said.