Another San Mateo softball comeback: Aliyah Scheller swings Bearcats to fifth straight PAL Bay Division win at Mills

“I was like: ‘That was not a strike,’” Scheller said. “‘Now I’m ready to hit. Now you’ve got me riled up.’”

The next pitch did find the zone, and was right in the sophomore’s wheelhouse, as Scheller wheeled and fired on an off-speed pitch to rifle an RBI single down the left-field line to score junior Demi Alfonso with the go-ahead run, then have it skip past the outfielder on an error to score sophomore Jana Davies all the way from first base.

“I saw it go to the girl, and I was like: ‘That’s at least one run,’” Scheller said. “Then I saw it go right past her, and I was like: ‘Let’s go! That’s two runs right there!’”

Rallying back from a 3-2 deficit to tie it with a run in the sixth — on a clutch two-out RBI single from sophomore Kimi Cormier — the Bearcats (7-2 PAL Bay, 13-4 overall) celebrated another in a recent string of comeback wins. Since opening Bay Division play with a 2-2 record, San Mateo has now won straight league games, a streak that started April 9 against Hillsdale. The Bearcats trailed 5-1 in that critical road game, only to come clawing back to win it 8-6 in extra-innings.

“I think once our team gets the energy, it’s like we’re ready,” Scheller said. “We’re coming out to fight even if it’s not at the start of the game.”

San Mateo’s April 9 comeback remains Hillsdale’s only loss in league play to date, as the first-place Lady Knights maintain a slight lead in the Bay standings. The Bearcats are right on their heels, in second place, trailing by a half game.

“One game at a time,” San Mateo head coach Robert Burley said. “I tell the girls we’re in a tough league every year. We’re seen it in past years where a team is kind of rolling in our league, and then they lose to a team. ... All the teams have good players. They have pitching. You can’t look past anybody.”

The loss for Mills (3-5, 10-7) is a critical one, as it drops the Lady Vikings to the second tier of Bay Division standings. A win Thursday would have left them tied for fourth place in the eight-team division. Now, Mills is sitting in sixth place with five games to go.

The Vikings have now lost two games in the seventh inning on consecutive days. Wednesday, Mills took a 2-0 lead into the seventh inning in non-league play against Mountain View, only to see the Spartans rally for five runs in their final at-bat to win it 5-2.

“Whatever it is this year, for some reason when the pressure comes on us, we fall apart,” Mills head coach Michelle Beauchemin said. “So, we’re just trying to encourage them. We’ve got to get those big bats ahead early instead of trying to scratch our way back up.”

The Vikings have also been bit by the injury big time and again.

“It’s been the story of our life this season,” Beauchemin said. “We’ve just had a lot of injuries.”

Two players left Thursday’s game due to injury, including sophomore Bailey Beauchemin, after a bruised hand suffered when she got her hand stepped on last week by a baserunner while playing first base. Then, on the final out in the top of the seventh, junior shortstop Jazzy Maske aggravated an injury to her throwing elbow while making a throw across the diamond.

“She’s one of those ones that will never tell you if she’s hurt or not,” Beauchemin said. “So, she’ll fight through it. But there are times where we see that her arm’s giving her a little trouble, so we’ve been switching her in the middle back and forth just to give her some rest.”

San Mateo scored once in the top of the first via the ground attack. Alfonso shot a one-out single to right, then proceeded to steal second, and motor around on consecutive wild pitches to make it 1-0. Mills had a chance to answer back in the bottom of the frame, but stranded the bases loaded.

The Bearcats made it 2-0 in the third. No. 9 hitter Destina Zhou opened the inning with a booming triple down the right-field line. She then raced home on Alfonso’s fielder’s choice grounder toward the pitching circle, with Zhou sliding in just past the throw of Mills starting pitcher Gina Hillman.

This time, though, the Vikings did answer back, swinging ahead with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Maske led off with a walk then stole second, setting the stage for Hillman’s RBI single back through the middle. Alyssa Penas then reached on a two-out infield error, and freshman Layla Russo, pinch hitting for the injured Bailey Beauchemin, drove a two-run double up the left-center gap to put Mills in front 3-2.

After tying in in the sixth against the Mills bullpen, though, San Mateo won the day with a two-run rally sparked by a leadoff single from junior Alice Han.

“When Alice gets on, good things happen,” Burley said. “And it started with that.”

Alfonso then reached on an infield single. Mills got the first out by cutting down the lead runner at third on a grounder off the bat of Davies. Then Scheller came through after the disputed 3-0 strike call.

“She’s still only a sophomore, so we expect big things from her,” Burley said. “She works hard. Just needs to let the game come to her sometimes, that’s all.”

San Mateo starting pitcher Celia Hernandez went the distance, responding to Russo’s RBI double in the third by setting down 13 of the last 14 batters she faced to earn the win. The junior right-hander has now won in six straight appearances, and improves to 13-3 with a 2.01 ERA.

“I think maybe in the fourth or fifth inning, I could tell she finally settled into her own,” Burley said. “So, I think those last three innings is definitely what she’s more capable of doing.”