Capuchino softball stays hot

“It was nice to have some competition,” said Capuchino head coach Tanya Borghello, whose team won its eighth straight to open the 2022 season.

“It’s always a good game against Woodside.”

The Mustangs’ 8-0 start is even more impressive given they will be the ultimate road warriors this season. Because of construction of a new softball and baseball field at Capuchino, both the Mustangs teams will play all their games on their road, or at their home-away-from-home, San Bruno Park.

Tuesday was Capuchino’s first “home game” — and the Mustangs hosted the Wildcats at College of San Mateo Stadium.

“Not having a home, being on the road all the time, it’s hard,” Borghello said.

Ultimately, the Mustangs did just enough to pull out the win. Both starting pitchers — Capuchino’s Nohemi Livingston and Woodside’s Brooke Faure — were on top of their game and they matched zeros for the first three innings. Woodside (0-1 PAL Bay, 5-5 overall) got a one-out walk in the first inning, but she was erased on a 2-3 double play when Cap catcher Avery Montroni made a catch on a popped-up bunt and doubled the runner off first to end the inning.

In the top of the second, Woodside put together the first rally of the game when Kelly Baek reached on an infield single and went to third on a Savannah Truby one-out double to the right field.

Livingston, however, got a pair of strikeouts to strike out the side and end the threat.

“[Livingston] has been on her game,” Borghello said. “She’s improved a lot from last year.”

In bottom of the second, Capuchino (1-0, 8-0) got a lead-off walk, but she was eliminated when, following a flyout, she was doubled up after taking off for second.

“[Faure] threw a great game,” Woodside head coach Alexa Daines said. “She’s had to go deep in innings and pitch counts because we haven’t played well behind her. The defense did a good job of backing her up today.”

In the top of the fourth, it took a strong defensive play from Capuchino to keep the game scoreless. Woodside’s Truby hit her second double of the game, this time to the fence in left field. Freshman catcher Lacey Barstad followed with a single to center and Truby tried to score from second.

Capuchino center fielder Alexandra Lapiz fired a perfect strike to catcher Montroni, who was waiting to apply the tag on Truby, ending the inning and keep the game scoreless.

Until the bottom half of the inning, that is. In the bottom of the fourth, Capuchino broke through. With two outs, Elizabeth Do singled to center. Katalina Ngaluafe followed and hit a bloop into no-man’s land behind second base.

Neither the center fielder nor the second baseman could get to the ball for Woodside, so shortstop Emma Kinder tried to range into shallow center field to make a backhand, over-the-shoulder catch.

She couldn’t haul it in, however, and with two outs, Do was on the move. She rounded third and then used a slide to the outside of home plate to beat Barstad’s tag to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.

Capuchino added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Madison Choi drew a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third on a throwing error. She ended up scoring on Do’s bunt single to put the Mustangs up 2-0.

Livingston then ended the game with a flourish, striking out two of the final three batters, including the final hitter, notching her eighth and ninth strikeouts of the game.

Borghello said Livingston needed to be on top of her game because the Mustangs’ offense struggled, managing five hits.

“Our hitting sucked,” Borghello said.

But overall, she’ll take the win, knowing that any win in the Bay Division is a well-earned one.

“This is the tightest game we’ve had so far this year, for sure,” Borghello said. “We have high expectations for these girls.

“You have good days and you have bad days.”

Said Daines: “This is not a game you walk away feeling bad about. [Capuchino] took advantage of their opportunities.”