College of San Mateo softball survives Santiago Canyon

The short story is Bubbah Fa’aita’s home run in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Bulldogs a clutch, 11-10 win over the Hawks, the fourth seed from Southern California.

The long story is much more interesting, however. The Bulldogs trailed 3-0 after half an inning, but scored four runs in the bottom of the first, with a bases-loaded double off the bat of Fa’aita being the big blow.

They added a run in the second and four more in the third when the Bulldogs strung together five straight hits, culminated by a Lafu Malepeai two-run triple. When CSM scratched out a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Bulldogs enjoyed a 10-5 advantage.

That was quickly erased, however, as Santiago Canyon scored five runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 10. Lili Navarro put a charge into the Hawks’ dugout with a two-out, two-run blast on the 10th pitch of the at-bat that cut the CSM lead to 10-7. It looked as if CSM starting pitcher Kealani Cardona got out of the inning when she induced a grounder to second. But the ball was booted and Santiago Canyon took advantage, scoring three more times to tie the game at 10.

CSM, however, grabbed the momentum right back as Fa’aita turned around a 1-0 pitch and deposited it over the fence in right-center field to put the Bulldogs up 11-10.

“I thought we showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight,” CSM head coach Nicole Quigley-Borg said during a phone interview. “(I) was happy with our offensive effort, for sure.”

The game was a rough outing for all three pitchers who took to the circle Tuesday and both teams will need to be better if they are to survive further through the eight-team double-elimination tournament. Stella Turner went the distance for the Hawks, giving up eight earned runs while allowing 14 CSM hits.

Cardona earned the win for CSM (41-3), but in the most roundabout way. Cardona got the start and was greeted with three Hawks runs in the first inning. She settled down after that, but not without Santiago Canyon putting pressure on her. Cardona got through the second and third innings unscathed as the CSM offense staked her to a 9-3 lead after three innings of work.

She gave up two more runs in the fourth, however, and Quigley-Borg turned to Chloe Moffitt, who kept the Hawks there by getting out of the inning with the Bulldogs still leading 9-5.

Moffitt had an uneventful fifth before the wheels came off in the sixth, as she allowed five runs, only two of which were earned as the Hawks tied the score.

Cardona then came back into the circle in relief of Moffitt and got out the final out of the sixth with the game tied at 10. Cardona then picked up the win on Fa’aita’s shot and then got out of a seventh-inning jam.

Cardona and Moffitt combined to allow six earned runs on 16 hits.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the job done (in the circle),” Quigley-Borg said. “You can’t (afford to have a bad day at this time of the season), but we’re playing on a big stage and they’re not used to it. I expected to have some jitters and have some first-game flaws. I didn’t expect to have quite as many.”

Malepeai continues to rake in the postseason. The Bulldogs leadoff hitter, Malepeai went 4 for 4, with a two-run triple, a double and two runs scored, falling just a home run short of the cycle.

Fa’aita also had a big game offensively. Her three-run double in the bottom of the first tied the game at 3 and she would score on a Gaby Perez infield hit to put CSM up 4-3 after one inning. Fa’aita would finish the game 3 for 4 with the home run, a pair of doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.

Perez added a pair of RBIs on two hits for CSM as well.

Overall, the Bulldogs were locked in at the plate and did a good job putting the ball in play as they did not strike out once. Head’s up base running also contributed to the win as Jada Walker successfully stole home on delayed double steal in the second.

Defensively, the Bulldogs could have been cleaner, but shortstop Leila Velasquez made the play of the day in the second inning. With one out and a runner on first via a walk, Riley Piattoni stepped up to the plate and hit a rocket that seemed destined for left field.

But Velasquez ranged to her right and speared the hot shot for the second out and then doubled the runner off first for the inning-ending double play.

Up next for CSM is an 11 a.m. meeting Thursday with Cypress. The No. 2 seed in the South, Cypress knocked off No. 3 North seed Sierra 8-5 to open tournament.

Regardless of which team her team faces next, Quigley-Borg expects another battle.

“Cypress is a great team. These kids can hit,” Quigley-Borg said. “Like I said the other day, everyone is good now.”