From the archives: A dramatic finish

So it was only fitting that Wednesday's showdown at Woodside came down to the final play of the game. Sequoia preserved a wild 4-3 victory when Woodside's Savana Gilman was thrown out at the plate by Sequoia left fielder Lisa Torres for the final out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

"I did feel the pressure (of having to make a perfect throw)," Torres said. "All I was thinking was, 'I have to help Ashley (pitcher Ashley Rincon) out.' Woodside is such a great team. Given the situation, that throw was (just perfect)."

The win puts Sequoia in the driver's seat for the division championship. The two teams meet again on the final day of the regular season, May 13 at Sequoia.

Woodside (5-1 PAL Ocean, 13-5 overall) came up inches short of completing a comeback from a 4-0 deficit. Sequoia (6-0, 12-5) scored four times in the top of the sixth, but the Wildcats got one run back in the bottom of the frame and scored two more in the bottom of the seventh on Gilman's, two-out, two-run double to cut the Cherokees' lead to 4-3. Bryana Georgakas followed and on a 3-1 pitch, laced a shot down the third-base line. Sequoia third baseman Nicole Kielty managed to get a glove on it to slow it down and allow Torres to pick it up and fire a strike to catcher Molly Hoelper.

Woodside coach Mike King said he did not hesitate in sending Gilman home.

"We knew it would be a close game. I'm thinking I'm going to send her (Gilman), no matter what," King said. "It took a perfect throw."

The play at the plate ended a game that started out as a pitcher's duel and turned into a game of attrition at the end. Both pitchers -- Sequoia's Ashley Rincon and Woodside's Ashley Miller -- were on top of their game through the first several innings. Rincon did not allow a hit until Sharol Castillo led off the fourth with a single to left, while Miller didn't allow a hit until Alexis Campbell's single in the fourth as well -- although Sequoia did threaten in the second inning due to a pair of Woodside errors, but Miller got out of the jam.

Rincon and Miller could not be any different as pitchers. Rincon, who had not pitched for years but was pressed into service this season, uses location and her defense to get by, while Miller is more of a traditional power pitcher. Both played to their strengths Wednesday. Miller finished with seven strikeouts while giving up six hits. Rincon also allowed six hits, but her defense, other than a couple of mistakes, was spectacular. Torres made a running catch into the gap in the bottom of the second inning and right fielder Bryonna Campbell made a similar play later in the inning. Shortstop Yvette Flores turned a 6-3 double play effortlessly in the fourth and nearly pulled it off again in the sixth, only her pirouette at second slowed her down enough to miss getting the runner at first.

"We usually rely on our defense and hope our offense comes through with a few runs," said Sequoia coach Scott Reynick.

Said Hoelper: "I just let [Rincon] know the team is here for her. ... She has the whole team behind her. She shouldn't be afraid to pitch."

While the pitching was handcuffing the offense for the first four innings, the final three frames were drama packed. Woodside loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but failed to score a run.

Sequoia loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and took advantage of its opportunity. Flores and Alexis Campbell had back-to-back infield hits to start the inning and Beckie Cooper followed with a single to load the bases, bringing up Hoelper.

On the first pitch, Hoelper rifled a shot down the left-field line, which got by the Woodside left fielder. Hoelper pulled into third with three-run triple.

"Every at-bat is the same for me. I block everything out," Hoelper said. "I don't think. Just swing. Just look for a pitch to hit."

The Cherokees picked up an important insurance run when Bryonna Campbell singled home Hoelper for a 4-0 Sequoia lead.

Woodside, to its credit, did not pack it in. The Wildcats loaded the bases again in the bottom of the sixth, plating their first run on a Georgakas bases-loaded walk. They could not, however, score more.

In their last at-bat, the Wildcats again did not make it easy on Sequoia. Brittany Dougherty led off with a single on an 0-2 pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Castillo singled and later stole second. Both runners came home on Gilman's double, setting up the game's final climactic sequence.

"They never gave up," King said of his team. "You could see it in their eyes. They really wanted it."