Lola Sierra fires abbreviated no-hitter for surging Cap

The only blemish on Sierra’s afternoon was a third-inning walk to San Mateo sophomore Marissa Kim. Otherwise, the senior faced one over the minimum in the shortened five-inning contest, striking out eight. When shortstop Lily Thomas gloved an infield popup to end the game, however, the Lady Mustangs celebrated like they would any other game.

“We celebrated it like a victory,” Sierra said. “We’re always hyped for our wins.”

Cap (7-2 PAL Bay, 14-6 overall) has been doing plenty of that in PAL Bay Division play. Tuesday’s victory was the team’s fifth straight league win, with the Mustangs remaining in control of first place in the Bay, one game ahead of second-place Woodside (6-3, 12-7).

Sierra has split time with the sophomore Thomas in the circle this season, but it’s the senior who has taken the ball in nearly every league game.

“League, she’s the horse,” Capuchino head coach Tanya Borghello said. “For league, we want to give our best. We’re strongest defensively when Lola pitches. I don’t know if its a comfort thing. ... They seem to play better behind Lola. ... She’s a senior. It’s her space to play, it’s her space to lose, it’s her space to get through. It’s kind of like: ‘It’s your senior year, you’ve earned this.’”

Tuesday’s gem was Sierra’s first for Cap, but she did throw one last summer on the travel circuit for Eagles Fastpitch Softball. As fate would have it, it was one of her Eagles teammates that almost broke up the no-hitter for San Mateo (5-4, 12-6), when Celia Hernandez scorched a liner down the right-field line. Off the bat, Sierra thought it was a sure double, but she caught a reprieve when the ball hooked foul.

“That was a little friendly fire,” Sierra said.

Cap’s senior-sophomore pitching tandem is a familiar formula. During Sierra’s underclassman years, the Mustangs were backed by 2023 graduate Nohemi Livingston, a former PAL Bay Division Pitcher of the Year, who also slashed .447/.500/.611 at the plate her senior year. Last year, Sierra moved into the leadership role on the pitching staff.

“She’s not that kid that everybody pays attention to,” Borghello said, “but they should.”

Cap totaled 12 hits Tuesday, with sophomore Dana Motroni going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while senior Avery Motroni added two hits with a double and and RBI, and junior Alana Koenig also had two hits.

The Mustangs are hitting .342 as a team.

“My girls are hitting,” Borghello said. “I have a ton of hitters that are just getting the bat on the ball, and that’s huge.”