Woodside softball’s Nina Aranda hits walk-off home run to beat Capuchino

“We’ve had some good, healthy walk-offs from time to time,” Woodside head coach Alexa Daines said. “But, home run? Another level.”

It marks the second home run of the year for Aranda, and the first walk-off home run ever for the third-year varsity junior who went hitless in her three previous at-bats against Thomas and was 0 for 5 on the week since returning from spring break.

“I was struggling,” Aranda said. “I was like 0 for 3, so I was just thinking see ball, hit ball. I wasn’t trying to do anything fancy.”

Woodside reliever Marisa Calderon earned the win, allowing one run on one hit through three innings of work. Her record improves to 4-0. The senior right-hander took over for senior Hannah Walker, who was nails through six innings of work, allowing one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out eight.

“Our pitchers do just such a good job of keeping us in games,” Daines said. “They’re disciplined. They have a high strikeout ratio, which is amazing to see. And our defense keeps us in games.”

Woodside’s defense came up clutch in the sixth inning by running down the potential go-ahead run between third base and the plate.

The Wildcats (3-4 PAL Ocean, 11-5 overall) struck first, getting on the board with an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs and Vanessa Carlos at first after drawing a two-out walk, senior cleanup hitter Mo Overbey drilled a deep fly ball to the wall where the Cap outfielder had time to race back and camp under it, only to drop it, allowing Carlos to race all the way around to score.

The score stayed 1-0 until the sixth when Thomas drew a leadoff walk, and junior Dana Motroni followed with a sharp double to left-center to put runners at second and third with one out. Cap cleanup hitter Brianna Lopiccolo got the job done, lifting a sacrifice fly to left to drive home Thomas with the tying run. But Motroni rounded third and looked to purposely get into a rundown, with the Wildcats proving up to the challenge by executing the 7-2-5-2-6-1 pickle to retire the side.

“It’s the little things that you work on in practice that they’re able to execute come game time when it mattered most,” Daines said. “And they did a great job of that.”

While Woodside went to the reliever Calderon in the seventh, Capuchino didn’t have that luxury.

“I only have [Thomas],” Capuchino head coach Tanya Borghello said. “We only have one pitcher. We have another girl who throws ... but she’s our horse.”

Of the 78 innings the Lady Mustangs (2-3, 5-7) have played this season, Thomas has pitched 73 of them. And the right-hander worked a season-high 8 1/3 innings Thursday, while matching her career-high of 132 pitches.

“Definitely sore,” Thomas said. “It’s hard when the umpire has a tight strike zone, and there’s some errors on the defensive side. But you just have to play your game and pick our heads back up, and definitely do a little better on the offensive side.”

With the ghost runner on second base to start the ninth, Thomas and the Mustangs got their first lead of the game when Lopiccolo scorched a one-out double up the left-center gap to drive home senior Alana Koenig. But Calderon battled back with a fly out and strikeout to leave the runner stranded at second.

In the ninth, Woodside drew even when ghost runner Victoria Torsch scooted around to score on a pair of wild pitches. Then, after Hannah Walker drew a one-out walk, Aranda stepped into the spotlight to square up a 1-1 fastball and sting a long liner over the fence in left-center for the walk-off home run.

“When I connected, I was thinking: ‘Just run, don’t watch the ball,’” Aranda said. “Because I wanted to win this game.”

Woodside, as a team, now has five home runs on the season. Aranda, batting in the No. 7 spot Thursday, leads the team with two.

“She’s got the potential,” Daines said of Aranda’s chances of delivering a walk-off home run. “You never know. Right opportunity. But all up and down the lineup, they all have that potential. You never know.”