STOCKTON — Leave it to the freshman.
Stymied for six-plus innings by Benicia’s McKenna Gregory, top-seeded East Union was up against the wall going into the bottom of the seventh Monday in third-round action of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs at Arnaiz Softball Complex.
Kristina Mojica led off the frame for the Lancers (22-2) by reaching on the only Panthers error of the night. Allie Tajii drew a one-out walk and took second on a passed ball, giving East Union runners at second and third with No. 9 batter freshman Danyelle Godoy coming to the plate.
Godoy ripped a two-RBI double and took third on a groundout, but that is how the game would end as No. 5 Benicia (21-5) stunned the Lancers 3-2. East Union shut out No. 9 Lincoln of Placer County earlier Monday, 6-0.
“My heart was pounding up there,” Godoy said. “I just wanted to get a hit to get the rest of our batters a chance to hit.”
Prior to Godoy’s shot, East Union had runners in scoring position four times and could not convert. Michelle Castro got doubled up at second on a line drive in to end the first inning. Izzie Owen led off the second inning with a single and took second on Tajii’s sacrifice bunt, but she was left stranded for the next two outs.
Alejandra Rascon had a two-out double in the fourth and that is where she would stay. Again with two outs, Sam Owen singled in the sixth and Rascon legged out an infield single to second only for a flyout to end the inning.
Two stellar East Union defensive plays kept Benicia off the board early before two uncharacteristic Lancers errors proved very costly.
With the Panthers’ Olivia Mackey on third after a leadoff triple and one out in the third, Annika Johnson hit a comebacker to pitcher Delaney Pamplin. She threw to first baseman Castro, who fired home to Rascon to get Mackey out by 10 feet for an inning-ending double play.
In the fourth inning with Shelby Thompson on third, the Benicia’s Elizabeth Sweeney singled to right. Thompson waited to see if Tajii was going to catch the ball which gave her a late break and Tajii made her pay, gunning down Thompson to keep the score 0-0. But following the first East Union error later in the frame the Panthers added two runs and that would hold until Benicia added one more in the seventh, again following an error.
“Godoy came up big,” Lancers coach Brian Goulart said. “That was her first big-time situation and she did not disappoint.
“Pamplin pitched well for us, but unfortunately we had some very costly mistakes.”
East Union plays No. 7 Vista del Lago of Folsom today at 4 p.m. at the Sacramento Softball Complex. A win for the Lancers could match them up with Valley Oak League rival and second-seeded Oakdale at 6.
In second-round action carried over from a rainout on Saturday, Mikayla Bongi went the distance in the circle for the Lancers, throwing a two-hitter while striking out 10. She retired the last 15 batters in a row.
“I was just moving the ball,” Bongi said. “I finally found my changeup.
“Mixing my changeup and my rise was the difference. They didn’t know which one was coming – fast and up or slow and down.”
East Union went down in order the first two innings before coming to life in the third. Deja Guzman roped the first pitch she saw into center field, giving her a single with the bases loaded for two RBI. Izzie Owen (2 for 3, three runs) came in on a groundout by Godoy in the third inning for a 3-0 Lancers lead.
East Union speedster Castro was hit by a pitch to lead off the fifth and went all the way to third on Guzman’s groundout. Sam Owen popped out to the third baseman in foul territory, and with the catcher having ranged toward the foul ball Castro tagged up and outran the third baseman to the plate.
Rascon added a solo home run later in the fifth and Izzie Owen scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to round out the Lancers scoring.
“I saw the ball, turned on it and hit it,” Rascon said. “I just wanted to put the ball in play and do anything that would help the team.”
