SACRAMENTO — To repeat as Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champions, East Union would have needed to win three straight elimination games and beat the winners-bracket finalist twice.
The top-seeded Lancers didn’t have enough fight to get past the first one.
They were ousted by a 2-1 upset by No. 7 Vista del Lago at the Sacramento Softball Complex on Tuesday, going down in order in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Eagles weren’t done yet.
They later toppled No. 2-seeded Oakdale 6-5 in 10 innings and avenged a 9-1 second-round loss to the Mustangs. Oakdale shared the Valley Oak League championship with East Union (23-3), and their rubber match never materialized in the postseason. Vista del Lago (23-6), meanwhile, faces No. 5 Benicia in the consolation semifinals tonight, with the winner taking on No. 3 Ceres in the championship round.
East Union hadn’t previously lost consecutive games since April 12 and 17 in 2013. On Monday, fifth-seeded Benicia dropped the Lancers to the consolation bracket with a 3-2 win.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever had to tell my team we mailed it in a little early,” East Union coach Brian Goulart said. “The effort level today was zero. Two to 1, it felt like it was 100-1. We were just not into it.”
Vista del Lago’s Morgan Hawkins silenced East Union in a three-hitter, striking out eight while walking three and hitting one. She managed to keep six runners stranded through the first four innings but allowed only one to reach over the final three.
“You can’t win a game if you don’t hit,” East Union catcher Alejandra Rascon said. “We needed to adjust with our of approaches and our at-bats and we didn’t it.
The Eagles never trailed after spotting Hawkins a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, and they managed to scratch across the run without hitting a ball into the infield. Cherise Silvan (3 for 4) led off with an infield hit, and Katie Vretzos followed with a bunt single. The runners advanced on Emily Moran’s sacrifice bunt, and Allyson Smith drove in Vretzos after beating the throw to first from East Union shortstop Samantha Owen.
Owen, who came into the postseason with a sprained ankle, switched positions with first baseman Michelle Castro for the remainder of the game.
“A lot of those plays in the first inning are ones we should have made,” Goulart said. “You can’t give teams automatic (base runners). The ball doesn’t leave the infield and they score a run. That was the tell-tale sign for us.”
East Union answered right away.
Castro singled up the middle to start the Lancers’ half of the first, and she later scored on Owen’s blooper down the third-base line. East Union stranded runners on second base in the next three innings and didn’t threaten the rest of the way.
Vista del Lago went ahead for good in the third when Moran plated Silvan with a fielder’s choice. Silvan should have been out at second after she tried stretching her single into a double, but East Union second baseman Deja Guzman dropped the ball on the tag. East Union had three errors for the game.
The all-junior pitching combination of Delaney Pamplin (four innings, four hits, walk, four strikeouts) and Mikayla Bongi (three innings, hit walk, three strikeouts) split time in the circle.
“I felt bad for them because they pitched so well. They deserved a better fate and they deserved a better fate last night. Our defense last night was terrible and very poor tonight. We did not finish very strong.”
Goulart and the Lancers return more than enough talent next season to make another championship run, but their five seniors will be missed. Outfielder Taylor Ward (Colorado State), Castro (William Penn), Owen (Pacific) and Rascon (Cal State Northridge) have all signed to four-year universities, while Guzman continues to garner interest.
“That crew of seniors is the best we’ve ever had at East Union,” Goulart said. “They have three VOL championships, won a section title and a state championship. Maybe they were just out of energy. It’s hard to sustain that kind of greatness for four years with finals, graduation and a billion other things going on.”
Graduation is on Thursday, and Rascon said that is when it will all set in.
“I haven’t cried yet but I might Thursday,”she said. “Just playing with this group of girls was life changing — we became best friends. We’ll always remember these moments forever.”