SARATOGA — A back and forth battle between the two best softball teams in the Central Coast Section ended when Sydney Stewart hit a liner to left field with two out in the bottom of the ninth. Mitty left fielder Mia Rodriguez came in on it and to her right toward the foul line.
Rodriguez dove for the ball, but it landed just beyond her reach as Carly Cummings sprinted home from second with the winning run and St. Francis defeated Mitty 6-5 for the CCS Open Division championship Saturday at West Valley College.
It was the third time St. Francis (28-2) beat Mitty (26-4) this season, but this one was a classic, in a category of its own.
“I don’t think I ever coached a game of this magnitude that was so intense,” St. Francis coach Mike Oakland said.
St. Francis celebrates its win in the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game against Archbishop Mitty at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe)
The Lancers took a 5-4 lead into the top of the seventh and were two outs from winning in regulation when Corri Hicks blasted one over the fence in left (her 12th of the season) to tie it up.
Archbishop Mitty’s Corri Hicks (18) runs to home plate after a home run against St. Francis in the seventh inning Saturday. (Photo by Josie Lepe)
Neither team scored in the eighth and Mitty went down in order in the top of the ninth. In the bottom half, there were two out when Cummings singled to right, her third hit in five at-bats. Jessica Oakland hit a grounder into the hole between short and third. Mitty shortstop Taryn Kern fielded the ball with a diving backhand and made a great throw to first that Oakland just barely beat.
That brought Stewart to the plate.
“I knew I needed to look for my pitch,” the University of Washington-bound Stewart said. “I saw one inside and knew I had to jump on it.”
She worked the count to 3-1 before delivering the game-winner.
“I’m not surprised one bit that Syd got that hit,” coach Oakland said. “All she needed to do was get a pitch she could handle. I’ve known the kid her whole life and seen her get so many big hits.”
Mitty got three runs in the top of the first — on a bases-loaded walk to Sara Pina and a two-out, two-run single by Alyssa Onyeagwa — to put the Lancers in the unfamiliar position of having to play catchup.
They scored one in the bottom of the first and took the lead with a three-run fourth when Chloe Cummings hit a bases-loaded double.
The Monarchs immediately responded. Elon Butler led off with a double to right-center, her third hit in her first three at-bats of the game. Pina bunted her to third and she scored on a grounder to second base hit by Hicks.
St. Francis went back on top in the bottom of the fifth when Oakland scored from second on a ground out.
It stayed that way until Hicks sent the game to extra innings with her homer.
Both teams advanced to the inaugural Northern California regionals.
“I’m just so proud of this team,” Mitty coach Megan Yocke said. “They never quit. Hopefully they can take this momentum into NorCals.”
Archbishop Mitty Kelly Zybura (17) watches St. Francis Brooke Deppiesse (4) celebrate after scoring in the fourth inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis head coach Mike Oakland is photographed in the fifth inning against Archbishop Mitty during the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) Archbishop Mitty Corri Hicks (18) signals to coach during the eight inning against St. Francis during the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis’s Chloe Cummings (0) celebrates against Archbishop Mitty in the fourth inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis’s Chloe Cummings (0) makes contact with the ball against Archbishop Mitty in the fourth inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) Archbishop Mitty’s Kelly Zybura (17) pitches against St. Francis in the third inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis’ Brooke Deppiesse (4) throws to first base Sydney Stewart (18) to make the play against Archbishop Mitty in the second inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis’ Lexi O’Gorman (9) fields the ball against Archbishop Mitty in the first inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) St. Francis’ Lexi O’Gorman (9) throws the ball against Archbishop Mitty in the first inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. (Photo by Josie Lepe) Archbishop Mitty’s Taryn Kern (22) scores a run against St. Francis in the first inning of the Central Coast Section Open Division championship game at West Valley College in Saratoga., Calif., Saturday, May 28, 2022. St. Francis wins 6-5 in the ninth inning. (Photo by Josie Lepe)
