Hornets complete sweep, return to area round
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From the third-base coaches’ box last Friday, throughout Game 2 if East Central’s best-of-three series with Taft, Hornets coach Megan McCutcheon could be heard urging her players to hit the ball hard.
Her pleas did not fall on deaf ears. From the top of the order to the bottom, they scorched it.
The Hornets (25-8) produced 10 hits in a 12-5 bi-district victory over Taft (18-10). East Central swept the series and moved on to play San Marcos this weekend.
“We just talked about doing more hitting,” McCutcheon said, “not waiting in the (batter’s) box. Not waiting for our pitch. First-pitch hitting was all we talked about. Hit the first (strike) hard.”
The Hornets had a pronounced sense of urgency after the offense failed to launch until the end of Game 1. Host East Central claimed a 3-2 walk-off win on junior Haydi Bugarin’s home run in the bottom of the 10th.
“I was thinking, ‘I’ve been seeing her so well tonight,’ ” Bugarin said. “Every single at-bat, I was seeing her well. I’m glad I finally hit the ball.”
East Central, Holy Cross and Southwest were the only area teams to survive the first week of postseason play. The Hornets advanced to the area round for the second-consecutive season and third time in four years.
“It was really good competition,” Taft coach Allison Briseno said. “It was just an exciting game. One hit here or there and it would have been a different ballgame.That got the hits last night, primarily at the end. Today was a new day.”
The Hornets scored in the second inning on freshman Angel Lopez’s RBI single. East Central junior Madison Strunk, who pitched the first-game victory, drew a walk and Hailey Reynolds was safe on an error, preceding the hit.
In the bottom of the second, Hornets senior Taylor Doege pitched out of a bases-loaded jam, stranding three Raiders on base.
“It was great to have that support out there,” Doege said. “My defense was awesome.”
Another freshman, Kendall Talley, led off the third with a single and stole home on the back end of a delayed double steal with Alexis Macias for a 2-0 lead.
“I love it,” McCucheon said of the Hornets’ freshmen. “They’re getting playoff experience. They’re learning. They make mistakes, but they’re working hard and they’re making contributions.”
Taft closed within a run in the bottom of the inning when Kristina Tiffany blasted a home run to left-center field in the bottom of the third.
“Coach McCutcheon always hypes us up,” Doege said. “She never lets us get down on ourselves. She always makes sure we keeps the ‘head edge,’ as she says.
“We can’t let ourselves get down if we struggle offensively or make errors. If we make an error, we can get a double play. If one person doesn’t hit, someone else will pick her up.”
East Central erupted for five runs in the fifth, keyed by an RBI triple from Talley (3-for-4, RBI) and a run-scoring double by senior Alexis Macias (2 RBIs).
“That one inning killed us,” Briseno said, “with all those runs. It didn’t go our way.”
Strunk hit a long fly ball, which was ruled a two-base error and sparked the rally. Lopez (2-for-3) drove in her second run. Talley’s triple picked up another run and Macias followed with the run-scoring double.
Ahead 5-1, the Hornets benefitted from another dropped fly ball – this time off Bugarin’s bat.
“She kept us in the game again today,” McCucheon said. “She got another clutch hit. Haydi’s going to capitalize if she gets anything to hit. She may be our best hitter.”
Doege (3-for-5) increased the lead to 7-1 with the first of her three-consecutive RBI singles.
“We were a little too patient (Thursday),” McCucheon said. “It was nice that we had four walks, but I want hits. I think they make a bigger impact.”
Freshman Gracie Becerra, the Hornets’ No. 9 hitter, produced a fifth-inning run with a single.
“We’re a really good hitting team,” Doege said. “Last night, I don’t want to say that we took it for granted, it’s just that we didn’t hit the ball like we know how to.”
Trailing 8-1, the Raiders rallied to score four runs on two hits in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Taft loaded the bases on a single from Hayley Hurley, a walk and an error. Tiffany (2-for-4, 3 RBIs) then came through with a two-run single. Raiders pitcher Cela Jo Hernandez added a sacrifice fly and Brianda Garza brought in another run with a safety-squeeze bunt.
East Central added a run in the sixth after Bugarin was safe on an error. She advanced two bases on a wild pitch and Doege sent a single up the middle that made it 9-5.
“If they give me a little bit of lee-way,” Bugarin said, “I’m going to take it.”
The Hornets put the game out of reach in the seventh when Lopez and Talley drew walks that served as cannon fodder. In succession, Macias produced a run with a ground out, Bugarin drove in one with a base hit and Doege collected her third RBI.
“I’ve got to give credit to East Central,” Briseno said. “They hit the ball really well, and they play hard. Especially after going 10 innings last night, only having one pitcher hurt us a little bit.”
Bugarin, celebrating her 17th birthday, referred her first hit of the evening as a present.
“Once we start hitting, everybody in the lineup hits,” Bugarin said. “I could see them starting to have their heads down. We knew we could take advantage of that.”
East Central will play host to San Marcos at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first game of a best-of-three series. The series shifts to San Marcos for Game 2 at 7 p.m. Friday. The third game, if necessary, will be played 2 p.m. Saturday at Mary Ann Villarreal Field No. 1. The Hornets would be the home team for the prospective series finale.
“Anybody we play, we’re going to give them our all,” Bugarin said. “We’re a good team. We can hit from No. 1 through No. 9. There’s no weakness in our offense at all. We can go far, as far as we see ourselves going.”
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