Calaveras Enterprise

Bret Harte softball girls score walk-off win against Bears


High School Softball


Bret Harte junior Katie Juarez (24) is greeted by her teammates after blasting a home run in the bottom of the third Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

Bret Harte junior Katie Juarez (24) is greeted by her teammates after blasting a home run in the bottom of the third Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

Maddie Schwartz stood on third base as raindrops fell from the brim of her helmet to the dampened dirt. She knew she had only one objective – score.

The Bret Harte sophomore had her eyes glued on the Summerville catcher, because if Schwartz was given an inch, she’d take it a mile. With the game tied 4-4 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Schwartz was the difference between Bret Harte winning its first game of the season and extra innings.

Freshman Bullfrog Ashlie Sutton stood in the batter’s box, hoping to drive in the winning run. She didn’t have to. Schwartz took advantage of a passed ball and slid in under the tag of Summerville’s pitcher Claire Caldera for the winning run. The Bullfrogs beat the Bears 5-4 on a walk off Monday afternoon in Angels Camp.

“Every time there is a passed ball, you have to put faith in yourself and just go,” a smiling Schwartz said after scoring the winning run. “It felt like everything happened in slow motion. But it was great when I hit the plate and scored that final run.”

Bret Harte Bullfrog Ashlan Maddeaux beats a throw as she steals second Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

Bret Harte Bullfrog Ashlan Maddeaux beats a throw as she steals second Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

The win was the first of the season for Bret Harte. Although the Bullfrogs have played well at times, they had yet to play an all-around strong game. Monday was a major step forward.

Summerville jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Starting pitcher Katie Juarez retired the first two batters of the inning, but an error allowed the inning to continue. Juarez hit the next batter and Caldera drove them both in with a blooper into center field.

Trailing 2-0, Bret Harte put pressure on Summerville when freshman catcher Karlee Juarez drew a walk with one away. Sutton grounded out to third, but a hustling Juarez, who was running on the pitch, made it to third on the slowly developing play.

With two away, Katie Juarez stepped to the plate looking to drive in her younger sister. She got the job done and then some. Katie took a mighty cut and blasted the ball over the wall in left-center for a two-out, two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2.

Bullfrog catcher Karlee Juarez blocks a pitch in the dirt Monday in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

Bullfrog catcher Karlee Juarez blocks a pitch in the dirt Monday in Angels Camp.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

“Sometimes you can feel the home runs,” said Katie. “You can feel it come off your bat and you know that it’s a good, solid hit. But you don’t know until after it goes over the fence. When it came off the bat, it felt really good and I knew that it was a solid hit.”

Coach Rich Juarez was at his spot in the third base coach’s box and saw the swing of the bat. He knew it was well hit, but he was more concerned with making sure Karlee headed home.

“Whenever Katie hits a home run, I never know if it’s going to go out of the park because it’s not a towering, high ball,” said coach Juarez. “She hits line shots and you can never tell if it’s going to hit the top of the fence or if it’s going to clear it and keep going. I did see the swing and when she hit it, I knew that she got all of it. I just didn’t know how high it was going to be.”

Bret Harte freshman Ashlie Sutton gets ready to make a play Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp. The Bullfrogs won 5-4.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

Bret Harte freshman Ashlie Sutton gets ready to make a play Monday against the Summerville Bears in Angels Camp. The Bullfrogs won 5-4.Enterprise photo by Guy Dossi

The Bullfrogs had a strong top of the fourth as Katie retired the Bears in order.

The score remained tied until the top of the fifth. Summerville had runners on the corners with only one away. One run scored on an RBI single and the second touched home following a perfectly executed squeeze bunt.

The Bears looked to add to their lead in the top of the sixth. Summerville had runners on the corners with no outs. Katie got the first out of the inning when she tagged a Summerville runner at the plate who tried to score on a wild pitch. And she got out of the inning on a double play.

“Our infield played stellar,” said Coach Juarez. “We made some great plays. Emma Arvin, aside from one bunt, played a perfect game at third base.”

 

 

Summerville took its 4-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth, which is when the rain began to fall. Sutton started the inning off with a single up the middle. She quickly advanced to second on a passed ball. Katie wasted little time and drove in Sutton with a single of her own to bring the score to 4-3.

Even though she had already hit a home run, Katie wasn’t looking to do anything more than get a solid base hit.

“It’s a mental game,” Katie said. “If you swing for the fences, you are going to miss. If you get that single, then the doubles, triples and home runs will come.”

Katie stole second and remained there with two outs in the inning. Coach Juarez wanted to put pressure on Summerville’s defense and had Katie steal third. The throw to third went into left field and Katie hustled home to score the tying run.

Bret Harte needed a shutdown inning, but a leadoff walk had it appear Katie was in for another high-stress inning. But third baseman Emma Arvin snagged a bunt that was popped up and she threw out the Summerville runner who could not make it back to first in time. It was the second double play in two innings.

“Double plays are awesome,” Katie said. “They don’t necessarily always happen, but when they do, they are a big momentum change. Having those really kept our momentum going.”

With the rain becoming more of a factor, that gave Bret Harte even more incentive to try and end everything in the seventh.

With one away, Schwartz collected a single. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Shelby Masarie. Schwartz ended up at third after Karlee Juarez walked on a wild pitch. With Katie looming in the on-deck circle, Summerville had no choice but to pitch to Sutton.

Caldera’s pitch sailed high and could not be snagged by Summerville’s catcher. Once the ball hit the backstop, there was no stopping Schwartz.

Twice, Bret Harte came back from two-run deficits. Although the Bullfrogs win total might not be anything to write home about, being able to pick up a win in come-from-behind fashion is what can be the turning point for any program.

“It shows the potential that we have,” Katie said. “We are going to keep growing and keep getting better. Getting this win solidifies that and gives us some confidence.”

Schwartz added, “Every time we play a game, it’s a reflection on how we play in the future and how we can improve.”

Bret Harte (1-5, 1-3 Mother Lode League) will next play, weather permitting, at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Sonora against the Wildcats.

 

Contact Guy Dossi at 498-2053 and follow him on Twitter at @GuyDossi.

 

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