SEBASTOPOL — What a difference a year makes.
Last season, the Lady Tiger softballers finished the season with
a disappointing, 8-16 overall record, missing the North Coast
Section playoffs for the second straight year.
Just 12 months later, the team has a Sonoma County League title
in its back pocket and stands just two wins away from winning their
third NCS Division-three championship.
Analy’s amazing late-season run reached nine straight wins last
week with NCS tournament victories over 11th-seeded Fortuna, 1-0,
and third-ranked Alhambra, 3-0, pushing the Tiger’s season mark to
18-8.
At press time, Analy was preparing for an NCS semi-final clash
with seventh-seeded Tamalpais on Wednesday, June 2, with the winner
advancing to the title game this Saturday, June 5 against either
Bishop O’Dowd or Acalanes. Check the NCS website at www.cifncs.org for updated bracket
information.
Flirting with perfection
It was the Nicole Ochoa show again in the May 26 playoff opener
against visiting Fortuna, as the junior fireballer fanned the first
nine batters she faced en route to a 19-strikeout, one-hit
performance.
The Tigers tallied the only run they would need in the bottom of
the fourth when Heather Lunardi ripped a leadoff single and later
scored on a two-out RBI knock from freshman Riley Gorath for a 1-0
lead. Ochoa was nails the rest of the way, taking a no-hitter into
the seventh before yielding a harmless single to finish off a
sparkling 1-0 victory.
Pacing Analy’s seven-hit bat attack were Sydney Phillips (2 for
3, 2B), Heather Lunardi (1 for 3, run), Gorath (1 for 3, RBI),
Kaitlyn “Buggy” Jay (1 for 2), Maria Ragusa (1 for 2), and Jessica
“Red” Suiter (1 for 2).
Ochoa was well in command in Saturday’s quarterfinal meeting at
Alhambra in Martinez, allowing just five hits while fanning eight
in another sparkling, complete-game gem. The Tigers drew blood with
a solo run in the second and another pair in the third, giving
Ochoa plenty of cushion to work with. The hard-throwing ace kept
opposing batters off balance all afternoon, coasting to an
eventual, 3-0 win.
Swinging hot bats for the Tigers were Heather Lunardi (3 for 3,
2 runs), Gorath (2 for 4, RBI), Phillips (1 for 3, RBI), Megan
Winters (2 for 4, run), and Maria Ragusa (1 for 3).
