T-Girls lose heart-breaker to Sonoma Valley

Undefeated Sonoma Valley pushed across the winning run in the top of the ninth inning to get past Petaluma, 4-3, in the opening league game for both teams on the T-Girl diamond Tuesday. The extra-inning affair featured some nervous moments for both teams, before the Sonoma County League contest was decided without benefit of a hit.

In the ninth frame, each team was allowed to lead off with a baserunner at second base per SCL tie-break rules. Sonoma Valley scored an unearned run on a critical infield error, but the T-Girls stranded the tying run at third base.

Sonoma improved to a solid 9-0 record, and its win on the road could go a long way in deciding the SCL title this year. The teams play again later in the season on Lady Dragon soil.

Defending champion Petaluma trailed 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Consecutive singles by Emily O’Keefe. Kaleigh Wieand and Alexis Silinante gave the home club some hope with hot-hitting Jaden Krist coming to bat.

With two strikes, Krist ripped a shot into center field that barely cleared the glove of Maddy Lentini despite a good jump on contact by the Dragon senior outfielder.

T-Girl coach Kurt Jastrow wildly waved in the first two runners, who ran on contact. There was a play at home on Silinante, but the throw at the plate was muffed. It would be the last score of the day for Petaluma as the home club would slip to 0-4-1 after it was over.

Hard-luck pitcher Ava Chabot pitched well enough to earn the first victory of the season for Petaluma, but three errors helped do her in. Chabot got stronger as this one continued. She gave up only two hits in her final seven innings in the circle.

The strikeout of a Dragon batter with the tying runner at third base in the top of the seventh inning keyed the strong effort by Chabot.

Both teams wound up with nine hits, but most of the T-Girls’ threats came in the final innings when they continuously got runners aboard against winning pitcher Alissa Orr. Orr picked up her sixth win of the season. She went into the game with a strong ERA of 2.73.

Krist reached base three times for Petaluma on a single, double and a walk. The single by Wieand was her ninth hit of the young campaign. She was hitting .615 going into the game.

T-Girl center fielder Chandler Mevis made two skidding catches to help keep Dragon base runners from scoring. The first one came in the top of the fifth inning to set the stage for the Petaluma comeback.

Jastrow was optimistic before the game that the T-Girl pitching would continue to get stronger as the season progresses.

“Chabot got sick before she faced a batter in the second inning at Casa,” he said. “I had to pull her out of there. Jaden (Krist) is starting to work on bull-pen sessions. She hasn’t pitched for well over a year.” Both hurlers have good potential as sophomores.

The T-Girls hosted Elsie Allen on Wednesday in search of their first victory of the season. Results were not available at press time.