T-Girls get quick victory

Petaluma softball team blanks Casa Grande, 1-0|

Petaluma and visiting Casa Grande hooked up in a rapidly played softball dandy on a warm Tuesday afternoon, with the T-Girls emerging with a 1-0 seven-inning victory.

The contest was played in less than an hour and 10 minutes and featured quick at bats by both anxious teams and terrific pitching performances turned in by two well-executing pitchers.

On two occasions, the side was retired for both teams on only four pitches made from the circle.

The tense pitching duel featured Mandy O’Keefe of Petaluma and Katie Machado of the Lady Gauchos. Neither flinched until the T-Girls batted in the bottom of the sixth inning. Despite temperatures hovering over 90 degrees, both hurlers toughed it out, and fashioned individual gems.

O’Keefe went the distance to record the victory for the T-Girls, who improved to 4-3 in Vine Valley Athletic League play.

Machado was equally entitled to a win on the afternoon as she had aggressive Petaluma batters off stride with a tantalizing change of pace. The top three hitters in the T-Girl lineup all struck out at least once during the game. The rest of the Petaluma batters were off stride, and didn’t manage a rally until the final inning.

Machado finally flinched a bit when shortstop Rachael Bles of the T-Girls bounced a ball between short and third into left field for a base hit. She was immediately advanced to second on a perfect bunt up the first-base line by outfielder Kaileigh Weiand.

A soft fly ball off the bat of catcher Emma Weiand fell in front of Sam Dedrickson for a base hit, but Bles only advanced to third base with the play in front of her.

Veteran outfielder Indya Smith then ended the deadlock by dropping a base hit into the outfield, plating Bles. It turned out to be the only run of the contest as Machado steadied the ship by recording two outs with runners aboard.

Mo Lynch then gave Gaucho supporters a ray of hope by roping a hard line drive off the body of Bles to open the seventh inning. Bles did manage a smile after the game as she and her teammates went about the duties of rolling up the outfield fence. “That ball got me right in the ankle,” she confessed without rubbing.

The bad hop was ruled a single, but Bles handled eight other plays without a bobble. She started a force play for the second out in the seventh frame and ended the game with an infield out at first base.

Until the sixth inning, it was Casa Grande with the best chance to score.

Presley Ruoff led off the top of the fourth inning with the second Casa hit on the afternoon. It was followed by a two-out double struck by Lynch down the left-field line, but the ball was put back into play in the infield by a hustling left fielder Kaleigh Pate. The play saved a run and preserved the shutout for O’Keefe.

Lynch had two base hits for the Gauchos, including the smash off the ankle of Bles. Lynch is hitting at a .400 clip, but her Gauchos slipped to 8-10 overall.

The T-Girls remained with an outside chance of overhauling first-place Vintage.

Petaluma holds a win over the Lady Crushers but trails by two full games in the league standings. Petaluma also posted three victories in the Napa Tournament and lost to Rancho Cotate 2-1 for the tourney championship.

With a record now standing at 12-5 for the season the T- Girls are rated No. 3 by Max Preps in the North Coast Division II rankings.

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