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| Tigers pummel Wolves, keep playoff hopes alive |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
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“I think that we are a much better team than we were two weeks ago.” — Dave Klein PHS varsity softball coach The Patterson High softball team commemorated senior day on Tuesday with a 10-2 shellacking of visiting Livingston. The reinvigorated Tigers (7-5) are in the midst of a late-season playoff surge, a run that seemed highly unlikely a little more than a week ago.  Patterson’s Kayla Souza releases a pitch during Tuesday’s 10-2 win against Livingston. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator “I think that we are a much better team than we were two weeks ago,” Patterson coach Dave Klein said. “We may be a better team than we’ve been all season long. We set ourselves up today. We’ve got Hilmar next week at a time when we are playing really well.” Patterson’s Kayla Souza was in complete control atop the mound Tuesday, mowing through Livingston’s lineup as she allowed just two hits while striking out six in her four innings of work. The Tigers grabbed the lead early — lambasting Livingston, pitching for 17 hits — and never looked back. “We hit the ball really well,” Klein said. “I thought that this was one of the best hitting games that we’ve had. We swung the bats hard today.” Patterson’s Mandy Sifuentes ignited the team’s offense with a first-inning double to the right-center field gap. Teammate Kianna Weinzheimer followed, singling past the Wolves’ shortstop and putting the Tigers in business with runners on first and third. Patterson senior Kaelee Kramer plated Sifuentes with an RBI single. Patterson catcher Samantha Kramer reached base on an error by Livingston’s second baseman, allowing Weinzheimer to also score. The Tigers’ Kendra Young brought Kaelee Kramer home on an RBI fielder’s choice groundout. Souza drilled Patterson’s fourth hit of the inning into center field, scoring Samantha Kramer and giving the Tigers a 4-0 edge. The Wolves made the most of a third-inning Tigers’ error, managing to manufacture a pair of runs. Any hopes of a rally, however, were quickly extinguished when Souza rebounded to end the Livingston threat with a strikeout. Patterson exploded once more in the bottom of the third. The Tigers’ Anayencey Jara led off with a single before moving to second base on yet another Livingston error. Teammate Linsey Moeller crushed a line-drive double down the left-field line, plating Jara and pushing the lead to 5-2. Souza followed with a walk, putting runners on first and second with no one out. Patterson’s Samantha Leslie rolled a slow grounder to the Wolves’ shortstop. An errant throw to first base allowed both Moeller and Souza to score. The Tigers ended the inning comfortably on top, 7-2. Patterson was back at it an inning later. Hits by the Tigers’ Rebecca Hinojos, Jara and Moeller further extended the advantage to 9-2. Patterson’s Jessyca Rico took over pitching duties in the top of the fifth inning. Livingston batters didn’t fare much better against the Tigers’ new arm, producing just one hit down the stretch. The game took a scary detour in the home half of the fifth. Livingston pitcher Alley Valdez took a Sifuentes line drive square to her face. An ambulance arrived at the scene within minutes of the incident, ushering the young athlete off the field and away to safety, though the ambulance ultimately did not need to rush her to the hospital. Valdez may owe a certain amount of gratitude to the type of softball used during Tuesday’s action. The Worth brand softball that struck Valdez is widely believed by enthusiasts to have a somewhat forgiving nature in instances such as Tuesday’s. Other popular softballs — notably the Wilson brand ball — might have caused more serious trauma to the recipient of the blow. After a brief delay, play resumed, with the Tigers tacking one final run to their lead. Following the game, Klein took some time to reflect on the contributions of his three senior players, Kaelee Kramer, Rachel Weaver and Regina Gomez. “They’ve all put in four years of work. Two of them have been three-year varsity starters,” Klein said. “Everything that we’ve ever asked Kaelee to do, she’s stepped up and done it. Rachel is just a pure go-getter. And Gina has really done a lot of positive things for this team as well. They are all a big part of this team.” Klein believes that he will have his Tigers prepared to make its final postseason push. “If we can get by Hilmar and get into the playoffs, we’re going to give some teams trouble,” Klein said. “This team has a lot of depth. We’re going to show it from here on out.” To reach Marc Aceves at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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