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| Playoff run ends in extras |
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| Written by Marc Aceves / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Friday, 09 May 2008 | |
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Tigers’ postseason hopes dashed in 11-inning marathon When two teams compete for a final playoff spot this late in the season, every game becomes important. The Patterson High softball team, which had won of five of its previous six games, needed to sweep its season-ending series with Hilmar to keep its drive for the postseason alive. Instead, Patterson’s playoff hopes were crushed Tuesday by an 11-inning, 2-1 loss to the Yellowjackets at home.  COACH'S CONFERENCE: Softball coach Dave Klein pulls his players together for a quick conference during Tuesday’s critical game against Hilmar. Patterson was shut out of the playoffs after losing to the Yellowjackets in 11 innings. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Hilmar’s win earned the ’Jackets (10-3 WAC) the last postseason bid for teams contending out of the Western Athletic Conference, which leaves Patterson on the outside looking in. “It’s like this team is a little snake-bitten about winning the big one,” Klein said. “I don’t know what the answer is. We get the girls up that we need in crucial situations, and we get the ball on the ground right at somebody. We just never hit the ball as hard as we needed to.” Tuesday’s starting pitchers — Courtney Ramos of Hilmar and Mandy Sifuentes of Patterson — are regarded as two of the best pitchers in the league. A quick check of Tuesday’s box scores reveals why the aces receive so much acclaim. Ramos was nearly flawless inside the pitcher’s ring, striking out 19 batters in 11 innings of work, while allowing just one hit. Sifuentes was equally solid, managing 15 strikeouts and scattering three hits in her 11-inning contribution. Offense was at a premium. Errors by both squads — Patterson had five errors in the game to three by Hilmar — accounted for the handful of base runners who managed to get aboard in the early innings. Neither team, however, was able to capitalize on the other’s mishaps. Hilmar had an opportunity to score in the top of the second inning, but a laser throw from Patterson outfielder Anayency Jara to teammate Samantha Kramer nailed the would-be scorer at the plate. Meanwhile, the Tigers continued to struggle against Ramos.  Hilmar baserunner Katherine Flores and Patterson first-baseman Kaelee Kramer collide as Kramer tries to snag an errant throw. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator The Tigers threatened once more in the home half of the sixth. Rico drew a two-out walk, this time successfully stealing second and advancing to third on an errant throw by Hilmar’s catcher. Sifuentes followed with a walk of her own, putting the Tigers in business with runners on the corners. Once again, though, Ramos buckled down, inducing an inning-ending groundout and keeping the game locked in a scoreless tie. Both pitchers retired the sides in order in the seventh inning, pushing the battle into extra frames. The Yellowjackets squandered a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth inning after Ramos reached on an error, scooting all the way to second base when Patterson’s right fielder mishandled a routine fly ball. She advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sifuentes intentionally walked Hilmar slugger Stesha Brazil, setting up a potential inning-ending double play for the Tigers. It was Sifuentes’ turn to dial in. Hilmar’s Ashlee Lee fouled out, popping a pitch up the first-base line. The ball was easily snared by the Tigers’ Kaelee Kramer. Lefty Madison Harris followed, grounding a bouncing ball to Patterson third baseman Kianna Weinzheimer, who scooped the ball and fired a bullet to Kramer at first, barely beating the speedy Harris. Weinzheimer collected the Tigers’ lone hit in the bottom of the ninth, but to no avail. By decree, the game moved to the international ruling system in the 10th inning.  JUST GOT HER: Pitcher Mandy Sifuentes is tagged out by Hilmar’s second baseman during Tuesday’s game. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Hilmar’s Lindsay Miguel wasted little time in exploiting the scenario, bunting a ball toward third base. A hurried throw by Patterson’s third baseman sailed over the first baseman’s head into foul territory. The Yellowjackets’ automatic base runner rounded third, scoring the game’s first run. Sifuentes escaped from the inning without further damage, but her team trailed, 1-0. Kramer took her place atop the second base bag to lead off the Tigers’ half of the 10th. Teammate Melissa Robles successfully sacrifice-bunted Kramer to third in the next at-bat, and Samantha Kramer dug in next, chopping a Ramos offering off the ground in front of home plate. She sped down the first-base line and finished by knocking the ball out of the glove of Hilmar’s first baseman. Kaelee Kramer scored the tying run for Patterson just before Samantha was tagged out in an effort to move up another base. Ramos ended Patterson’s threat one batter later, collecting the final out of the inning on a weak grounder to third. Hilmar’s Jessica Willis represented the go-ahead run on second base to lead off the 11th inning, and she made it to third base when Ramos bunted a ball to Sifuentes, who threw wild to third on the play. With both ’Jackets runners safely aboard and no one out, Hilmar could sit back and plan its attack one batter at a time. Ramos took second base, and Brazil was eventually walked, putting the Tigers in deeper water. Lee’s sacrifice fly to center field was just deep enough to plate Willis, giving the Yellowjackets a 2-1 advantage. Sifuentes went on to record two more strikeouts in the inning, but the damage had already been done. Ramos made quick work of the Tigers in their half of the 11th, sealing both the win and a playoff berth. “I think that both pitchers did really well today,” Ramos said. “We came out here and tried to play our game. We’re looking forward to taking it one game at a time now. We do have Patterson again, so it would be nice to win our last league game. “After that, it’s the playoffs.” 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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