The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
Ground-rule doubles can be fickle beasts. College of San Mateo found that out the hard way Friday on day two of the California Community College Athletic Association championship tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs were eliminated from the tournament at West Valley College in Saratoga with two losses Friday. CSM fell to the elimination bracket with a 3-2 to Fullerton before having its season ended by Mt. San Antonio by the same score of 3-2 in the nightcap.
One dramatic swing altered CSM’s fate in Friday’s opener. With one on and two out in the seventh inning, CSM got a jolt when Ariana Montiel lifted a deep fly ball to left-center. The ball fell, at first giving baserunner Michelle Hara hope of scoring the tying run from first base — until the ball bounded over the wall for a ground-rule double, halting Hara at third base.
Emma Kinder then popped out to first base to end it, stranding the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position.
In the elimination game, CSM did rally to plate the tying run in the top of the seventh inning. With the bases empty and two out, Ari Williams doubled to left-center. Vanessa Lang followed with a dramatic RBI single through the middle, with Williams racing around to score, tying the game 2-2.
But in the bottom of the inning, Mt. San Antonio loaded the bases with two outs to set the stage for catcher Morgan Kneubuhler. It was her walk-off single that drove home Audrey White to break the Bulldogs’ hearts.
CSM sophomore right-hander Kennedie Magorian shouldered 10 1/3 innings Friday, this after pitching six innings Thursday to earn the win in the Bulldogs’ 8-0 win over Palomar in the tourney opener. Magorian took both losses Friday, dropping her record to 18-5.
CSM catcher went 4 for 9 with a home run and four RBIs in the tourney.
The Bulldogs finish the year ranking third in the state with a .370 team batting average, first in Northern California. They finish second in the state with a 1.28 staff ERA, also tops in Nor Cal.
