Gigante’s big day leads Patriots to win

By Adam Paul
Updated: May 18, 2021

2021 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

PACIFIC BEACH – A big day for Olivia Gigante (3-4, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR) as she clubbed a pair of home runs while driving in five runs to lead the Patrick Henry Patriots (12-5, 3-1 WL) over the Mission Bay Buccaneers (7-6, 0-4 WL) by a score of 9-3 in a Western League game on Tuesday (May 18).

Gigante’s day started in the top of the first inning as she drove in Jessica DeWitt (2-4, 2 R, SB) with a single to left field, the next batter Sydney Newton to center allowing Gigante to come around and score to make it 2-0.

The Buccaneers would tie the score in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run single.

Patrick Henry would retake the lead 3-2 in the top of the third inning when Sydney Newton (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B) drove in Dewitt with a base hit to center field. But, once again the Buccaneers would tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run by Paige Pallamary.

The Patriots however answered for good in the top of the fourth inning thanks to an RBI double by Kaiah Altmeyer (1-5, R, RBI, 2B) scoring Lily Glenn (1-3, R) and a ball hit by DeWitt that was misplayed that allowed Altmeyer to score to make it 5-3.

Another run for the Patriots in the top of the fifth inning courtesy of a leadoff solo blast by Gigante would extend the lead to 6-3. She would add to the lead in the top of the sixth inning as she belted a three-run homer that scored both Alina Hernandez and Dezianna Patmon (1-4, R) to give the Patriots the lead 9-3. The home run by Gigante was her tenth of the season.

McKenna Gieger would shut down the Buccaneers the rest of the way to finish off the complete seven-inning victory, she allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three.

Grossmont 12, Point Loma 2

POINT LOMA – Nine runs scored by the Grossmont Foothillers (6-11) in the top of the first inning thanks to multiple players lead to a runaway 12-2 victory over Point Loma (4-15) on Tuesday (May 18) in non-league action.

A couple of errors by the Pointers allowed both Natalie Emery (2-4, 2 R, RBI) and Kimmy Bond (1-2, 2 R, RBI) to score to make it 2-0, a walk by Alison Murphy (R, RBI, SB) that allowed Jade Daley (2-4, R, 2 RBI) to score made it 3-0, later Emery singled in Sunny Miller (1-1, 2 R, SB) and Bond followed with a base hit to score Murphy which made it 6-0.

Katelynn Parent (2-4, R, 3 RBI, 2B) would drive in Caitlyn Potts (1-2, 2 R) and Daley followed with a base hit that scored Bond, and Emery would score on another error to round out the scoring.

Point Loma would get on the board in the bottom of the third inning on a fielder’s choice ground ball out.

A two-run double by Parent that scored both Potts and Miller made it 11-1 and Daley would follow with an RBI single to round out the scoring.

The Pointers scored their only other run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Alexis Fleischer picked up the win as she went all five innings in which she gave up two runs on four hits while walking one and striking out one.

University City 9, Steele Canyon 6

UNIVERSITY CITY – A pair of home runs by Kyla Parco (2-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR) helped the University Centurions (15-6-1) fend off the Steele Canyon Cougars (11-9) by a score of 9-6 in non-league action on Tuesday (May 18).

An RBI single by Elizabeth Zarr and a two-run single by Carlotta Gonzalez helped the Centurions jump out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Parco would give the Centurions a 4-0 lead with a solo homer in the bottom of the third inning.

The Cougars in the top of the fourth inning would receive an RBI single by Mariah Mata (2-4, R, RBI) that scored Janea Wilson (1-3, R) and later in the inning an error would allow Marley Rimoldi (3-4, 2 R) to score to make it 4-2.

University City would answer right back in the bottom of the inning thanks to a grand slam by Parco for her second home run of the day to extend the Centurions lead to 8-2.

Also in the inning, Riley Torgeson would drive in a run to make it 9-2.

But the Cougars would try and make a comeback in the top of the sixth inning when with two-outs Tayler Thomas (1-4, R) would hit a ball that was misplayed allowing both Emma Shellstrom (RUN) and Rimoldi to score to make it 9-4, a couple of batters later Jazmin Williams (1-3, RBI, SB) would draw a bases loaded walk to bring in Mata to make it 9-5 and Madi Villaescusa (RBI) followed with another walk to score Thomas to make it 9-6.

Kamea Seunanne on the day for the Cougars allowed nine runs on eleven hits over six innings of work while striking out one in the loss.

For the Centurions, Kate Wiggins picked up the complete seven-inning victory as she allowed six runs on ten hits while walking three and striking out nine.