Big Gigante outing fuels Patrick Henry

By Adam Paul
Updated: April 9, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

POINT LOMA (4-8-22) – Power hitting Olivia Gigante marked her return and several key teammates for the Patrick Henry of Friday. Under the lights of Point Loma High, the senior smashed a pair of home runs and drove in five runs, as the Patriots danced all over the Pointers, 10-3.

Gigante (2-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR) paid huge dividends early on, started the damage with a two-out, two-run blast over the center-field fence which also scored Kaiah Altmeyer (1-2, 3 R, 3B, 2 SB) to make it 2-0.

The pair would later in the inning add another run when Zoe Rutherford (RBI) drew a bases-loaded walk that allowed Leila Ludwig (1-4, 2 R) to score making it 3-0.

Patrick Henry would add to their lead in the top of the second inning when Savannah Sutton (2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, SB) doubled in Altmeyer to give them a 4-0 lead. They would later in the top of the sixth inning tack on two more runs when Sutton scored on a passed ball and McKenna Geiger (RBI) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Ludwig which would extend the lead 6-0.

The Pointers though would finally breakthrough as they would collect three consecutive base hits including the last being an RBI single to make it 6-1.

Henry though would take advantage of various opportunities in the top of the seventh as Isabella Dean (1-4, R) and Altmeyer each reached on back-to-back errors followed by a walk to Malia Savage (RUN) to load the bases with one out.

So with one out and the bases full the batter Sutton would add to the Patriots scoring with a sacrifice fly that allowed Dean to tag up and score making it 7-1 with two out. The next batter Gigante would come up and on a 1-2 count crush her second home run into the night over the left-field fence for a three-run blast scoring both Altmeyer and Savage to extend the lead to 10-1.

Despite a pair of runs scored by the Pointers in the bottom of the seventh inning, Rutherford would finish things off to procure the complete-game victory.

Rutherford finished her night with a complete seven-inning victory in which she allowed three runs on nine hits while walking a pair and striking out eight on the night.

Patrick Henry (4-6-1 overall) has now won two straight.