Minshew grand slam gives El Capitan share of title with Helix

By ECS Staff
Updated: May 14, 2016

Grossmont Valley League co-champion El Capitan

2016 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul
© EastCountySports.com

LAKESIDE (5-13-16) – The host El Capitan Vaqueros used a late rally and in dramatic fashion won the game in extra innings with one swing of the bat as they knocked off the first place Helix Highlanders 6-2 on a walk off grand slam in the Valley league title game.

Both teams over the first couple of innings held each other scoreless. However that changed in the top of the third inning when the Highlanders struck first as FAITH KING (run) walked, DESTINI BULLOCK (2-4, RBI)singled with 2 outs advancing King to second, GABRIELA OLIVARRA (1-4, RBI) singled to right which scored King to give the Highlanders the 1-0 lead.

Fast forward to the top of the fifth inning, the Highlanders on a leadoff single by FRANKIE MARTINEZ, MCKENZIE FLORES single and a Bullock fielders choice would lead 2-0 over the Vaqueros.

El Capitan finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth as GRACE BURKETT (2-3, 3 R, 2 SB) reached on an error, she would steal second base, BAILY OLAVESON (2-3, 2 RBI) rifled a double to right field scoring Burkett to cut the lead to 2-1.

Both teams would get runners on the sixth inning but each would squash the threats to push the contest to the seventh inning. The Highlanders would get a Bullock single before being retired to head into the bottom of the seventh.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh and needing only three outs to claim the victory and also the Valley League crown outright, the Highlanders pitcher SHAREENA LACHANCE looked to get it done. But the Vaqueros wouldn’t go down easily and had other ideas.

Leading off for the Vaqueros was Burkett who took the LaChance offering and roped a fly ball into left field that ended up being a triple, so with the tying run at third up stepped MARIA LOTTA. Unfortunately she would lineout to left and not far enough for Burkett to tag. The next batter Olaveson would hit a hard ground ball to third for a base hit allowing Burkett tom come into score and tie the game at 2-2. This really made things interesting and also sent the El Capitan crowd into a frenzy as it was a brand new ball game. It was all they would get but it was new life as the game went now into extra innings.

Neither team did anything eighth or top of the ninth innings. This gave the Vaqueros hope as they looked to score and end the game. So in the bottom of the ninth, leadoff batter NICOLE VACARRO singled to left field, AMANDA VASQUEZ sacrificed her to second, Burkett was intentionally walked, the Vaqueros would pull off a double steal as Vacarro would steal third and Burkett would steal second, Lotta would end up walking. This brought up SAVANNAH MINSHEW (1-1, 4 RBI, HR) to the plate where she would be hitting for HANNAH HARVEY. She would work the count to 2-1, on the very next offering from LaChance she would get a hold of it and send it high and deep over the center field fence for the walk-off game winning grand slam and give the Vaqueros the 6-2 victory.

Taking the loss for the Highlanders, LaChance tossed 3 1/2 innings of relief in which she gave up 5 runs which were all earned, walked 2 and struck out 1. ELENA LADDEN in the victory tossed all 9 innings, giving up 2 runs which both were earned while walking 2.