South Bay high schools: Gilroy, San Benito victorious in CCS softball semifinals

With the way Gilroy and San Benito’s aces are going, the first team to score on Saturday may walk away with a Central Coast Section softball championship.

In the first semifinal at PAL Stadium on Tuesday, Gilroy’s Sarah Lorraine Lira pounded the strike zone and led the No. 3 Mustangs to a 1-0 victory over No. 7 Leland. San Benito sophomore Megan Sabbatini was just as impressive in the nightcap, striking out 11 in a two-hitter as the top-seeded Haybalers cruised past No. 5 Carlmont 5-0.

Lira gave up three hits and struck out four while relying on her defense to help put Leland down quickly.

Lira needed just five pitches to get through the second inning and six pitches to get out of the third. She had several highlight plays made behind her; shortstop Stephanie Rodriguez scooped a short-hop grounder and made a strong throw to first for the first out of the fifth, and catcher Melanie Morelos pounced on a weak roller an inning later for another tough out.

“Sarah pitches to contact so we love playing behind her,” first baseman Lindsay Holt said. “She’s always this good. She picks us up when we aren’t hitting.”

While Lira was working on her third shutout, the Mustangs (25-4) had trouble sustaining any sort of rhythm against Leland junior Devyn Quevedo.

Quevedo (13-5) stranded runners in three of the first four innings, but was knocked out in the fifth inning when Holly Lam tripled and scored on Michelle Sosa’s single up the middle.

That was all Lira would need.

She worked out of trouble in the sixth and again in the seventh, when Leland got the tying run to third base with one out.

“I was just thinking don’t panic. I knew I would get out of it somehow,” said Lira, who improved to 14-4.

Sabbatini got plenty of help from her lineup, especially Samantha Puentes. The sophomore led off the first and third innings with walks and was driven home by Brittney Hoff both times.

Puentes led off the fifth with a single and came around to score on Jessica Vest’s infield single. Vest scored on a single by Marissa Adame, and Puentes added an inside-the-park homer in the sixth to cap the scoring.

Sabbatini didn’t give up a hit until the fourth inning and never allowed Carlmont (22-7) to reach scoring position.

“That was the best she’s been all year,” San Benito coach Scott Smith said. “With a night game, it’s tough to pick up her pitches. She was lights out.”

San Benito (28-1) and Gilroy played twice during the regular season, with the Haybalers winning by scores of 4-2 and 2-1.