Gregori sophomore nearly KO’d before game. Then, she homers to beat Enochs
Gregori coach Dia Borden had a message for Cecelia Hogel as the sophomore walked up to the plate:
“You can do it.”
It was a crucial at-bat as the Jaguars had just tied the game at four in the bottom of the sixth against Enochs in a Central California Athletic League game on Thursday.
Hogel listened to what her coach said and drilled a three-run home run to center field as the Jaguars beat the Eagles, 7-4.
“It was a stressful at-bat and I am more of a contact hitter but after I hit it, I felt it (the home run),” Hogel said.
It had already been an eventful day for Hogel.
Before the game, she was warming up in the outfield and was hit in the head by a ball and had to be removed from the field.
“I was throwing the ball and then I looked down and got hit,” Hogel said.
She was moved into the designated player slot but returned to the field in the top of the third.
Gregori (9-9, 7-3) led 2-0 through two innings until Enochs (11-3-1, 8-2) scored four in the top of the third highlighted by a two-run single by sophomore Brisaeda Baxter.
The Jaguars had a couple of errors in the third to extend the inning but Borden told the team to shake it off.
“I told them it’s OK if we make errors but we have to make up for it at the plate,” she said.
What also made Hogel’s hit more unlikely is that it was her first career home run.
“She has the power and she came up clutch,” Borden said.
Jaguars senior pitcher and Colorado State signee, Maikyla Nelson, pitched a complete game and struck out 11.
