Hoffman hits walk-off homer as Gregori beats Pitman to remain second in CCAL standings
Chloee Hoffman does not get rattled easily.
The Gregori High softball player comes across as laid back but on the field, the third baseman takes care of business.
The senior is second on the team in home runs, leads it in runs scored and is one of nine Jaguars batting over .300.
Hoffman produced the game’s only run in a Thursday afternoon matchup with Central California Athletic League opponent Pitman High. A solo shot over the left field fence helped the Jaguars (11-1, 5-1 CCAL) secure a 1-0 win, their third victory in a row.
The win helps the defending league champions maintain second place as they enter the final third of the season.
“She carries herself so strong and she’s so timid at the same time,” Jaguars coach Alanah Laupua said. “But she always comes in clutch.”
In the bottom of the seventh inning with one out in a 0-0 game, Hoffman stepped into the batters box cool and calm as ever.
“I was just like, just do what I can,” she said. “What happens, happens.”
She took the first two pitches, one for a strike, the second for a ball, then fouled off the next two. On the fifth pitch, she made contact.
“I felt it right at contact,” she said of her second home run this season. “I was like, ‘This is going over, baby.’ It felt good off the bat.”
Through her four-year varsity career, Hoffman has continued to produce in the team’s biggest moments. Laupua can recall three walk-off home runs since she took over last season.
“In tough games like this I don’t expect a walk-off like that, I just expect something through,” Laupua said. “But with clutch hits from Chloee all the time, it really helps the team.”
In typical Hoffman fashion, the game-winning bomb comes in a game the Jaguars needed.
They lost to Enochs 4-3 March 30, dropping them to second place in the CCAL. With a pair of one-run victories – a 3-2 win over Pitman and a 1-0 victory in nine innings against Modesto – heading into Thursday afternoon’s contest, a loss to the fourth-place Pride (4-5, 3-4 CCAL) could be a result that knocks them out of the playoff picture.
“This one meant a lot for us coming off of that loss,” Laupua said. “Modesto was a scary game for us also, but this game was a good game. … They knew that it was gonna be a tough fight. But I’m happy we came out on top again.”
Kailey Estes had yet another dominant performance on the mound, striking out 10 and sitting down two of the final three Pride batters to set up a 0-0 game going into the bottom of the seventh. She gave up just two hits.
“She works really hard,” Laupua said of the junior. “She pitches seven days a week. Even out here she throws every single day of practice. She just performs all the time and then she’s always wanting to get better.”
Estes currently holds the school record for strikeouts in a game after recording 19 last week against Modesto.
The Jaguars used a pair of singles and an intentional walk to load the bases in the bottom of the third inning, but Pride senior pitcher Gabby Pacheco forced an inning ending pop out to third base.
Gregori will continue CCAL play Thursday, April 20, on the road against Turlock and Pitman will play the Bulldogs on Tuesday, April 18, in its next league game.
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 10:52 AM.
