Ceres ‘underdogs’ reach section final for first time in 21 years

Within minutes of each other, the Stanislaus District experienced the highs and lows of playoff softball.

On one field at the Sacramento Softball Complex, Ceres High School celebrated its first appearance in a Sac-Joaquin Section final in 21 years with a 1-0 victory over Benicia on Tuesday. The Division III game lasted 10 innings and ended on a sharp walk-off single by Jessica Arreola, a senior unfazed by the moment.

The Bulldogs’ No. 8 hitter went with the pitch, driving it past a diving Benicia second baseman Annika Johnson.

“I had a lot of pressure,” said Arreola, who was 2 for 4, “but I knew I had to get the ball on the ground.”

Andrea Duran easily scored from third, setting off a wild celebration in the home stands. Duran began the inning on second base, per the international tiebreaker rule.

The Bulldogs (22-4) last reached a section final in 1995, the year of their only section championship, which came in Division II. The program also made Division II finals appearances in 1989 and 1991.

“They refused to lose,” coach Angela Durossette said, fighting back tears. “They deserved this. It’s been a tough couple of years. They’re fighters and they each wanted to win. Someone different has done something different for us to win each time. We’ve had (Mahlena O’Neal). We’ve had (Nicole Bates). Jessica came clutch with a huge, huge hit. I’m so proud of them.”

The Bulldogs’ cheers drowned out the din from across the complex.

Just moments earlier, Oakdale’s dream season had unraveled in a Division III elimination game against Vista del Lago of Folsom, the team the Mustangs trounced 9-1 a day earlier.

Oakdale (22-3) surrendered a 3-1 lead in the seventh and saw its own rally in the ninth fall short in a season-ending 6-5 loss.

Vista del Lago scored five runs over the final three innings, completing a rare double. The Eagles defeated Valley Oak League co-champions East Union (23-3) and Oakdale, the tournament’s top seeds, to reach Wednesday’s consolation bracket final against Benicia.

Twins Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth did their part to extend Oakdale’s hunt for a Division III title, accounting for the Mustangs’ final runs in the ninth.

With Oakdale trailing 6-3, Kindra led off the inning with a hit and scored on older sister Maddi’s two-run homer. Scarlett Brock also drove in two runs for the Mustangs.

In Tuesday’s early game, Haley Fuller homered twice in Oakdale’s 11-0 victory over Yuba City.

The mighty Mustangs clubbed nine home runs in two days, but the long ball couldn’t prolong their stay in the tournament, which is now controlled by the underdog.

Third-seeded Ceres has played in the shadows of Stanislaus District heavyweights East Union and Oakdale all season. The Lancers and Mustangs have been ranked ahead of the Bulldogs in The Modesto Bee’s large-school poll each week, and Ceres was 0-2 against Oakdale before Monday’s 5-3 win.

On Tuesday, the Bulldogs continued to show their mettle and bite in a game dominated by pitching and defense.

After tying her season high with 17 strikeouts in Monday’s nightcap, Callie Nunes let her defense work against the fifth-seeded Panthers.

Sabrina Baisdon played gap-to-gap defense in center field, reeling in five fly balls with one assist. Arreola slid into the cyclone fence in foul territory to make a sensational catch.

Catcher O’Neal picked off a runner, and first baseman MacKenzie Veuve made a shoestring catch on a short pop-up.

“With her high strikeout ratio, we don’t have a lot of balls put into play, and that can be nerve-racking at times,” Durossette said. “But I know with our defense, we’re tough to beat.”

Nunes was still brilliant. She struck out 10, including Elizabeth Sweeney with the go-ahead run at third in the 10th.

“She was sore,” Arreola said, “but she pitched one heck of a game.”

Ceres looks forward to Thursday’s championship round, but the team will welcome the day off afforded the winners’ bracket finalist.

Durossette said she’ll make rest and recuperation the No. 1 objective but will hold a light practice to ward off complacency.

Nunes’ arm is the top priority. The fireballer logged 24 innings in less than 24 hours, silencing Pioneer, Oakdale and Benicia. What’s more, the Bulldogs hadn’t played a doubleheader all season until Monday.

“Most of them came to me today and said, ‘Coach, I’m sore,’ ” Durossette said. “We’re going to take it easy, but I think it’s important we practice and at least come together.

“They can’t get complacent. Even today, I thought we were flat after beating our rival (Oakdale). Callie kept it close and our defense kept it close.”

And Arreola came through with the program’s biggest hit in more than two decades.

“This is the situation for you,” Durossette told Arreola before the at-bat.

“We have her batting eighth for a reason. She sees good pitches and she always comes through with her pitch. I knew she was going to get that hit. Everything was perfect.”

Tired eyes couldn’t mask the excitement buzzing about the Bulldogs, many of whom have adopted the slogan “Why not us?” on Twitter.

Ceres will play the winner between Vista del Lago and Benicia in Thursday’s final, needing only a victory to clinch the coveted section title.

“We’ve never got a blue banner and we just want to keep winning,” Arreola said. “Thursday is the championship.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 11:38 PM with the headline "Ceres ‘underdogs’ reach section final for first time in 21 years."