Tracy softball ends Gregori’s dream season with late rally

Tears collected in the eyes of Gregori High School softball players as they took a knee in right field.

They huddled and hugged and lingered about the Sacramento Softball Complex as the sun set on their season.

Three outs away from clinching the program’s first Sac-Joaquin Section finals appearance, the Jaguars’ postseason dream came to a nightmarish end in a 4-3 loss to Tracy in the losers’ bracket final of the Division I tournament.

Trailing 3-1, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with no outs and executed a three-run rally without a hit.

Mikayla Coelho was walked and eventually scored on a passed ball to make it 3-2.

After an infield single loaded the bases again, Sonia Reddy raced home on a chopper to third baseman Jasmine Temple. The throw home went over the head of catcher Mehana Johns, allowing Isa Cargill to score the winning run.

“The whole team, from the players in the dugout to the players in the game, everybody stayed focused,” Tracy coach Paulette Keeney said. “They were all up and cheering for each other. I tell them all the time, ‘Talent wins ballgames, but teamwork wins championships.’ They proved that today.”

Stunned and heartbroken, Gregori coach Alannah Johns refused to let the Jaguars leave the Capital City upset. The Modesto Metro Conference champions accomplished too much to hang their heads in defeat.

Gregori (18-8) became the first team in program history to roll through conference play undefeated. At the section tournament, the Jaguars won three straight games against heavyweights, including upset victories over No. 2 Woodcreek and No. 3 Vacaville.

Gregori had a chance to move into the final through the winners’ bracket on Monday, as well, but was defeated by top-seeded Sheldon.

It was a historic journey, Johns said, complete with a place on the medal stand.

“My message to the girls was don’t let that inning define you and what you accomplished this season,” said Johns, a Davis High and Modesto Junior College product who finished her collegiate career at William Jessup University. “This is the first time the Jaguars have gone undefeated in conference play. This is the first team to make it this far. To finish third in the section tournament, who would have imagined that?”

Tracy (24-6) advances to its second section final – the Bulldogs were beaten by Vacaville in 2005 – and needed to beat Sheldon twice Thursday to secure the blue banner.

The Bulldogs crowded the basepaths throughout Wednesday’s elimination game but had little to show for it as Gregori’s infield clamped down. The Bulldogs had a runner on base in every inning except the second and loaded the bases in the third, sixth and seventh innings.

Trailing 3-0, Tracy scored its first run when Amanda Hernandez was beaned with the bases loaded in the sixth. Gregori ace Madison Marsh responded with back-to-back grounders, each resulting in a forceout at home. The latter started a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.

Tracy was 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position but never lost its confidence.

“You have to learn to keep your composure,” Keeney said. “The girls kept believing.”

Rachel Cid and Coelho led off the seventh with walks. Reddy hit a rocket shot back up the middle that was caught by second baseman Nikki Alexander, but she was unable to make a throw.

Two batters later, Coelho raced home on a passed ball. After Ali Davis eluded first baseman Coco Stewart’s tag to once again load the bases, Tracy took advantage of Gregori’s only defensive miscue.

Cargill was inserted as a courtesy runner at first base. The freshman was called up for the playoffs because of her speed.

“Her instincts just took over,” Keeney said. “My freshman coach told me I needed to put her on the bases and watch her. She knew to go. That was big.”

On the chopper to third, Cargill read the play through the third-base bag and chose to seize the moment. For a freshman, she was decisive in the biggest moment of the season.

“I saw the ball go by (the catcher) and didn’t see it,” Cargill said. “I knew it was a perfect opportunity to go. Chances like that don’t happen often, with the team all riled up, so I went.”

Early on, Gregori looked as though it might cruise to another convincing win over Tracy. The Jaguars pounded the Bulldogs 9-2 on March 31.

On Wednesday, Marsh delivered the first big blow, launching a two-run homerun. The Delaware-bound senior showed bunt, pulled the bat back and drove it the other way over the right-field fence.

Aaliyah Swan made it 3-0 with a swinging-bunt RBI in the sixth.

Johns thanked Marsh and a heralded senior class for taking the program on a historic ride.

“They’ve earned a legacy in this program,” she said. “They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them since Day One, and I know they’ll be successful at the next level.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Tracy softball ends Gregori’s dream season with late rally."