BENICIA, Calif. – Prior to moving back to the CIF North Coast Section for the 2018-19 season, Benicia had a formidable program after winning three CIF Sac-Joaquin Section titles. The Panthers won in Division II in 2014 and Division III in 2017 and 2018. They also won an NCS Division 3A championship in 2000 before moving to the Sac-Joaquin Section a couple of seasons later.
Now, after two abbreviated seasons in which no NCS championships in softball were even held, No. 2 seed Benicia has won a fifth section title overall after a Saturday evening 6-1 Division II home victory over No. 5 seed Marin Catholic-Kentfield.
Early in the season Benicia (22-6) had mixed results at the Livermore Stampede, including a win over NCS D1 finalist Granada-Livermore but that was followed by an expected loss to D1 titlist Heritage-Brentwood and also to a Foothill-Pleasanton team that had a bit of a down year. There was also an early season Diablo Foothill League loss to College Park-Pleasant Hill, but now it has all has come together to produce a championship.
“I told the team from the beginning, you want to be going up in May. So let’s just keep chugging up,” said Benicia head coach Kristin Grubbs. “The girls came back and got to work, and we’re here today because they never gave up.”
Host Benicia struck early. After junior pitcher Braxton Brown set the side down in order in the top of the first inning, the Panthers put a three-spot on the board in the bottom half of the inning in what turned out to be all the runs Brown and her teammates would need to secure the victory.
Santa Clara-bound senior centerfielder Robynn Balmediano opened the game with a single. Freshman Ava Rojas tried to sacrifice her over but the bunt went past the third-base girls putting runners on first and second. After a strikeout Nevada-Las Vegas-bound senior second-sacker Lorenzza Marcacci hit a smash to left field that got past the left-fielder scoring Balmediano and allowing Rojas to go to third and Marcacci to second. Freshman Emma French then doubled to drive in Rojas and send Marcacci to third. Marcacci scored the third run on a pitch that got past the catcher.
The second and third innings belonged to Brown and Marin Catholic pitcher and Chapman College-bound senior Rose Malen, who despite the problems had seven strikeouts through three innings.
Marin Catholic (22-4) looked to have the making of a possible big rally in the top of the fourth. Junior slugger Lauren Osheroff opening the inning with a double. Senior Kilee Koch followed with an RBI single plating Osheroff. Freshman Lindsay Harrison then doubled but with none out Koch got the stop sign and runners were on second and third. At that point the visiting Wildcats were looking like they could have a big inning, but Brown got the next three batters to squelch the rally.
Benicia answered back with a run in the bottom of the inning when junior Denise Pauletich doubled and was driven in by San Francisco State-bound senior Hailey Weddington to give the Panthers a 4-1 lead.
After getting her second triple of the game, speedy sophomore Kyra Mason scored to make it 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by Marcacci in the bottom of the fifth.
Brown closed out the scoring with a long home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the sixth.
Most everyone had thought it would come down to Benicia and top-seeded and previous Cal-Hi Sports No. 7 ranked Livermore, but that all changed when Marin Catholic won 8-3 in 11-innings in the semifinals.
From the beginning however, Benicia never seemed to take Marin Catholic lightly and Brown agreed.
“The game can change in matter of seconds so you can’t take anyone lightly,” Brown said.
In the end Brown tossed a six-hitter with four strikeouts and one base on balls.
“I feel like I pitched pretty well but I could have done better,” Brown remarked. “That could have been a zero game or a no-hitter but I’ll take it any day of the week.”
For Marin Catholic the magic Malen has produced in the playoffs just couldn’t be sustained. Since the playoffs began on May 11, she had pitched a total of 48 innings in five previous victories, an average of just under 10 innings per game.
While that may have been a factor Marin Catholic head coach Dave Albini wasn’t ready to make that the deciding factor.
“After scrimmaging then in the pre-season we knew they could hit, and we talked about having to score runs,” said Albini. “We can’t just rely on Rose to shut everyone out and expect to win games when we get against great competition.”
“Honestly, we thought we could hit a little better today,” Albini continued. “But we didn’t have that success today, and they were the best hitting team we’ve seen all year.”
While some runners-up are eligible for the NorCals, because of its low seed according to NCS bylaws, Marin Catholic can’t be sent on to the NorCals.
Benicia will now await the decision of the CIF seeding committee to see where they are placed for the Northern Regional playoffs.
“Winning today definitely should get us a high seed, but we’re not going to look too far ahead,” said Grubbs, who is in her 10th year at the Panthers helm.
“It’s not really up to us its up to the CIF,” Grubbs continued. “Hopefully we get a good seed and hopefully we get to host so that something forward to, but it’s the first time we get to go to a state tournament so we’re ready. Let’s go.”
