It's unknown if Jazmyn Jackson sets the table at home, but she did a pretty good job of it Wednesday in a non-league game.
The star Archbishop Mitty softball player led off two big innings with singles as the Monarchs defeated visiting Notre Dame-Salinas, 9-2.
"I just try to read the defense, get on base and let my teammates move me," the slap-hitting Jackson said.
Jackson singled to start the bottom of the first inning after Notre Dame-Salinas had taken a 2-0 lead. A walk to Kiersten Nordin and a bunt single by Catherine Callaway then loaded the bases.
Danielle Bowers drove home two runs with a single and, later in the inning, Ashley Chestnut drove in another run with a groundout to shortstop.
Mitty's 15-hit attack was a big departure from last week when the Monarchs won twice, but didn't wear the ball out on offense.
"Last week I think we were just like 'Oh, we're undefeated. Let's just keep it going,'" Jackson said. "We weren't thinking about attacking every team. But this week we came out with a better mindset and a better attitude. We worked on what we needed to work on in practice, set our minds right and in the game it showed."
Added Mitty coach Brian Yocke: "In the course of the season you're going to have your waves of when you're going hot and when you're not. You need to find ways to get out of that slump and pick up your teammates and have quality at-bats and set up each other."
Having Cal-bound junior shortstop Jackson lead off seems to work. In the fourth with her team clinging to a 3-2 lead, she opened the inning with an infield single to the left side. She then stole second base, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kiersten Nordin and scored on Calloway's groundout.
Another run came home on an RBI single by pitcher Desiree Severance and two runs crossed on a two-run single by Chestnut.
Mitty led 7-2 and was not going to be caught.
Megan Nordin - Kiersten's sister - added an RBI double for Mitty in the sixth, Jackson drove home a run with a sacrifice fly and Kiersten Nordin added an RBI double.
"We got our sac bunts down today, we bunted for hits and we got a sac fly and we just did a good job of playing team softball," Yocke said. "The hits started coming too."
Jackson, Kiersten and Megan Nordin, Callaway, Bowers, Chestnut and Haley Wymbs all had two hits for Mitty (11-0).
As daunting as the Monarchs were with the bats, Notre Dame-Salinas coach Tom Cardinale was impressed with Mitty's fielding.
"They have speed and quickness of throw," Cardinale said. "They get rid of the ball really quickly."
The Spirits (10-2) scored their only runs in the first on a two-run triple to left field by Aireal Sakasegawa.
Cardinale isn't sure what to make of his team at this point.
"It's too early to tell," he said. "That new (Monterey Bay League-Gabilan) league is pretty tough. It's got Salinas, San Benito, us and Gilroy and there's a good parity."
Severance allowed seven hits, striking out three and walking two.
Notre Dame-Salinas is at San Benito on Thursday, April 4 and Mitty is in the Stampede Tournament the same day.
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John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@Prep2Prep.com.
