SAN JOSE, CA - Last year a section title was within Mitty's grasp until Gilroy ripped it away in the quarterfinals.
This time, the Monarchs did the plucking.
Playing as if ital]she coined the phrase "carpe diem" (seize the day), Monarch right fielder Danielle Bowers made the play of the season to end a Pioneer third-inning rally and help Mitty to a 7-4 victory. The triumph at PAL Stadium earned the Monarchs the CCS Division II title.
"She's been doing that all year long," said Mitty coach Brian Yocke of Bowers' diving, two-out catch on the right-field line that ended a scary (for Mitty fans) uprising. "She plays with a reckless abandon."
Or, as Monarch shortstop Jazmyn Jackson said: "She's the bomb. We all know that. If you hit a ball to our outfield -- especially Dani -- we know it's going to be taken care of."
As joyous as Jackson looked afterward while clutching Mitty's first-place plaque, Bowers was just as elated.
"I knew I had to do everything I could to stop that ball," the junior said. "If was just a huge relief when I caught it -- it was like 'Thank the Lord.' I was really relieved they didn't score that run."
Still leading 4-3 and with just that touch of momentum, Mitty (30-1) busted it open in the bottom of the fourth with three runs. Bowers drove home a run in the inning with a sacrifice fly and Desiree Severance had an RBI single. That duo also combined on a big play in Pioneer's frenetic third inning when Bowers fielded a ball to the outfield, gunned it to Severance at first, who whirled and threw to the plate to nail a Mustang runner.
"I was a little concerned at first because I thought I would miss the cut," Bowers said. "But then I saw Des throw home and I was very thankful she saw the runner going."
The Mitty triumph secured a 12th section title for the program, including its third in four years and seventh in nine years. But it wasn't about history for second-year coach Yocke, who saw his team enter last year's quarters with a 27-0 record, only to lose to Gilroy, 6-3.
"I was telling them in the huddle that you can't take a moment like this for granted," Yocke said. "(The P.A.) started naming off the program's accomplishments, but that's not this group. We kind of learned that last year, that it doesn't just happen. We did a great job of taking it this year."
Also doing the plucking for Mitty against the Mustangs were:
--Madeleine Kim who had a triple, double and single in three at-bats and who drove in a run in a four-run Mitty first inning.
--Severance, who had two hits and two RBI and made that crucial peg to home to get the Mustang runner.
--The Cal-bound senior Jackson, who reached base four consecutive times, scored twice, hit a double, stole a base and played shortstop with aplomb.
--Junior pitcher Stephanie Kristo, who survived that rocky, three-run Pioneer third to win her 10th consecutive game in the circle.
Arguably no Monarch this season showed more fortitude than Kristo, who took over the pitching duties for an ailing Severance (arm injury) on April 23 and immediately absorbed the Monarchs' only loss of the season, 3-1 to Valley Christian. Since then, she's been unbeatable, if not exactly perfect.
"I could talk for an hour and probably not be able to figure out the adjectives to describe how fantastic of a job she did," Yocke said. "She came in and things didn't skip a beat and she gave us a chance to win and she just did a great job."
Said Kristo, a junior: "It's definitely been a growing experience. Coming in, it was nerve-wracking, but I gained more confidence as the season went along."
Pioneer (24-5) had its moments, chiefly in the third when run-scoring singles by Caitlyn Weisner and Maddie Carlson helped the Mustangs move to within 4-3.
Defensive miscues hurt Pioneer.
"The first inning didn't start off good," Pioneer coach Ernie Garcia sad. "We out-hit them 11-7 but made four errors and that was the turning point. You can't make those kind of mistakes against a team like that."
Even down four runs entering the seventh, Pioneer didn't quit. It got three hits in the final inning -- including an RBI single by Alex Luna, who went 3-for-3; but a double play started by Jackson slowed the Mustangs.
Kristo finally ended the struggle, fanning the final batter to ignite the Mitty celebration, complete with dogpile.
"It was amazing," Kristo said. "It felt great knowing that our hard work (paid off). We really sent our seniors off right this time and it's nice to go out on a win instead of a loss."
As for Pioneer, it returns all but one starter, boding well for next season.
"We had a great season," Garcia said. "We had a 13-game winning streak and we beat Carlmont twice and winning our league was a huge accomplishment. We're pretty set for next year. Of course we have to wait a whole year now, but we'll get them going."
