Broncos rebound to tie things up in 28-6A
Seven-run sixth, Vela’s 13 strikeouts help make up for tough district loss to Macarthur
Four days after suffering a devastating defeat against Macarthur, Brandeis worked its way back into the District 28-6A title chase by beating third-ranked Madison 9-5 on Tuesday at Northside Field No. 1.
The unranked Broncos scored seven in the bottom of the sixth inning, and junior pitcher Carmen Vela struck out 13 to give Madison its first district loss.
Brandeis (7-2 overall, 7-1 district) is now tied for first in 28-6A with Madison (13-2, 7-1) and Macarthur (13-6, 7-1) heading into the second round of league play.
“It was a pretty big win because we took a loss against Mac, so were bouncing back from that, and then we are going to restart again,” Vela said.
The Broncos were happy with the response after losing to Macarthur 8-0 on Friday.
“We came in knowing Madison was undefeated (in district) and we had just taken a loss against Macarthur and we were a little discouraged,” junior designated player Tatiana Alaniz said. “But, seeing how well we fought really hyped us up so we could win the game.”
Vela struck out nine through the first four innings. Many of them helped her work out of trouble. Five of them occurred when runners were on base. She struck out three after the first two runners reached in the second inning.
“I was getting ahead on firstpitch strikes and then hitting my spots,” Vela said of her early success.
The game was scoreless heading into the bottom of the fourth when the Broncos scored twice on a run-scoring double by Ashley Wakefield and an RBI single from Alaniz.
That seemed to be enough for Vela, but the Mavericks responded with a five-run fifth, highlighted by a two-rbi single from Danielle Esquibel and a two-run double from Brooklyn Gonzales to make it 5-2.
“I was missing some spots on the outside,” Vela said. “I told myself I had to take it one pitch at a time and rely on my defense and know they have your back.”
Vela still managed to strike out two in the fifth to keep the Broncos within striking distance.
“Carmen is really calm and collected,” Alaniz said. “She tries not to let anything get in her head too much, so she can go out there with a clean slate every time.”
Brandeis went down in order in the fifth but broke out in the sixth by sending 12 to the plate and producing seven runs.
The first three Broncos reached on singles, and Alaniz hit a tworun single. Alaniz later scored on a passed ball. Andrea Vasquez had a two-run single, and Ava Cantu added a two-run double to make it 9-5.
Brandeis sent nine batters to the plate before Madison recorded an out in the bottom of the sixth.
Madison flied out three times in the seventh to seal it for the Broncos.
“This win can help us a lot, not only with confidence, but with strategy and knowing that we can do it,” Alaniz said.