Central shoots past Calipatria, 5-2
EL CENTRO — Speed kills. There’s no truer sporting maxim than that.
When in doubt, always bet on bigger, faster, stronger.
Speed was a major element in Tuesday’s all-local CIF-SDS Division III softball playoff game between the Central Union Spartans and the Calipatria Hornets, which went the home team’s way by a score of 5-2.
The Spartans had speed on all fronts.
They pitched fast, they ran fast, they had good bat speed … everything was lickity-quick.
Starter Janyssa Martin came right out and put the hurt on the Hornet hitters, blowing away the first two she faced on strikes before settling for a weak grounder on out number three.
Altogether she would go seven strong, with her final K total scraping double digits at 10.
Speed was almost wholly
responsible for the Spartans first four runs in the bottom of the first.
Martin led things off with an infield single. Jessica Acosta followed her up … with another infield single, with Martin gunning for third (and Acosta swiping second on the throw).
Next up for the Spartans was Aliah Cardenas. She bunted … for an RBI single, as Calipatria pitcher Delaney Hernandez scooped it but had no play at first after looking home where Martin crossed well ahead of any potential throw.
Acosta made it 2-0, shortly thereafter, stealing home after Hornet catcher Sadie Chavez made a throw to nab Cardenas who had wandered lackadaisically off first as a feint.
Runs three and four followed doubles by Amanda Alcala and Karmina Becerra, with Annika Garcia driving in the latter.
At this point the Imperial Valley League co-champs looked like altogether too much for their Manzanita League counterparts.
Calipatria just wasn’t used to dealing with the level of firepower the Spartans have at their disposal and they were shook, but it is to their undying credit that they didn’t roll over and play dead.
They fought. It was an uphill battle, with Martin continuing to look fierce, but the Hornets are an experienced bunch and they were determined to go out on their own terms.
Hernandez gave up another run in the second, but after that she shut the Spartans down, with some help from the crew of stalwart defenders arrayed behind her. Ezrianna Ruiz, in centerfield, was especially impressive, on one occasion gunning Martin down at the plate on a no-hopper.
Calipat even found enough of the ball to put up a couple of runs in the top of the third on an Alyssa Romero single, a Jackie Vega reach-on-error, an Emily Hernandez sacrifice and RBI hits by Desiree Romero and Hernandez.
The Hornets kept it close. They made the Spartans sweat a bit. They looked like a Division III team, but in the end the Spartans’ speed won out, and they advance into the double elimination bracket, where they’ll face fourth-seeded Mar Vista on Thursday in Imperial Beach.