Notre Dame edged in title game
Falls short 6-5 on walk-off against Willow Glen of San Jose
All sorts of emotions ran through Olivia Bakker's mind.
While five of her senior teammates will extend their athletic careers in college, the Notre Dame High first baseman played her final softball game Saturday.
Tears of emotion and cherished memories came pouring out following a walk-off 6-5 loss to Willow Glen of San Jose in the CIF Northern California Division II finals.
“It's hard,” said Bakker, who will attend Biola University in the fall. “But honestly I think I'm OK with it. I do not think I'm done with the game. I will just do it in a different form.”
Walking off the field for the final time as Willow Glen celebrated brought the emotions out for the Spirits, who had battled back to tie the game 5-5 two innings earlier.
“I don't think we ever thought we were going to lose,” said Bakker, who walked three times. “I was thinking who was coming up for us in the eighth inning. I trusted our team. I just figured we'd find a way. We've done it so many times before.”
A week earlier, the Spirits were celebrating a Central Coast Section-record 17th divisional title after beating Westmont of San Jose in the Division I finals.
Over five previous postseason games, Notre Dame had outscored the opposition 25-2 to advance to the Nothern California title game — one of 24 teams left in the entire state still playing softball.
“The COVID year taught me how fragile this is,” Bakker said. “You never know when something might be taken from you. I had a deeper appreciation for playing again. I think we all did.”
Having been coming to Notre Dame softball games since she was old enough to walk, while seeing her grandfather coach the program to numerous section titles, Bakker added her slice of legacy to the program, joining her mom as a CCS champion.
“I had been looking forward to this — forever,” said Bakker, fighting back her own tears. “And just like that it's over. Four years just flew by.”
The Spirits, who haven't missed the postseason in 37 years, were playing for their first Northern California title, while seeking redemption from a 7-5 loss to Willow Glen in a non-league game back on May 1.
JulieAnn Lopez took it personally when Willow Glen intentionally walked Addison Amaral to get to her. Lopez then hit her fourth home run of the postseason, giving Notre Dame a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
The momentum, though, shifted when Willow Glen put up five runs with the benefit of an error in the fourth inning — more runs than Sophia Cardinale had allowed in five previous postseason games.
The sophomore had put the Spirits on her right shoulder throughout the playoffs, having come into the game allowing just two runs in her previous 33 innings of work with four shutouts.
“I thought Willow Glen was guessing on Sophia and guessing right,” Notre Dame coach Tom Cardinale said. “At that point, I felt we needed to show something different.”
Tom Cardinale brought in Johnny Casarez, who had been splitting time in the circle earlier in the year before being sidelined with an injury, shutting out the
Rams in the fifth and sixth innings.
Staring at a deficit didn't seem the faze Notre Dame as it countered in the fifth inning with three runs, one coming on a solo home run from Amaral — who was walked intentionally three times — and a tworun single from Maddie Albert Day.
“It was good strategy because it worked,” Tom Cardinale said. “We had to take advantage of what was given to us. We needed to dial into a certain area, a
certain pitch. The opposing pitcher was good.”
Having used extra-inning dramatics last Thursday when Lopez's three-run homer in the eighth inning propelled Notre Dame to a 5-3 win over East Nicolaus, there would be no late game theatrics this time.
“I'm sure they didn't realize or care how many teams were still playing softball,” Tom Cardinale said. “The sadness comes from the fact that they won't play together anymore. We're losing some incredible kids. We'll celebrate a wonderful year with a sushi dinner.”
Bakker felt the end of the journey likely won't hit her until she turns in her uniform Monday for the final time and reunites with her teammates for a final meeting.
“After every season, we have a cleanup day and recap the season,” Bakker said. “That's usually when you say `we did that.' I think it will hit us all on Monday when we have our cleanup day that this was a special ride.”