CARSON, CA – The Yotes headed to Toro Diamond for their first game of the CCAA Tournament, where they would face the Toros, who jumped the Yotes in regional rankings this week, in a rematch from the regular season after going 2-2 in their series.
Game 1: Yotes 3, Toros 9
Samantha Vargas stood strong for the Yotes, going up with two outs in two batters faced. The third batter for the Toros showed the Yotes why they would need to remain levelheaded and steady, after hitting a solo homerun to left field on a 2-2 count to put the Toros ahead early in the game. The Yotes rallied around Vargas and bounced back, second-team All-CCAA shortstop
Alyssa Martinez making the play to All-CCAA first teamer
Tereise Tosi at first to record the final out of the inning.
Alexis Aguado was 20-for-25 in stolen bases this season before bringing that total to 21 with her heads-up baserunning to advance to second but would be stranded on base after a strikeout by the Yotes.
Much like the first inning, the Yotes went up early with two outs, but the Toros would take a 3-0 lead on a homerun to opposite field. Another snag from Martinez to Tosi would end the inning.
Veronica Garza would keep the Toros from putting another run on the board with her throwdown to second base to record the final out of the third inning.
After going scoreless through five and on a two-out rally, Chavarria laid down a double to left field to bring Martinez in from second base and advance
Brooke Brazill to scoring position at third, but both would be left stranded to end the inning.
The defense couldn't hold off the bottom of the Toros lineup, allowing the Toros to load the bases before bringing in a run on an error to keep the bases loaded. A two-run double opened the game right up and the Toros would go on to put six runs on the board in the seventh for the 9-1 lead. Aguado earned two RBI on a double late in the game, but it wasn't enough to push the Yotes to the win.
Vargas will take the loss and drop to 19-11 on this season. This loss pushed the Yotes to the evening elimination game against the Seawolves of Sonoma State who they split the series with earlier this season.
Game 2: Yotes 5, SSU 6
Hayden Greene got the Yotes started early with a single and would advance to third on a single by Tosi. Martinez laid down the third single of the inning to bring Greene across the plate. A sac bunt by the Seawolves would record the first out of the inning and heads-up base covering by senior Garza would record the second out as the Sonoma runner attempted to advance to third. Greene snagged the final out of the inning with a grab from over the foul fence in left field.
Aguado singled up the middle followed by Tosi being walked to put two on base. Senior
Kaylee Williamson made her presence known, hitting a double to bring Aguado in to score. An RBI single through the left for Brazill would mark the third of the game for the Yotes and put another run on the board. Making it four RBI singles was Chavarria to bring Williamson in and push the Yotes to a 4-0 lead.
The Seawolves weren't going down without a fight. A two-run homerun with two outs on the board would cut the Yotes' lead in half. The Yotes got one back when Tosi drove in Greene from third base with a single to left field. The hot bats of both teams were on display throughout the first half of the game and that momentum continued with a solo homerun by the Seawolves.
The second two-run homerun by the Seawolves came in the bottom of the fifth with a shot over the left center field fence to tie the game at five.
The Yotes held off the Seawolves, forcing extra innings but a walk off double by the Seawolves would give the game a final score of 6-5.
Up Next
With this loss, the Yotes have been eliminated from the CCAA Tournament. Still being regionally ranked, they will await the completion of the remainder of the tournaments happening in the West Region which will determine seedings leading into the West Region tournament next week.
