Any game, at any time, one of these ladies seem to just step up. In the usual cast of players, it is something to be expected, but with this team, any one of the girls can "step up to the plate and deliver".
FRANK BELLINO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Hemet catcher Avea Gaono tags out Patriot’s Brooke Thomas at the plate in their Division 4 softball semifinal.
Van Zee, hitting a phenomenal batting average – just a shade under .700, belted a leadoff home run in the fourth inning, and then Gandara followed with a second blast that flew high and deep over the right-field fence.
The pitches?
"It was a change-up," said Van Zee, a junior shortstop who came into the game with a .693 batting average, 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. "I was expecting it because that was what she was throwing all game."
Those two home runs broke open a scoreless pitching duel between Buena's Anneliese Lopez and Gandara. With her 2-0 lead, Gandara finished strong, allowing but one unearned run in the seventh as Hemet raced away to a 7-1 victory and into the division semifinals.
Hemet (25-5) will host Patriot of Riverside, the champion of the River Valley League, in next Tuesday's semifinal. Patriot (20-9) defeated Hesperia Oak Hills 13-4 to advance.
The past two years Hemet has reached the quarterfinals, but then faltered either by not getting strong enough pitching or scoring enough runs. But this third time around the Bulldogs got both.
Hemet broke the game open with a huge five run sixth inning. And once again, Van Zee (2-for-4, RBI) and Gandara (2-for-3, two RBIs) led the charge. Van Zee opened the inning with a double and Gandara drove her in with a single to left field. Run scoring hits by Ivy Campbell (1-3, RBI) and Jade Gandara (2-4, RBI), along with a single by Kassandra Hernandez (1-3), a walk to Antonia Nahulu, three errors and two wild pitches exited a Buena (22-7) team that won the Channel League.
"Those two home runs and their aggressive batting, that's where they got us," said Buena coach Tisha Duran.
Gandara was at the top of her game. Her rise and drop ball pitches exploded up and down, and her speed left most of the Buena lineup swinging late. When her final pitch of the game produced a ground ball to Van Zee at shortstop, the right-hander who now has a 20-3 record, finished with a three-hitter, seven strikeouts, two walks, nine ground balls, and four fly balls.
"Everything was working today," said Gandara, a senior, who will pitch, bat and play third base for Charleston Southern University of the Division I Big South Conference next season.
Was this her best game of the playoffs and perhaps the season? Buena coach Duran offered no argument.
"She did an excellent job and she's not predictable with her pitches," Duran said. "She really got us."
Hemet coach Jeff Galloway isn't big on individual statistics or achievements; instead realizing that winning softball comes from total team effort. And Galloway likes what he's seeing so far.
"This team works hard and they work together," he said. "We set a goal at the beginning of the season to win one game at a time; to 'win the day.' Being in the quarterfinals the past two years and knowing we want to get past this round, we've had to win one game at a time, and they did that well today."
On Tuesday, Hemet made history by beating the Jurupa Valley Patriots by a score of 10-1 in the semifinal round and advancing to the CIF Division 4 finals this weekend at Barber Park in Irvine. Avea Gaono started things off for the Bulldogs by ripping a grand slam in the first inning. The team rolled from there. Hemet's trip to the finals will be the first for the softball program since 1980. The championship game will be at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hemet will take on Santa Monica who beat Dos Pueblos 3-2 in an extra inning semifinal game.
Today's game, Avea Gaono did just that as she cleared the bases on a grand slam and at the next at bat, got another two RBI's. Five RBI's in two swings of the bat. Not only did she produce offensively, but she shut down, with brute force, anyone trying to get to the place defensively.
The team had it's usual strong pitching performance by Cheyenne Gandara. She was aided by strong defensive play by her teammates, particularly third base with Mackenzie Miller. Miller easily handled the first two hits to her for outs and the day seemed to be off to a great start.
Patriot got some hits, but the Bulldogs were positioned correctly and let very little through.
Offensively, the Dogs got off by chipping away with some solid hitting that found some holes in the Patriot defense to get runners on base. As the batting lineup progressed during the first inning, the bases were loaded for Gaono, the number five batter. With one wicked swing, she powered the ball over the center right fence and put the dogs up 4-0. From that point on, the Bulldogs played relaxed, enjoyed the game, ran the based well, and made their coaches very happy.
Next up for the Bulldogs will be the finals at the Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on either Friday or Saturday. As graduation for the seniors is on Thursday, with Grad Night to follow, this will be a chance in the lifetime for many of these girls to play for a CIF Championship.
Article from the Press Enterprise
C I F P L AYO F F R O U N D U P
HEMET IN A ROUT
The heart of Hemet High’s softball lineup presents opponents with nothing but unpleasant options. As far as Jurupa Valley Patriot was concerned, no one was less pleasant Tuesday than Avea Gaono. Gaono ripped a first-inning grand slam and finished with six RBIs to power Hemet to a 10-1 rout of Patriot in a Division 4 semifinal. Hemet (26-5) will face Santa Monica either Friday or Saturday at Barber Park in Irvine. It will be the Bulldogs’ first softball title-game appearance since 1980. Leading the way to the final has been the solid pitching of Cheyenne Gandara and the dangerous middle of the Hemet order. In the quarterfinals, Taylor Van Zee and Gandara homered on consecutive pitches. This time, it was the No. 5 hitter, Gaono, doing the damage. “This is only her second year of softball,” coach Jeff Galloway said. “She’s been soaking things up like a sponge and now she’s really clicking. With Taylor and Cheyenne and now her, who are you going to pitch around? Who are you going to pitch to?”Source: www.pe.com
Middle of Hemet order takes heart out of Patriot
Gaono does the bulk of the damage in the D4 semi with a grand slam, 6 RBIs
HEMET — The heart of Hemet High’s softball lineup presents opponents with nothing but unpleasant options. As far as Jurupa Valley Patriot was concerned, no one was less pleasant Tuesday than Avea Gaono. Gaono ripped a first-inning grand slam and finished with six RBIs to power Hemet to a 10-1 rout of Patriot in a Division 4 semifinal. Hemet (26-5) will face Santa Monica or Goleta Dos Pueblos either Friday or Saturday at Barber Park in Irvine. It will be the Bulldogs’ first softball title-game appearance since 1980, but they are seeking the school’s third CIF championship in a girls sport this school year. Hemet won titles in volleyball and water polo in the fall. Leading the way to the final has been the solid pitching of Cheyenne Gandara and the dangerous middle of the Hemet order. In the quarterfinals , Taylor Van Zee and Gandara homered on consecutive pitches. This time, it was the No. 5 hitter, Gaono, doing the damage. “This is only her second year of softball,” coach Jeff Galloway said. “She’s been soaking things up like a sponge and now she’s really clicking. With Taylor and Cheyenne and now her, who are you going to pitch around? Who are you going to pitch to?” Hemet put Patriot starter Kyla Colburn in immediate jeopardy with three hits in the first four at-bats. Gaono then unloaded on a 2-1 pitch to right field for her first grand slam at any level. “It was a little bit out (side),” Gaono said. “I just kind of threw my hands at it. I definitely wasn’t trying to hit a home run.” Hemet didn’t make things any easier on reliever Riley Allen. Gaono brought home Van Zee with a pop-fly double in the third and Van Zee delivered a three-run homer in the fourth to push the lead to 8-0. The offense took plenty of pressure off Gandara, who allowed only one hit in the first five innings. Patriot got untracked late with four hits in the final two innings, including Jenae Lockwood’s run-scoring double. “It releases so much pressure (to get the early lead),” Gandara said. “I’m just so proud of this team. We’ve definitely bonded and gotten better since the start of the season.” Patriot (20-10), which advanced past the first round for the first time, “ran into a buzz saw” according to coach DeWayne Mason.” “She (Gandara) is the best pitcher we’ve faced all season,” Mason said. “The velocity she has, we haven’t seen all year.” Gandara, Gaono, Van Zee and the rest may have achieved one goal by reaching the final. Gaono, however, said that wasn’t enough. “I’m not satisfied,” she said. “I want a ring.”Big blasts power Hemet Bulldogs into semifinals |
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LIKE THE PRO'S DO IT: Hemet catcher Avea Gaono slaps the tag on Buena's Brittany Perez during Hemet's 7-1 victory over visiting Buena of Ventura in the CIF-SS Division 4 quarterfinals on Thursday. The win moves Hemet into the semifinals against Patriot of Riverside next Tuesday at home. | ||
May 27, 2013
How does an opposing softball team pitch to Taylor Van Zee and Cheyenne Gandara? Very carefully. And sometimes that's not good enough. The Buena Bulldogs of Ventura found that out the hard way on Thursday in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 quarterfinals.Van Zee, hitting a phenomenal batting average – just a shade under .700, belted a leadoff home run in the fourth inning, and then Gandara followed with a second blast that flew high and deep over the right-field fence.
The pitches?
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TOUGH OUT: Hemet shortstop Taylor VanZee went 2-for-4 and hit a home run in the Bulldogs 7-1 second-round playoff victory over visiting Buena of Ventura on Thursday. | ||
Those two home runs broke open a scoreless pitching duel between Buena's Anneliese Lopez and Gandara. With her 2-0 lead, Gandara finished strong, allowing but one unearned run in the seventh as Hemet raced away to a 7-1 victory and into the division semifinals.
Hemet (25-5) will host Patriot of Riverside, the champion of the River Valley League, in next Tuesday's semifinal. Patriot (20-9) defeated Hesperia Oak Hills 13-4 to advance.
The past two years Hemet has reached the quarterfinals, but then faltered either by not getting strong enough pitching or scoring enough runs. But this third time around the Bulldogs got both.
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WINNING SOFTBALL IS WONDERFUL MacKenzie Miller, right, shows her joy after the Bulldogs 7-1 victory. | ||
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DOMINATING PITCHER: Hemet pitcher Cheyenne Gandara won her 20th game of the season (20-3) in leading the Bulldogs to a 7-1 CIF-SS Division 4 quarterfinal win over Buena of Ventura on Thursday. The win moves the Bulldogs into the semifinals where they will meet Patriot of Riverside next Tuesday. | ||
Gandara was at the top of her game. Her rise and drop ball pitches exploded up and down, and her speed left most of the Buena lineup swinging late. When her final pitch of the game produced a ground ball to Van Zee at shortstop, the right-hander who now has a 20-3 record, finished with a three-hitter, seven strikeouts, two walks, nine ground balls, and four fly balls.
"Everything was working today," said Gandara, a senior, who will pitch, bat and play third base for Charleston Southern University of the Division I Big South Conference next season.
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JUST IN TIME: Hemet first baseman Ivy Campbell stretches for the throw to get the Buena runner. | ||
"She did an excellent job and she's not predictable with her pitches," Duran said. "She really got us."
Hemet coach Jeff Galloway isn't big on individual statistics or achievements; instead realizing that winning softball comes from total team effort. And Galloway likes what he's seeing so far.
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WINNING IS WONDERFUL: Catcher Avea Gano, left, and shortstop Taylor Van Zee celebrate during Hemet's five-run sixth inning that led to a 7-1 victory over Buena of Ventura in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 playoffs on Thursday. | ||
On Tuesday, Hemet made history by beating the Jurupa Valley Patriots by a score of 10-1 in the semifinal round and advancing to the CIF Division 4 finals this weekend at Barber Park in Irvine. Avea Gaono started things off for the Bulldogs by ripping a grand slam in the first inning. The team rolled from there. Hemet's trip to the finals will be the first for the softball program since 1980. The championship game will be at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Hemet will take on Santa Monica who beat Dos Pueblos 3-2 in an extra inning semifinal game.
http://www.hemetusd.k12.ca.us/sites/hemeths/fac/jhill/sports/CIF/CIFSBSemiFinal2013/index.html
Source: Hemet High School / www.pe.com / www.thevalleychronicle.com