San Mateo walks off Hillsdale in extra innings, earning season sweep after snapping 16-game series losing streak
SAN MATEO - San Mateo doesn't care how it beats Hillsdale.
Only that it happens.
So when the Bearcats had to go to extra innings against the Knights, they weren't fazed. They had done much the same a month ago, when they needed nine frames to snap a 16-game losing streak by beating Hillsdale by two.
(It's possible the streak dates back even further. MaxPreps' records only go back to the 2005 season.)
On Tuesday, they only needed one extra inning, as Celia Hernandez scored the winning run with two outs after Kimi Cormier hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
San Mateo won 6-5, and the Bearcats have officially established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division.
Their resume, which now includes a season sweep of Hillsdale, would also support a strong argument to be the Peninsula's top team so far this year.
"We used to lose every time to them," said sophomore Alice Han, whose three-run homer tied the game 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth. "Last year, we started getting closer. This year, it’s really been put in the spotlight."
Han and Hernandez formed a formidable tag team Tuesday afternoon. Han set the tone as the leadoff hitter with a pair of walks and scored two runs, while Hernandez pitched all eight innings, had a double in the fifth and scored the winning run in the eighth after reaching on a fielder's choice.
"Got to mentally stay strong," Hernandez said of how San Mateo closed out the game in extras. "Got to push through. The last time, there were a little more jitters. This time, I’m more used to it. I feel like at this point, just go straight at them. I don’t have anything to lose."
Hernandez did exactly that in the top of the eighth, retiring the side on three consecutive one-pitch groundouts. She said it was her first three-pitch inning since she played 12U softball.
She finished with 111 pitches, 74 of which were strikes. In San Mateo's last matchup with Hillsdale, she pitched 8 ⅔ innings and threw 143 pitches.
Hernandez didn't even want to know how many pitches she threw in the last matchup. But she said she had more in her on Tuesday if they were needed.
"Luckily, we didn’t have to go another inning," San Mateo coach Robert Burley said. "But when it happened, I was like, ‘Wow, that could be huge for us,' because I’m definitely going to go one more inning with her after that."
Hillsdale had its own depth issues to navigate thanks to two seniors – including Nevada signee Mia DeMartini – arriving late due to Advanced Placement testing.
But they didn't miss much time, and the two teams put on a battle befitting the two best teams in the league.
With the dust now settled, San Mateo, which has won eight games in a row, leads the PAL Bay with a 15-4 overall record and 9-2 mark in league play. Hillsdale is 15-8 and 9-2 – with San Mateo sweeping the season series, the Bearcats own the tiebreaker should the two teams finish tied.
The league champion will have the opportunity to play in the Central Coast Section Open Division tournament.
"It’s really this fun rivalry that has kind of randomly come up, because San Mateo and Hillsdale haven’t always been traditional rivals," Hillsdale coach Eryn McCoy said. "And honestly, we got two teams that just love softball and want to compete out there, and neither really want to back down, which is really fun to see.
"It really keeps you on your toes. And there’s a turn at every corner, and nothing’s ever guaranteed, and both teams are going to go down fighting to the very end and beyond."
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