‘It was nerve-wracking’ – Mitty softball survives extra-innings, advances to CCS Open semifinals

SAN JOSE – With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Archbishop Mitty’s Mia Rodriguez had just one job: put the ball in play and hope McKenna Woliczko made it across home plate safely. 

Rodriguez knew the stakes: a hit would send Mitty to the Central Coast Section Open Division softball semifinal against Hollister. 

“My knees were literally shaking,” Rodriguez said. “It was nerve-wracking.”

Nerves would not prevent Rodriguez from slapping a ball into the infield, sprinting to first while giving her freshman teammate enough time to slide into home plate for the winning run in Mitty’s 3-2 victory over Sequoia on Saturday. 

“As soon as she laid that down, it was coming at me but I was like ‘I’m making this,’ ” Woliczko said. 

Sequoia struck first, with pitcher Ainsley Waddell belting a two-run homer in the top half of the third to give Sequoia a 2-0 lead. 

Archbishop Mitty answered in bottom of the inning, junior third baseman Sara Pina pushing one of her two hits through for an RBI. 

“To be down 2-0 in the bottom of the third, that easily could have put us into a bit of a panic,” Mitty coach Megan Yocke said. “But they stuck to the plan and did a really good job.”

Even though the teams had ample opportunities with runners in scoring position to break the game open, neither could break through.

It was a frustrating game for both teams, with Sequoia stranding nine runners and Mitty leaving 11 on. 

Waddell threw 7.2 innings, striking out eight. Mitty freshman Kyleigh Mace also threw seven-plus innings, striking out six and allowing six hits and six walks. 

Mitty’s Megan Sutton was 2 for 4, as was Sequoia’s Nisha Mehta. Jamie Elkington was 3 for 4 for the Redwood City school as the Ravens kept constant pressure on the Mitty pitchers. 

Senior Ava Markert spelled Mace at one point, throwing two-thirds of an inning in her first appearance since sustaining an injury in mid-April. .

Woliczko tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, singling into right and scoring junior Lindsey Miller. 

Gigi Odom led off the top of the seventh with a double, but ended the inning tagged out at home after freshman left fielder Olivia Anderson threw a perfect strike into catcher Cori Hicks.

“I’ve been playing with some of these girls since I was seven years old,” said Odom, adding she will not play softball in college. “Being able to grow up with them and being on the field with them every day up through high school, I’ll remember that entire experience.”

Following a scoreless top of the eighth, Mitty’s first two batters grounded out. Woliczko was plunked with a pitch, giving Mitty life. She stole second, and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. 

That set the stage for Rodriguez’s heroics. 

“I had a feeling she’d get it done,” Yocke said. 

Sequoia ended its season 18-6. 

“There’s a reason we were slotted in the Open against Mitty,” Sequoia coach Michelle Sarrail said. “We loved the challenge and were up for it … I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

No. 2 seed Archbishop Mitty, now 21-3, will host third-seeded Hollister in the semifinal at a yet to be determined time. The Monarchs defeated Hollister 3-2 on May 5, and Rodriguez is looking forward to the rematch. 

“We barely beat them last time, and I have a lot of friends on that team, so it will be very competitive and fun,” Rodriguez said.