(Mesa, AZ) The start of the 2023 season for the Park University Gilbert softball team did not go as planned. New head coach Brandon Telesco‘s charges were known for their ability to hit. But on a chilly night, the Bucs bats went cold as the Buccaneers dropped both games of a season opening double header to Taylor University 3-2 and 8-0.
“This was not the start I envisioned,” said Telesco. “But I still have a lot of belief in this team. This is just a temporary setback.”
The first game was a tight affair, as both teams struggled to get much going against starting pitchers Abril Nerey from Park and McKenzie Noah from Taylor. The Trojans broke through first in the fourth inning with an unearned run. A leadoff single by Caitlyn Grim started things and she moved to third on consecutive ground outs. Nerey got Trojan catcher Delanee McCreary to hit a fly ball to down the right field line. Right fielder Natalie Castro looked to have the catch well in hand, but the ball glanced off her glove and Grim came into score.
The Trojans extended the lead in the fifth to 2-0 after a leadoff walk, sacrifice bunt and ground out moved the runner to third. Then Grim singled to right scoring the run.
The Bucs finally answered in the sixth as a Danielle Farinas double scored Christina Robles. Taylor added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to make the score 3-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bucs attempted to make a comeback. Nerey led off with a four-pitch walk. She advanced to second on a ground out and then to third on a wild pitch. Catcher Raylissa Garcia drilled a single to right to score Nerey. The Bucs then had the tying run on second with two outs as Garcia move up on a ground out by Ledezma Romero. But the comeback fell short as Castro grounded out to short to end the inning.
The Buccaneers posted six hits, led by two from the senior Garcia. Nerey threw a complete game allowing three runs (two earned) and struck out three as she takes the hard luck loss. Noah earns the complete game win, also allowing six hits and two runs, striking out five.
Park Gilbert continued to struggle with the sticks in game two as the only mustered four hits against Taylor freshman starter Katie Kottlowski. At one point retiring 11 Bucs in a row before Garcia broke the string with a double. But it did not slow down the lefty as she would go on to retire 18 of the last 20 Buccaneer batters to end the game.
Taylor scored single runs in the second and fourth innings before breaking it open with a four run fifth on Bucs starter Mariah Martinez. It was capped off by a three-run home run from Trojan clean-up hitter Aleyah Rastetter which chased Martinez. The Trojans added two more in the seventh off of Bucs relief pitcher Christian Smith to give them the final margin of victory.
Martinez took the loss, going four-plus innings, allowing six hits and six runs (five earned). Kottlowski gets the win in her collegiate debut.
The Bucs have a week off to make adjustments before traveling to Glendale, Ariz., to take on Arizona Christian in a single game next Saturday, February 4 at 10 a.m.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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