The Park University Gilbert softball team might have gotten off to a slower start than they had hoped for, dropping their season opener 6-0 to Benedictine Mesa University. But a slew of solid hitting performances by the Bucs in game two sparked a six-run seventh inning comeback to win the game, 10-6 and split the series.

  

"I've got to hand it to Benedictine on game one. They walked out there and pitched a really good game and shut us out," head coach Karin Gadberry said. "We didn't do our job at the plate, so we made some changes and bounced back in game two and walked out there and scored some runs."

 

Maybe the wind was not blowing in the Bucs' favor in game one; maybe the cold weather was keeping the Buccaneers' bats cool, but key hits eluded the Bucs in game one. The fourth and fifth innings saw four strikeouts with runners in scoring position; the Bucs left seven runners on base in game one.

 

The Redhawks' performance at the plate did not make things any easier for the Bucs. They scored six runs in the second inning off sophomore ace Gabby Vallee before Jessica Mendoza came in in relief. Mendoza's relief appearance was one of the few bright spots of game one. In her Bucs debut, she pitched four innings and gave up just three hits.

 

Then as the temperature got cooler, the Bucs' bats got hotter. Unlike game one, game two featured a slew of impressive hitting performances.

 

Nadia Gutierrez, Raylissa Garcia and Tayler Gallegos all crossed home plate in the first inning to give the Bucs a three run lead in the first inning, but the Redhawks struck back with three runs of their own in the second.

 

All hope looked lost until the seventh inning, when Gallegos again reached base on a misplayed grounder and sparked a fire in the Bucs' bats. The Bucs went through the entire order and then some in the resurgent final inning, but it was a double by Payton Cushner that gave the Bucs the lead that they never looked back from.

 

Cushner's double in the seventh was her second in the game which tied a Buccaneers record.

 

Gallegos finished the game with two hits, two runs, one walk and one RBI. Raylissa Garcia went 2-5 with two runs and three RBIs; Shaylah Dominguez also added two hits, one run, one RBI and a walk. Defensively, Alleggra Poeter racked up nine putouts at first base, which also tied a team record.

 

"One of the changes that we really wanted to make was to fix our middle play and I think moving Tayler over to second base was the right move," Gadberry said. "She's a great second baseman, she's done a great job. She's really been a veteran at the plate, too and she showed that today."

Although there was no shortage of notable performances in game two, it was Gutierrez's that was the most well-rounded. She held down the shortstop position, while racking up two hits, a run and a stolen base.

 

"Nadia's just an athlete. She's just a player. She's going to be a phenomenal four-year player for us," Gadberry said.

 

The Buccaneers will play another doubleheader against the Redhawks tomorrow, March 13 at 12 p.m. at Westwood High School