Gold Coast suffered its first loss in the Senior Girls Softball Western Regionals in Missoula, Missouri, dropping Sunday’s opening game 9-5 to Southern California (Southwest PD Little League). However, the team bounced back in the second game, defeating Northern California (Antioch Little League) 11-7.
A rough first inning doomed Gold Coast in the first game. Southern California pushed six runs across the plate, three of which came off of starting pitcher Taylor Tabucbuc, who would exit the game without recording an out. Tabucbuc struggled with her control, walking three.
Shaylee Alani entered in the bottom of the first and allowed six runs over the next six innings. She allowed four earned off eight hits and six walks. She struck out two.
Offensively, Gold Coast put up a fight, scoring four of its five runs in the final three innings. Alani, Kiera Javillonar and Kaila Tabiolo-Amaral recorded two hits each. Alani had two doubles and knocked in two runs, while also scoring one. Breianna McLeod went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
In Game 2, Gold Coast again fell down early, trailing 4-1 after the first two innings. Down 5-2 entering the bottom of the fourth, Gold Coast scored four runs in the fifth and another five in the sixth for the win.
Sarah Sedillo led the offense with four hits and three RBIs. Antoinette Fernandez went 3-for-3. Alani and Teizha Kaluna had two hits apiece. Kaluna had the lone extra base hit for Gold Coast. She scored twice and knocked in a run.
Kaluna started in the circle, allowing four runs, but only one earned, off three hits in three innings of work. She walked four and struck out two. Fernandez threw the last four innings, allowing three runs off four hits, while walking three.