Third time’s the charm: Alameda defeats Bishop O’Dowd in 10-inning NCS playoff softball thriller

NCS Division II softball: Alameda plays for almost three hours in quarterfinal victory over league rival Bishop O'Dowd

OAKLAND – A Bishop O’Dowd runner was 60 feet away from ending Alameda’s season as Jasmine “Jazzy” Whorley threw could have been the last pitch of her high school career. 

But instead of giving up an RBI hit or flyout, Whorley got a strikeout in the bottom of the eighth inning. Then the senior induced a groundout to extend the game. 

The University of Illinois-Chicago commit later had an RBI a three-run 10th inning that gave the Hornets a 5-3 victory in the North Coast Section Division II quarterfinals. After losing to O’Dowd 2-1 and 1-0 in the regular season, Alameda finally came out on the winning side of a thriller against the Oakland private school. 

“As soon as I got that batter out, I knew my team was hyped for me and I was hyped myself,” Whorley said after striking out seven in a complete game. “I felt like we had more energy.”

A trip on Tuesday to top-seeded Casa Grande for a rematch of last year’s playoff defeat is up next, and that’s totally fine with Alameda.

“I feel confident going into it,” the pitcher said. “We lost to them last year, which was really unfortunate, but we have a good team, strong energy and good vibes.” 

O’Dowd struck first in the second inning when Morgan Jackson lined a ball into left and drove Tulip Barnes in, but it didn’t take Alameda long to respond. 

After loading the bases with no outs, Hornet freshman Miley Gradney drew a walk to tie the game, and then fellow first-year player Julia Lambert pinged a pitch into left to score another. 

But the next three batters saw what could have been hits turn into spectacular catches by O’Dowd’s Jaella Mercado, Jackson and Zoe Bolick. That was something of a theme for both teams, who combined for 31 baserunners and almost as many stranded runners. 

“That’s been an issue we’ve had all season, where we leave baserunners on,” said O’Dowd senior and WACC Foothill player of the year Priya Kasling. “We do a good job of getting our first two hitters on base, and then our later hitters struggled to get them over.”

O’Dowd tied things up in the sixth inning when Olivia Marletta’s single pushed Barnes across home plate.

Neither side could get anything going in the seventh, and so with the sun setting and O’Dowd and Sonoma Valley’s baseball teams chomping at the bit to get their playoff matchup started on the Dragons’ multiuse field, the playoff game went into extra innings. 

After two scoreless innings, Alameda was able to take advantage of the automatic runner on second base to start the 10th inning.

Gradney, with her coach Meida Tautalatasi’s blessing, swung at the third pitch she saw and tied the game with a double into center field. 

“Oh my gosh, she’s been incredible,” the coach said. “I wanted to bunt to move our runner, but she’s such a great  hitter that I didn’t want to take her bat from her, and she delivered.”

Mahony-Bick, who went 3 for 5, drove in Gradney a few moments later with a single. And after the Hornets loaded the bases, Whorley completed Alameda’s big inning with a bases loaded walk. 

Kasling cut the deficit to one run when she drove a fly ball far enough into O’Dowd’s shallow outfield to get a runner across, but that’s all O’Dowd could muster. The next batter grounded out and joyous Alameda (20-3) celebrations and hugs soon ensued. 

“We’re on a revenge tour,” Tautalatasi said.