On a softball team with the most dangerous hitter in the San Diego Section, Sammy Gehler may not be a secret much longer.
Most of the attention at Our Lady of Peace Academy rightfully goes to junior Stefini Ma’ake and her 16 home runs and 63 RBIs in 25 games.
But the Oregon-bound slugger-pitcher is not the only dangerous bat in the lineup.
Gehler, a freshman catcher for the Pilots, lined a two-run double in the sixth inning Wednesday to drive in the go-ahead runs that proved to be the winning runs in a 4-2 first-round victory at La Costa Canyon in the Division II playoffs.
“It took us six innings to look like a championship team,’’ OLP coach James Davis said. “We looked like just a good team until that sixth inning.
“We did not play well today, but that’s why we have to play all 21 outs through the end.
“I don’t care who they put in front of us as long as we’re still playing.’’
Our Lady of Peace (16-9-1) advances to Friday’s second round against No. 3 Holtville, which beat No. 6 Ramona 13-4.
What made Gehler’s lone hit even bigger was that the No. 7-seeded Pilots had only four hits, but three of them came in that one critical inning.
The road has not been too kind to OLP as its 8-7 record indicates.
Gehler helped turn a loss into a win after an error opened the door for OLP.
After a force play, the Pilots’ Ma’ake intentionally walked followed by sophomore Alayna Ma’ake’s infield hit, Gehler’s double and Jaclyn Anning’s run-scoring single.
The sixth inning turned out to be enough for OLP to rally to beat No. 2 La Costa Canyon (12-10).
“I thought those first two runs would stand up all day,’’ Gehler said. “The pitcher was pitching me inside and outside, so I was ready for anything.
“I just had to keep my hands up because I didn’t want to lose that game and end our season.’’
Stefini Ma’ake survived a wobbly outing in which the junior hurler allowed 12 hits and she contributed three walks on offense.
“Not my best effort,’’ she said. “In the beginning of the game I wasn’t hitting my spots, but it worked out.’’
La Costa Canyon carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning behind sophomore pitcher Norah Coulsell.
Coulsell’s first inning single, the third consecutive hit, gave LCC a 1-0 lead and the Mavericks pushed the lead with Layla Thiessen’s second-inning triple.
La Costa Canyon made a last-ditch effort in the seventh inning with three hits, but a line drive that was turned into a double play short-circuited the comeback.
Ma’ake struck out Coulsell on a changeup to end the game.
“I called that one,’’ Ma’ake said. “I had thrown changeups inside all day, but I threw the last one low and outside.’’
The last time these two teams played was eight years ago to the day in 2015, with LCC posted an 8-5 win over the Pilots in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
The Mavericks went on to win the CIF title that season.
But not this season.
