Cardiac Cowboys: Livermore lassos NCS comeback win over Alameda with stunning sixth-inning rally

LIVERMORE All Kaci Norton could do was watch Very nerve-wracking in the dugout Livermore s starting pitcher reported Kind of sitting there praying Second-seeded Livermore trailed No Alameda by two runs entering the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs and the home Cowboys were six outs away from the end of their season Livermore put two runners on base as Laine Macosky walked to lead off the inning then Gianna Willes singled to get the tying run on base Alameda pitcher Julia Lambert retired the next two Livermore batters putting the Cowboys in a precarious position But they were ready to meet the moment Sydney Aguilar walked to load the bases then freshman Jules McCafferty stepped up to the plate On the first pitch of the at-bat McCafferty looped a bloop to right field It fell in front of Alameda right fielder Sadie Ramirez tying the event Then Eliza Gerochi and Sophia Gerochi laced back-to-back RBI singles and suddenly it was Livermore who had the two-run lead Livermore s Jules McCafferty connects for a two-run single in the sixth inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff competition at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group After that it was Norton s turn to come through The junior finished off a complete meeting with a - - seventh-inning and the Cowboys had officially lassoed a - playoff domination from the jaws of defeat Another year off my life Livermore coach Andy Paulazzo quipped Ain t got plenty of left at Paulazzo s lucky that McCafferty was unfazed by the moment in her first-ever NCS playoff event The four-sport star who also made the Cowboys varsity flag football and basketball teams in her first year at Livermore had faith that the time she had put in would come to the light All the work that I ve put in leading up to that there is no pressure there McCafferty announced Just leave it up to God and hope for the best I hoped it would drop But all I knew is I was rounding first and it was on the ground It was great Livermore s Sofia Traverso scores the go-ahead run on a hit by teammate Sophia Gerochi in the sixth inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff meeting at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group There wasn t much in the previous innings to indicate that Livermore - was poised for a comeback After Sophia Gerochi led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run into the right-field netting the Cowboys trailed - But they couldn t get much traffic on the basepaths after that as no runner advanced past first base in the next two innings For a good long while it appeared Lambert was a puzzle Livermore wouldn t be able to solve We did really well defensively in innings one through five Alameda coach Meida Tautalatasi noted We could have hit a lot more rather than just that one inning where we got the four runs Alameda s Mia Wong connects for a two-run double against Livermore in the second inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff battle at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Indeed Alameda s four-run offensive explosion in the third changed the encounter but Norton buckled down afterward and gave Livermore a chance to come back Norton stranded Abbye Haines at third base to end the top of the third and did not allow a runner past first for the rest of the championship Our group unfailingly comes back and they inevitably have my back Norton commented We constantly work really hard and they work extra hard to keep me up and motivated It s consistently so major to kind of stay ahead and work for my company and get it as close as achievable Livermore pitcher Kaci Norton pitches against Alameda in the seventh inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff championship at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group When it came down to it it was a ninth-grader taking the preponderance crucial at-bat of the season for the Cowboys McCafferty who also plays club rugby was right in the heart of the figurative scrum Related Articles NCS baseball playoffs Foothill s big inning turns back Benicia in D-I challenge NCS roundup Defending champ Granada falls to Casa Grande in D-I baseball NCS baseball softball scoreboard Friday s quarterfinals results Hilding Tex Ronning - Santa Cruz mourns loss of inspirational coach professor NorCal volleyball roundup No Oakland sweeps top seed Ben Holt of Stockton Mitty awaits Division I opponent But when you re used to literally partaking in full-contact battles of will maybe a psychological one seems like a walk in the park It s great McCafferty explained I love these girls and these seniors have been really kind to me this season They re all great players and I hope to have a next match with them no matter what Getting that win really meant a lot to everyone I know that Livermore catcher Kymber Dao hugs pitcher Kaci Norton after defeating Alameda in the seventh inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff encounter at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Livermore s Laine Macosky throws to first base to complete the double play in the fifth inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff meeting at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Alameda pitcher Julia Lambert pitches against Livermore in the sixth inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff battle at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Livermore s Kerigan Coates scores a run past Alameda catcher Aaliyah Soderlund in the sixth inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff competition at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Coates scored on a single hit by Eliza Gerochi Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Livermore s Sophia Gerochi is all smiles as she round third base after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff battle at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group Livermore s Kerigan Coates reaches for the throw as Alameda s Alissa Smitheram is out at first base in the third inning of the North Coast Section Division I quarterfinals playoff challenge at Livermore High School in Livermore Calif on Friday May Livermore defeated Alameda - Jose Carlos Fajardo Bay Area News Group