Hilvers delivers go-ahead homer in fifth to lead BCHS past Wasco in D-III softball semifinals
In a season of the long ball, Bakersfield Christian’s 36th home run of the season may have been the Eagles' biggest.
Junior Dakoda Hilvers delivered a two-out, two-run blast in the bottom of the fifth in what proved to be the game-winner in her team’s 3-2 victory over No. 3 Wasco, sending BCHS to its first Central Section softball final since 2018 with its 26th straight victory.
“I’m just so proud of them, like beyond proud of them, honestly,” said 11th-year Bakersfield Christian coach Jodi Russell, as her players stacked their gloves to form a tall hat on her head. “They just fight. That’s just what they do. They fight hard. They work hard.”
No. 2 Bakersfield Christian (26-1), which lost in the first round of the playoffs the past two seasons, advanced to play top-seeded Taft for the Division III championship at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Fresno State.
“I’m excited for that,” said Russell of playing Taft in the final. “That’s what I was hoping for. We used to be in the same league with Taft and we played a lot. We haven’t played in a few years so I’m pretty excited to go up against them on Saturday.”
Clinging to a one-run lead, Eagles starter Anabell Hinojosa struck out the Tigers’ Sara Adams to open the seventh inning.
Kilynn McCurdy followed with a single that went to the fence in center field, but she was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.
The following batter, Devanie Caban, singled over the first-base bag, and when the ball got past right fielder Kailee Cadena, Caban went to second and headed for third. Unfortunately for her, she never made it. Caban was tagged out by BCHS third baseman Cailee Carr to end the game.
It was a crazy finish to what was a hard-fought, tight contest throughout.
Wasco opened the first and second innings with consecutive hits and led 2-0 on a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt.
Ale Raya opened the game with a single and moved to second on a single by Aliya Leal. Both runners advanced on a passed ball and Raya scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by Abby Salazar.
In the second, Wasco pitcher Cedes Saldana doubled to deep center field and moved to third when Adams reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt after BCHS second baseman Tia Nichols slipped trying to cover first base. One out later, pinch runner Ruby Macias came home on a bunt by Devanie Caban to make it 2-0.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield Christian was held in check by Saldana, who after walking the leadoff batter in the first, retired the next seven.
Maddison Misuraca broke the string with a solid single to left field with one out in the third, moved to third on a single by Bella Thomas and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Hilvers to trim the lead to 2-1. The rally was cut short when Nichols lined into a double play.
Bakersfield Christian’s pitcher also did her job. After giving up two early runs, Hinojosa (26-1) settled in, retiring 11 straight during one stretch. After allowing five hits in the first three innings, she gave up only one until the seventh, striking out 10 to keep her team close.
That was particularly important with two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Thomas singled, stole second and moved to third on an errant throw, setting the stage for Hilvers' blast that cleared the left-center field fence to give her team the lead for good.
“I think the home run obviously changed the dynamic in the dugout,” Russell said. “We have hit 36 home runs this year, but it has not just been one or two girls. We've had several girls hit (home runs). We just win these close games because they never give up.”
