SAN JOSE – Jaylynn Perez stabbing a sharp line drive at third base and calmly throwing a frozen rope to first for the out.
Freshman Serenity Hernandez making a twisting, acrobatic catch over over her right shoulder on a difficult pop-up.
Left fielder Amaya Hernandez tracking a long fly ball close to the wall and plucking the would-be double out of the air.
Lincoln-San Jose’s bats made plenty of big plays in its come-from-behind 13-5 softball victory over visiting Pioneer, but the Lion defense put together an even more impressive highlight reel in support of pitcher Carina Reuterskiold.
“They’ve been pretty good,” Reuterskiold said about her team’s defense before pausing, and then adding, “They’ve been really good this year.”
Lincoln’s Amaya Hernandez (10) makes a catch for an out in deep left field on a hit by Pioneer’s Olivia Krump (11) in the fifth inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Coming off a rough 10-0 loss to Sobrato, which plays in the top tier of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Lincoln appeared headed to a second straight loss early on Thursday afternoon.
Playing host to Blossom Valley Santa Teresa Division rival Pioneer, Lincoln went down 4-0 Early. Pioneer’s Kassandra Andalon and Riley Nevins drove in Saya Fujii and Gizelle Ortiz in the first inning.
In the second, Cara Goodrich and Sadie Heming both scored , the latter coming home when Pioneer pitcher Gina Scripoch drove a ball into right field.
“We had runners in scoring position almost every inning, and I think we just pressed a little bit,” Pioneer coach Ernie Garcia said.
But even facing a deficit and coming off a loss, doubt did not enter the Lincoln dugout.
“We’ve been winning a lot of games,” Reuterskoid said. “My team is good, and they had my back.”
Lincoln starting pitcher Carina Reuterskiold (24) throws against Pioneer High School in the third inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Lincoln proceeded to put up two runs in the second, five in the third, and then two in the fifth and four more in the sixth inning to put the game away.
“We don’t get down on ourselves,” Lincoln’s seventh-year coach Bill Kaui said. “We’re confident in a quiet way, and the team knows they’ll pick each other up and rise to the occasion.”
Serenity Hernandez led the way on offense, going 3 for 4 with three RBIs. However, it was still her incredible catch in the fourth inning that stood out to her teammate.
“I was standing out in right field, and I though it was going to drop,” Keona Perez said. “Then she just stuck her glove out there and the ball just barely got in there.”
Lincoln’s Juliana Miller also had two RBIs, and Amaya Hernandez, Eva Vasquez and Amaya Hernandez each had a hit.
To Pioneer’s credit, the Mustangs kept battling even with the game out of reach. Heming hit her third double of the day to drive in one more run.
“We showed we’re a good team and can compete with them,” Scripoch said. “We just need make sure we can do it throughout the entire game.”
Pioneer’s Cara Goodrich (4) score a run on a double hit by Pioneer’s Sadie Heming (1) against Lincoln High School in the second inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
On Thursday, there would just be no stopping Lincoln. Everything was working for the Lions, and no play encapsulated the kind of zone the team was in quite like one frenetic sequence in the fifth-inning.
Keona Perez hammered the ball into right field.
“On my way from second to third, I was thinking ‘Nice triple, this is a nice triple,’” Perez remembered.
Then she saw Kaui waving her home.
“I was thinking, ‘Just let me get the triple’ because I thought I was going to be out,” Perez said with a laugh.
A faster-than-she-though Perez easy made it home as Lincoln was well on its way to improving its record to 12-3, 7-0.
Lincoln’s Serenity Hernandez (82) hits an RBI single against Pioneer High School in the third inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Lincoln’s Jaylynn Perez (49) scores on a triple hit by Lincoln’s Serenity Hernandez (82) against Pioneer High School in the second inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Lincoln’s Giselle Gutierrez (23) heads to home plate to score a run off of a double hit by Lincoln’s Jaylynn Perez (49) against Pioneer High School in the third inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Lincoln’s Jaylynn Perez (49) hits an RBI double against Pioneer High School in the third inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. She would advance to third base. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Lincoln’s Keona Perez (2) celebrates his in-the-park two-run home run against Pioneer High School in the fifth inning at Lincoln High School in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)