PHOTOS: Salinas beats Monterey to capture section softball title (2024)

SARATOGA — She’s had to live with the pitch for a year. Abi Jones can’t count how many times she has thought about the magnitude of the moment.

A shot at redemption against the same opponent in the same setting would not be denied. Jones can bury the decision and celebrate a Central Coast Section softball title.

“Let’s just say I have thought about it a lot,” the Salinas High pitcher said. “I had trouble sleeping last night. I have used it as motivation all year. I had a lot of adrenaline today.”

The right-handed hurler came out with a purpose, in the circle and at the plate, striking out 17 and adding a two-run double Saturday, leading Salinas to a 7-5 win over Monterey in the Division I finals at West Valley College.

For the Cowboys, who avenged last year’s 4-2 setback to Monterey in the Division II title game, it was their first section title since 1998.

“I took the girls to the sign on our field with the names of the players from the last title team,” Salinas coach Ron Guzman said. “I told them you have a chance to do something that will last forever. I’m still taking this in. You’re a little in shock at first.”

Salinas (20-9) will be seeded into the Northern California divisional playoffs, where it will open tournament play on Tuesday. Joining them in the postseason will be CCS Division III champion Alvarez.

“I’m just over the moon,” Jones said. “Our offense was insane. We were executing bunts, taking extra bases. The energy in the dugout was super high. It was just a great team effort. Honestly, it feels surreal.”

Having fallen by a run in the 2022 Division IV finals, and succumbing on a walk-off homer in last year’s Division II title game, Salinas erased two years of hardship, as well as a pair of losses to Monterey this past spring in Pacific Grove Athletic League Gabilan Division play.

“It’s kind of sinking in,” said Jones, who will pitch in 2026 for San Jose State. “It hasn’t fully set in. There are a lot of emotions. We got them back for what happened last year.”

No one felt the sting from last year more than Jones, who gave up the two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh in a 4-2 loss to Monterey (21-8), which was attempting to three-peat as section champions.

“I think I can finally stop thinking about it now,” said Jones, who has struck out 45 hitters in three playoff games.

Jones was masterful in the circle, with the junior’s first 10 outs recorded being strikeouts — 15 of her 17 strikeouts coming in the first six innings, limiting the No. 3 seeded Toreadores to one run through six.

“We didn’t make the adjustments,” Monterey coach Michael Royster said. “She was throwing a rise ball. We kept on talking about it, reminding them to look down. It looks like you can hit it. We got fooled on it about a half dozen times.”

Staked to a 1-0 lead before throwing her first pitch was more runs than Jones received in a pair of 2-0 losses to Monterey in the regular season.

As dominating as Jones was in the circle, her bat was equally potent, delivering a two-run double in the fourth inning to give the Cowboys a 4-1 lead.

“That felt amazing,” Jones said. “I had fouled off a couple of pitches. That gave me a little more cushion on the mound. I was throwing a little harder after that.”

Support at the plate continued as Sam Regalado ripped a two-run double in the sixth, increasing Salinas’ led to five runs. An RBI double from Sam Merillana extended the advantage to 7-1 in the seventh.

Regalado finished with a pair of doubles for Salinas, while Ava Thompson collected four hits, including a triple to open the game, later scoring on a ground out for the game’s first run.

“We put it all together at the plate and in the field,” Guzman said. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do all year. We executed a game plan that worked perfectly. We shortened our swings to let the pitcher dictate the power.”

As it turned out, the insurance runs were critical as Monterey mounted a wild seventh inning rally, with Ryanna Elliott driving in her second run of the game, and Jordyn McGrit singling home a run to cut the deficit to two.

“I don’t know what it was, but nothing seemed to faze me,” Jones said. “All we needed was one more out. Everyone was telling me to remain calm. I was pretty calm. I wasn’t dwelling on any of it.”

Jones, who struck out the side in the first three innings, left the potential tying run at the plate with a called third strike to create a wild and emotional celebration — one that was 27 years in the making.

“We were fighting an uphill battle the entire game,” Royster said. “We were fortunate to get an opportunity to get back to the finals a third straight year — in a higher division. It’s still quite an achievement. We had a lot of firsts this year.”

Ironically, the Cowboys last loss this year was administered by Monterey in their Gabilan Division finale.

“Even when we were up by four runs, I said it wasn’t enough,” Guzman said. “Monterey always come on strong. Abi’s poise in the circle was unbelievable. She just kept battling.”