BRENTWOOD – Liberty third baseman Bella Rice hurriedly ran around the infield during the second inning of the North Coast Section Division I playoff game, not quite sure if she’d put enough oomph behind her swing and not totally certain the ball would land over the fence until she was close to second base.
But Bella got her chance to really show off her home run trot in the very next inning, this time belting a pitch over the left field wall with such force that she was certain it was gone the get-go.
“It just felt so good off the bat,” Rice said on Tuesday after going 2 for 3 with four RBIs. “And then running around the bases, it felt good to see my teammates all at home plate.”
Liberty hit three towering homers – and barely missed on a fourth when the ball bounced off the top of the wall for a ground-rule double – in the Lions’ 9-0 victory over Dublin. The hosts put the game away early, scoring all nine in the first thee innings.
The Lions have hit 33 homers this season, but their coach Brandi Macias said her hitters don’t go up to the plate trying to send every ball 300 feet over the wall.
“We try to keep it simple, and by doing that, they’re not overthinking,” second-year coach Macias said. “When we see a good strike, we’re going to take a good swing.”
A bundle of second-year standouts ended up taking a whole bunch of good swings for the Brentwood school on Tuesday.
Liberty High pitcher Kate Skinner (12) threw seven innings and pitched a 9-0 shutout against Dublin High during their NCS softball playoff win at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
And with the way sophomore pitcher Kate Skinner was dealing on the mound, Dublin had no shot at coming back. After striking out 152 in the regular season, Skinner K’ed 14 and allowed just three hits in a complete game.
“One pitch that was working especially well for me was my rise,” Skinner said. “I was able to get them to swing and miss a little bit.”
Liberty, which improved to 19-3, made a compelling case that it had been under-seeded at No. 7 by the NCS. However, its players said they didn’t care one way or the other.
They were just happy to be in the playoffs after six consecutive losing seasons.
“I’m not worried about seeding, because I know we have each other’s backs,” Rice said.
After putting up a couple of runs in the first inning, Liberty sophomore Kelsie Skaggs hit a home run over the center field wall to double the lead. Dublin made it 3-0 a few moment later when Rice got ahold of her first home run.
After Dublin went down in order in the top of the third, Liberty put the game out of reach with six runs in the bottom half. Kaitlyn Macias drove in one run on a ground ball, and then Madison Tuttle scored on a wild pitch.
Liberty High’s Taylor Jennings (33) hits a single during their NCS softball playoff game against Dublin High at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif., on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Rice smacked her second home run, and then freshman Taylor Jennings finished the scoring by tripling a the final run in.
“It feels good having confidence, knowing that my hitters have got me,” Skinner said. “And I love pitching with the lead and having some insurance runs.”
Dublin seniors Kelly Maggiora, Olivia Suyat and Tanaya Barrett each got a hit in their final high school game, but the Gaels just couldn’t get anything going against a locked-in Skinner. The Gaels ended the season 13-8-1.
The pitcher looked just as comfortable against a top-notch opponent from the East Bay Athletic League as she did against overmatched competition in the Bay Valley Athletic League, where the Lions went 10-0.
Liberty leaned on the habits learned during the preseason, when the Brentwood school took on Benicia, Livermore, San Ramon Valley and Central Catholic-Modesto, among others.
“I’ve always been a believer in that if you prepare for the best, then you’ll end up being one of the best,” said Macias, who coaches with her sister Cindy on the staff.
Liberty will take on No. 2 Vintage in the second round, which defeated Derrick Blue’s scrappy Mt. Eden 19-1 in Napa. It’s a tough assignment, but the longball launching Lions should be confident after mashing in the first round.
