KIPP King Collegiate’s Leilani Garcia and Oakland High’s Bronwyn James had a pitcher’s duel for the ages on Thursday afternoon.
Garcia, a sophomore, struck out 18 for KIPP, which won the Oakland Section softball title 1-0 in 10 innings.
On most days, that would be the most remarkable pitching performance of the game.
But her Oakland counterpart was even more dominant, striking out 26. That included the first 19 KIPP batters James faced, eight of those being strikeouts looking.
“These girls were just exchanging strikeout after strikeout after strikeout after strikeout,” KIPP coach Jose Torres told the Bay Area News Group on Friday afternoon.
Garcia had KIPP’s only hit of the day in the seventh, with Cynthia Tapia also reaching base safely.
Oakland was able to scratch out two hits against Garcia. Mathilda James, Daijha Teague, and Ezeanie Thompson were able to reach base too.
Torres said the game, which he described as grueling, flew by in under two hours.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had that quality of pitching on both sides,” Oakland Section commissioner Franky Navarro told the Bay Area News Group on Friday afternoon. “It seemed like the game was never going to end.”
KIPP scored the winning run via an error. Garcia, acting as KIPP’s ghost-runner on second base in extra innings, stole third and then was hit in the back of the head with an errant throw from the catcher.
“She turned around wondering ‘What’s going on,’” Torres said. “I just yelled ‘Run! Go!’ and she went in there and slid in, and that was it.”
Torres praised his team for staying focused and ready during a season where the team could not practice for almost two weeks because of the Oakland’s teachers’ strike. They were rewarded with the school’s first section title.
“These girls have heart,” Torres said. “I can’t say enough about them.”
