GONZALES — As the season winds down, Gonzales High’s varsity baseball and softball teams are contending for league titles, but both will need some help down the stretch as they enter the final month of games.
Baseball
On April 7, when the Spartans baseball team lost their second in a row to Rancho San Juan, their chances of winning the Cypress Division took a big hit. Gonzales (6-2) trails Rancho San Juan (6-2) and Stevenson (8-1) in the Cypress Division.
The good news for the Spartans is that they still control their path to capturing no less than a share of the Cypress Division title.
Starting Tuesday, Gonzales will begin a two-game series with Stevenson.
Because the Cypress Division is so top-heavy, the possibility of Rancho San Juan or Stevenson dropping another game is improbable. The Spartans will have to sweep Stevenson to capture a share of the league title, winning both games on Tuesday and Thursday.
Softball
At the start of league play, the Lady Spartans began 0-2, but since then, they have won six straight Cypress Division games, including against King City (5-1) and Pacific Grove (5-1).
During their winning streak, the Lady Spartans have only allowed six runs.
Unlike the baseball team, Gonzales’ softball team will need some help to capture a share of the Cypress Division title. The first step is to win the remainder of their games, including the May 10 matchup with Pacific Grove (5-1) on the final day of the regular season.
It’s only fitting that the longest rivalry places a big part in how this season will finish.
If King City were to win the rest of their games, they would capture the division. The Lady Spartans need King City to drop one more game to give them two league losses, which will set up a tie between them.
This year Gonzales and King City split their season series 1-1.
Now, there is a situation that could have the Spartans capturing the league title. First, they have to win the rest of their games. Second, King City — who will play Pacific Grove twice and Alisal one more time — will have to drop two more league games to have three losses.
It might be a long shot, but it’s possible that the Lady Spartans will be playing Pacific Grove for the league title on the season’s last day.
