Earlier this season, Ellie Davis verbally commitment to Harvard to play softball for the Crimson.
On Tuesday, the 5-foot-9 junior catcher lined a single up the middle to give Cathedral Catholic High School its first walk-off win of the season.
How do you like them apples?
Davis’ barrel-of-the-bat blast scored Shea Johnson from second base as the No. 4-seeded Dons defeated No. 5 Torrey Pines 3-2 in the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.
“It just felt really good,” said Davis, who is hitting .324 with 22 RBIs. “I was just trying to do something for my team. I felt it right off my barrel. I had complete confidence that Shea would score.”
With the win, Cathedral (21-5) advanced to a winner’s bracket game at No. 1 Poway (21-6-1) on Thursday. Poway beat San Marcos 5-2, so Torrey Pines (21-5-2) will host San Marcos (16-13) in an elimination game.
“Ellie has been on fire the last five or six games,” Dons coach Joe Hallare said. “I’m so happy for her. She does everything we ask of her. She works hard, and it’s showing at the plate. I can’t say enough great things about her.”
Tied 2-2, the Falcons’ Georgia Bilski (11-4) induced leadoff batter Sereniti Trice into a groundout to second. That was big since Trice is hitting .582 with 37 runs and 30 stolen bases and earned a scholarship to Iowa State. But then Johhnson and Sinalei Talataina both walked to set up Davis’ heroic hit.
Making things more interesting was that Torreys center fielder, Kelly Whelihan, has 12 outfield assists this year.
“We got the best player in the county out, then walk the next two, and the hit goes to our best outfielder with a great arm,” Torrey Pines coach Jon Moore said. “That was a great game. That’s what you expect in the Open Division. This is what it’s all about.”
Cathedral took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Trice beat out a hopper to second and advanced on a throwing error. Johnson walked before University of Arizona-commit Talataina singled to left to score Trice easily. After a groundout to second, Mallory Axline (USD) beat out a swinging bunt that drove in Johnson (Rider College).
Torrey Pines countered with a run in the fourth. Whelihan, the daughter of former Chargers QB Craig Whelihan who is committed to her father’s alma mater of Pacific, led off with a single. Mina Crouch and Bilski both singled to load the bases. Whelihan scored on a sacrifice fly to deep left by Reagan Cullivan.
The next batter, Riley Cullivan lined a one-hopper up the middle, but the ball struck the heel of pinch-runner Riley Huffstutter, who was ruled out on runner’s interference. Mimi Botticelli then struck out Eva Gutierrez to end the inning.
The Falcons tied it in the sixth as Crouch singled to right with one out, and Bilski lined a single off the leg of first baseman Axline. After a groundout, Riley Cullivan lined an RBI single to center. Again, Botticelli escaped further damage by inducing a groundout to short.
With one out in the seventh for Torrey Pines, Kylie Farber and Sara Mihalinec both singled, but relief pitcher Sophia Clark (6-2) got Whelihan to fly out and Crouch to strike out.
Of Botticelli and Clark, Davis said, “I couldn’t have more trust in their ability to pitch out of jams. I couldn’t be more grateful to be their catcher.”
