SARATOGA — When it comes playoff time, it doesn’t matter how you score. Just that you do it.
After all, they typically don’t ask how a team gets its runs. They simply ask how many they got.
No. 3 Saratoga softball pulled out all the stops to score in the opening round of its Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinal game against No. 6 Mills, bunting for hits, moving runners over and scoring all three of their runs on sacrifice flies.
And that was just enough to beat the Vikings on Saturday morning in Saratoga. In a game that came down to the final out, senior Saratoga pitcher Saira Ramakrishnan induced a foul pop fly, and the Falcons won 3-2 as Mills left Lucy Esquivel on second base to end the game.
Saratoga’s Jemma Tsang (2) catches a pop fly, the last out of the game, against Mills in the seventh inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)“We have a fast team,” Saratoga coach Greg Spirakis said. “So what we try to do is generate chaos on the bases. Get them on, make them run, whatever it takes. We saw there was an opportunity there, and we worked it. It’s the situation. You play the situation.”
Saratoga (20-2) was relentless in its quest to manufacture offense. The Falcons got on the board first in the second inning thanks to two bunts, a swinging bunt and a sac fly.
For good measure, Saratoga even tried a bunt with runners on the corners and two outs during the next at-bat. Mills made the play on that one, but the strategy was clear – the Falcons weren’t going to be afraid to embrace small ball.
“We have fast players, so it’s something that we’re going to try anyway,” Spirakis said. “And then we look at where their defense is situated. We felt that if we put solid bunts down, we’d force them to make a play. To their credit, they got several outs too. If you think about it, you play the odds, if it works half the time, it’s a win. That’s what we were after. We don’t expect to be perfect on those every time. We just need to be good enough.”
Saratoga’s Jemma Tsang (2) bunts the ball against Mills in the second inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Saratoga took a more direct approach in the third inning, as freshman Alyssa Tham tripled to right to lead off. Then, after a bunt single put senior Sydney Riera on first but did not advance Tham, the Falcons went back to the old reliable sac fly.
Ramakrishnan served a deep popup to right and successfully scored Tham, giving Saratoga a 2-0 lead.
“We knew it was gonna be a tight game,” Spirakis said, “so you just get a run.”
Mills (21-4-1) got back in the game by giving the home team a taste of its own medicine. Sofia Kwan led off the fourth with a single and advanced to second when Bailey Beauchemin reached on an error.
Sydney Wong laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over, then Morgan Chu grounded out to first, scoring Kwan.
Mills’ Kalia Woo (5) pitches against Saratoga in the first inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Mills tied the game in the fifth as sophomore captain Jazzy Maske manufactured a run almost entirely by herself. She reached on a bunt single, stole second, then third, and scored on an errant throw by Saratoga’s catcher.
But Saratoga had one more sac fly in reserve. Tham had another big hit, leading off the bottom of the fifth with a double. Then Riera bunted for another hit, advancing Tham to third.
Once again, Ramakrishnan provided the RBI, this time with a deep fly to center.
Mills threatened late, advancing a runner to third base in the sixth inning and second in the seventh. But each time, Ramakrishnan held the line just enough and got the late outs necessary for the Falcons to escape with a victory.
Saratoga’s Saira Ramakrishnan (11) pitches against Mills in the fourth inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)“I had this feeling that we were gonna have to really put in a fight,” Mills coach Michelle Beauchemin said. “It was going to be a challenge, because it’s been kind of a crazy week for us. But at the same time, I didn’t expect it to be so close.”
Both teams have been dealing with scheduling conflicts typical of the late school year. The game’s start time was moved up to 9 a.m. to allow four Saratoga starters more time at a weekend school Media Arts capstone retreat in Monterey that started on Friday and runs through Saturday.
So Ramakrishnan, Riera, Dahlia Murphy and Maggie Huseby loaded up at 5:30 a.m. and headed back to Saratoga in time to play the game, then returned to Monterey immediately afterward.
“They were pretty excited we won, actually, since they put all the time in,” Spirakis said.
Saratoga celebrates after winning against Mills during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Mills agreed to move the game up from 10 a.m., and beyond common courtesy, it may have had something to do with their understanding of what Saratoga was dealing with.
The Vikings had players in and out due to senior recognition and award ceremonies and were unable to hold a full practice until Thursday.
“This is the first time every single person has been here all week,” Beauchemin said.
Those are the headaches you play for this time of year, and it will be Saratoga that gets the privilege of continuing to deal with them.
The Falcons will travel to face No. 2 Gilroy next week in the CCS Division I semifinals. Date and time for the game have not yet been released by the CCS.
Saratoga celebrates after winning against Mills during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Saratoga’s Alaina Retamoso (6) fields a ground ball against Mills in the third inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Saratoga’s Anaya Shah (5) hits the ball against Mills in the second inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Saratoga’s Alyssa Tham (3) stands on second base after hitting a double during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) A fly ball hit by Saratoga’s Alyssa Tham (3) goes over the outfielder’s head for a double in the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Saratoga’s Saira Ramakrishnan (11) throws to first base against Mills in the second inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Saratoga’s Jemma Tsang (2) catches a line drive against Mills in the third inning during the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, Calif., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Read More Details
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