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Just one day after Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson pitched a near-perfect eight innings apiece in the much-anticipated National League baseball showdown, Berkeley High’s Lilli Bermeo and Granada’s Sylvia Moses set out to make Thursday’s East Bay Athletic League softball matchup just as classic. 

It was déjà vu at the Matadors’ home field, as both pitchers matched Brown and the Big Unit in innings and effectiveness, each going the full eight in the extra-inning battle. And when you throw in Bermeo and Moses’ strikeout statistics – they combined for 10 – you might say it was “K”-ja vu. 

With two dominant hurlers on the hill, “run support” seemed to be missing from both teams’ vocabularies. Though both squads scattered baserunners throughout the afternoon, neither the Matadors nor the ’Jackets were able to get on the board in seven innings of regulations. Granada finally broke the dry spell in the bottom half of the eighth, manufacturing a run on a leadoff hit and a very costly Yellowjacket error. The 1-0 walkoff defeat dropped Berkeley High’s league record to 2-10. 

“My outfielder charged the ball, and it went about two steps over her head. It was just a lapse of fundamentals,” BHS coach Elena Bermeo said about the miscue – only the second of the entire game by the otherwise solid ’Jacket defense. “This game was really frustrating, because we played so hard.” 

“It was basic plays that should have been made – we had two runners picked off, people weren’t heads up enough on the bases,” junior catcher Alice Brugger added. “We played tight defense, and got out of a lot of situations. We had opportunities to get runners in, but we didn’t finish.” 

Moses piled up six strikeouts on the way to the winning decision, while Bermeo fanned four in yet another outing unsupported by offense. Though coach Elena Bermeo contends that her team has made marked improvement at the plate in the second half of the EBAL season, she admits that the lineup lacks a true RBI threat – a void that often results in multiple runners left on base. 

“They were hitting. We got on base – even a few runners on third base, in scoring position,” the coach said. “There’s no one player that’s too consistent. At any given time, a girl can do anything. We don’t have a go-to player.” 

According to the Berkeley High coach and players, the 1-0 defeat ranked among the worst all season, because of the sudden and heartbreaking manner in which it occurred. After the game, Bermeo shared in her players’ disappointment, but attempted to find a silver lining in the setback. 

“It was a hard loss, probably the hardest of the year. They knew they had that one,” the coach said. “We have to look at the bright side – that we did hold them that long.” 

“Lilli pitched a good game, and we played well (on defense),” Brugger agreed. “I think we’re gelling now that we’re set in our positions. Everybody’s focused on what we have to do. We want to go out (of the EBAL) with a bang.” 

The ’Jackets return to the diamond next Tuesday, hosting Foothill in a 3:45 p.m. home battle at James Kenney