Rowlinson shuts down Parker bats

After giving up an inside-the-park homer in the first inning, Yuma Catholic starting pitcher Gabrielle Rowlinson shook off any jitters she had, leading the Shamrocks to an 11-1 victory over Parker in their final game of the Shamrock Classic.

Rowlinson was dominant, not allowing a hit after the first inning.

“She pitched her heart out,” Yuma Catholic coach Alyssa Rhodes said. “It was the best performance I've seen from her so far. That's all I can ask from her.”

Rowlinson used her change-up to strike out the side in the second and went 1-2-3 in the third. She threw a five-inning complete game, striking out nine and walking none.

“(My change-up) worked last year against them too,” Rowlinson said. “I felt like that was a pitch I could definitely go to. That's definitely the best I've thrown in a game. I've been working on my spots instead of just throwing down the middle. Earlier today I was throwing down the middle and they've been hitting home runs; it wasn't pretty.”

The Shamrock offense took advantage of Parker's control issues, scoring nine runs in the first two innings off of eight walks, five hits and a hit batter.
“They're giving me good at bats,” Rhodes said. “We're not hitting the ball as well as we should be right now, but they're giving me good at bats.”

The 11th run that put the mercy rule into effect was an inside-the-park home run off the bat of Kyshly Molina.

“Honestly I thought she was going to have the ball by second base,” Molina said. “I just saw my coach saying, ‘You got it, you got it, go, go, go,' and I did, and then the ball actually hit my leg, but I was still excited.”

Rowlinson made quick work of Parker in the bottom of the fifth, getting two strikeouts and a weak groundout to first.

“She did amazing,” Molina said. “I think for our last game she was really pulling through. I was so proud of her.”

By defeating Parker, Yuma Catholic avoided last place in the Shamrock Classic.

“They had a long week,” Rhodes said. “But they battled and they finished strong. They played with a lot of heart today. They showed me that they could do that and come together as a team, I'm proud of them.”