You hear the adage that says, “adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals character.” If there was ever a high school softball that comes to my mind that defines such that I had the chance to cover, it was a 2005 CIF North Coast Section Class B playoff game between College Prep (Oakland) and the No. 2 seeded Calistoga Wildcats.
The last name Tamagni is not only synonymous to Calistoga High athletics but also the community of Calistoga. Ted Tamagni, who graduated from Calistoga High in 1977, is widely recognized as one of the best and physically toughest athletes in school history. Jason Tamagni, who graduated in 2002, was also a three-sport athlete. He established the Wildcats single-game rushing record with 255 yards in 2001 before Dylan Alvarado shattered the record in 2013 with 407 yards. Then there was Jessica Tamagni, who graduated in 2006. She too played three sports but the one she established her most meaningful legacy was softball. Interestly enough, Ted Tamagni would become the Wildcats softball head coach from 2005-2007.
In the first round of the 2005 NCS Class B playoffs, Jessica Tamagni’s walk off two-run triple to score Megan Yant and Alyssa Smith capped Calistoga’s 10-9 win over the Cougars in eight innings. Calistoga overcame a six-run deficit to win in a game that saw both teams combine for 10 errors.
Setting the scene: Three years earlier, Calistoga softball began a string that is still active of making the playoffs 11 times in 12 seasons, with 2009 being the only year in that span where the Wildcats failed to reach the postseason.
Calistoga had reached the postseason the previous two years only to get ousted by eventual champion Ferndale, 10-0 in 2003 and 20-3 in 2004. Both times, the team would have to make do without key senior plays because the annual Grad Night trip to Disneyland would conflict with the softball playoffs. That theme would recur in subsequent years though given the decisiveness of the losses, it likely would have not mattered.
Ted Tamagni entered the season as the Wildcats new head coach, replacing Ron Smith, for whom Tamagni helped as an assistant. Though the Wildcats finished that season with a pedestrian 12-9 record, they finished solidly. The Wildcats started the season 5-6 but won seven of their last ten games.
Thumbnail sketch of the game: Calistoga had a difficult first inning as College Prep scored five runs as Claire Blakey and Karen Du each had RBI singles and Aron Feingold added a sacrifice fly RBI. Feingold delivered an RBI single in the second to put the Cougars ahead 6-0 before Calistoga began its comeback.
The Wildcats tallied one in the bottom of the second and four more in the third with Julia Hoff and Tara Pelter each helping the rally with RBI singles. Calistoga, however, got back in the game with aggressive baserunning. The Wildcats had four of their nine stolen bases in that inning.
College Prep scored a run in the fourth to go in front 7-5 before Calistoga answered with a run in its half of the fifth on Pelter's RBI single.
The Cougars scored a run in their half of the sixth to go ahead 8-6 but the Wildcats forced extra innings with a two-run bottom of the seventh. Tamagni singled, stole second then third and scored on the subsequent errant throw. Lauren Hunt then doubled and scored on Julia Hoff's RBI single.
College Prep scored in the top of the eighth when Joanna Schimmel scored on an error.
Then came one of, if not the most, clutch hits in Calistoga softball history when you take into account the magnitude of the game. Yant got on base with a single and Smith reached on an error. Then Tamagni belted her walk off two-run triple. What I remember most about that hit was that as one who doubled as a reporter and photographer, I would usually shoot my pictures in the early part of the game so I could focus on taking better notes as the game progressed. However, I remember moments before Tamagni walked into the batters box, I whipped my camera out of my bag in anticipation of players celebrating the win. Sure enough it happened.
What it meant: Calistoga softball has had many seasons like this one: a) have a solid regular season that usually involves getting bested in league play by say Middletown or St. Vincent, b) win a playoff game or two, c) have the playoffs interrupted by the senior trip to Disneyland.
On the “C” part of the equation I can’t think of a year in which Calistoga definitely would have won the section title if it had its seniors but it would have been nice to find out.
To that end, this game did not have any program altering ramifications but if you like moments of overcoming deficits and mistakes, this is a good one to revisit.
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