UH-Hilo right-hander Leah Gonzales did all of her best work in one day to earn her first conference honor.
Gonzales fired a three-hit shutout to defeat Chaminade 5-0 on Sunday at Howard Okita field and came back a few hours later to pitch five innings of scoreless relief for a 3-0 victory.
She was recently selected as the PacWest Pitcher of the Week for her two wins and 12 shutout innings against Chaminade.
The Vulcans (10-1) host the Silverswords (7-7) for another four-game series starting at noon Saturday at Kealakehe High.
“I’m definitely excited,” Gonzales said. “I don’t think I’ve gotten recognized in five years. I feel privileged to get that honor competing against the other pods.”
UHH coach Callen Perreira pointed out that Gonzales beats opponents with pitching savvy rather than velocity. Her fastball is about 58-59 mph, which translates to 82-83 mph for baseball.
“She’s always known to have a devastating changeup, and it was working very well, and she was in command the entire day,” he said. “She doesn’t throw hard by Division II standards, but she has a lot of movement. Speed is not everything. Location and movement are just as good.
“She’s taken on a leadership role this year. She’s on the quiet side but has the respect of her teammates as a fifth-year senior. When she has her good streaks, she can carry a team as well.”
The 5-foot-7 senior, from Wilmington, Calif., is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 17 innings and ranked third in the PacWest in ERA, behind teammate Valerie Alvarado, who’s 4-0 with a 0.76 ERA in 37 innings.
Alvarado had her 29-inning scoreless streak snapped in a 6-3 win on Saturday. Then she immediately started another one with six shutout innings after allowing three runs in the first inning.
Gonzales’ pitching strategy is a simple one — don’t let the hitters get comfortable.
“I mix my pitches, my curveball, and offspeed stuff and use my riseball to change eye level,” she said. “I definitely let my defense work for me. It keeps me in the game, and I stay within myself.”
She followed in the footsteps of her older sister Mary and pitched with her at Phineas Banning High.
Who’s Phineas Banning? He was born in 1830, and the American businessman was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington.
Gonzales batted 1 for 2 in her recognition of famous Gonzales athletes: Tony Gonzales, the Hall of Fame tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Adrian Gonzalez, the retired first baseman for the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers.
She isn’t related to either but Tony Gonzalez sounded familiar but she couldn’t pick the sport. But she nailed Adrian Gonzalez.
The sisters are a couple of years apart and played T-ball, baseball, and soccer before settling into softball. Mary pitched at Marymount California University, an NAIA school.
Asked who was the better player, Gonzales had a quick answer.
“Definitely, my sister. There’s no point arguing it,” she said. “She was a utility/pitcher. She played infield, outfield and did everything. We never faced each other but played on the same team in high school.”
Gonzales is set to graduate with her second degree this summer in psychology. She already has a degree in kinesiology. But she’s set her heart on continuing in softball.
“I’d like to coach after I graduate and hopefully work my way up to head coach somewhere,” she said. “Most likely, I’ll look for something on the mainland. My time is coming to an end soon. But I really enjoy the sport, and I would like to contribute and help others in college. It’s as if I’m still playing. It’ll keep me in the sport.”
Gonzales has made the most of her time on the Big Island, visiting all the key spots (Volcano, Green Sand Beach, etc.) and eating all the local foods, spam musubi, and loco moco.
“I like kalua pork. It’s one of my favorites,” she said. “I like the typical local foods, like loco mocos. I get it at Cafe 100.”