Balers

Trailing 31-30 going into the fourth quarter, top-seeded San Benito outscored No. 3 Evergreen Valley 18-6 in the final period en route to a 48-37 triumph that sealed the Lady 'Balers' second straight Central Coast Section title, iced the team's second straight storybook season.

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San Benito also saw strong performances in the 400, where Melisah Cortez and Lauren Adamek took second and fourth place, respectively, as well as the 800, where Rachel Shimabukuro and Michelle Duarte took second and third for the Lady 'Balers.

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Behind strong performances from Kelsey Russell, Courtney Allen and Rachel Shimabukuro, not to mention Melisah Cortez, Melissa Castro and Natalie Becker, the Lady 'Balers took their second straight first-place finish Saturday when it topped runner-up Santa Cruz, as well as some 24 other teams, 62.33 to 56 at the Bill Kearney Invitational in Salinas.

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The 'Balers (17-4-1) will return to Tri-County Athletic League play today, Tuesday, when they visit Everett Alvarez at 4 p.m.

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But the switch to man allowed the 'Balers to at least keep pace with Piedmont.

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It was San Benito-Salinas - the type of meet where 'Balers middle-distance runner Ryan Shorey couldn't help but tabulate points in his head after each and every event.

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The Lady 'Balers, meanwhile, enjoyed a far more convincing victory when they defeated Salinas

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The 'Balers are now 2-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 3-2 overall.

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In an epic relay event that should only set the stage for the TCAL Championships in mid-May, the 'Balers held a narrow five-foot lead for all of 100 meters before Salinas' David Perez, who finished 11th overall in the Central Coast Section Cross Country Championships earlier this season, passed Nik Soza in the home stretch and provided the visiting Cowboys with a 71-65 victory.

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The 6-foot-5 center scored all six of his points on 3 of 5 shooting in the first quarter, but was held in check for the remainder of the game by 'Balers Dominic Zanella and Isidro Corral.

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