Gianna Willes' bases-clearing double, HR power Livermore past Liberty in NCS quarterfinals

LIVERMORE - It took Livermore six innings to lasso a game-changing hit on Friday against Liberty.

But once the Cowboys did, it was game over.

Cal commit Gianna Willes' bases-clearing double put Livermore up five, which was plenty of cushion for Kaci Norton. The senior polished off a complete game to secure a 6-1 win and send the Cowboys into the North Coast Section Division I semifinals.

Norton made sure to thank Willes for the insurance runs after the game, which broke open what had been a nip-and-tuck one-run affair for much of the late afternoon.

"I was so relieved," Norton said. "I was like low-key sweating."

Samantha Robinson scored the first insurance run on a wild pitch, then Willes doubled to right-center, bringing in Laine Macosky, Kymber Dao and Grace Phillips to put the game out of reach.

"I’ve been really working on my two-out hits and putting pressure on myself in practice, so that in the game it just comes naturally," Willes said. "And today, I really focused. I knew it was still a close game, and I knew my team needed me.

"It felt so good when I saw it go. I was so excited. I think I might have been able to go to three, but I was so excited about everybody scoring that I stopped at two."

Earlier in the game, Livermore (25-2) took its initial lead in the second inning when Lily Lundell singled to right to bring in Bella Kelton from second.

The Cowboys padded their slim advantage with Willes' solo home run in the third, but Liberty (22-6) responded with a solo homer by pitcher Kate Skinner in the fifth.

There was plenty of traffic on the bases in multiple innings that resulted in no runs. Livermore left nine runners on base, and Liberty stranded four.

But when it was time for a big hit, Willes was the one who came through.

"At practice for the last 15 years, we tell the girls, ‘Hey, bases loaded, two outs, NCS championship game, what are you going to do?,'” Livermore coach Andy Paulazzo said. “Willis hits a double, scores all three.

“We work on that all the time. That’s a favorite saying around here when we’re scrimmaging. ‘What are you gonna do when the pressure’s on?'"

In the circle, Norton finished off her complete game with one run allowed on five hits and six strikeouts against one walk.

"It was really good that we all were able to contribute and help her out on the mound, because she had a great game," Willes said.

Skinner, though she took the loss, put forth a Herculean effort, throwing 155 pitches three days after throwing 139 in a round of 16 win over Carondelet.

"Listen, they’re a fantastic team," Liberty coach Brandi Macias said. "They’re absolutely quality. We knew it was going to be a really good game, and it was for a good six innings.

"Right now I’m thinking about my eight seniors, and them losing. So I’m super emotional. They helped me build this program from Day One, and we came in together, and they put us back on the map and made us who we are now. I’m gonna miss that tremendously."

Liberty's senior group won last year's NCS Division I championship and brought everyone back this season.

On Tuesday, Livermore will have a chance to reach the section title game as it travels to face San Ramon Valley in a rematch of the East Bay Athletic League tournament championship, a game SRV won 11-10.

Livermore had to carry that bitter taste around for over a week. After Friday's palate-cleanser, the Cowboys will look to lock up a NorCal regional berth while getting sweet revenge.

"Every loss we take pushes us to be better," Norton said. "I mean, we only lost two games this season, and after those two games, we really kept our head down and kept working.

"We have to beat them all, so we gotta start somewhere."

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 7:28 AM.