Ramos’ clutch hits send Salinas Storm to PGF 18U Platinum crown

IRVINE – If it weren’t for the writings of John Steinbeck, it would be hard to imagine too many conversations that would include the Northern California town of Salinas.

The Salinas Storm made strides to make sure that the softball community knows where to pinpoint its location on a map.

After all, what better way to make a statement than to win a national championship, as the Storm did in dramatic fashion in the 18U Platinum final of the Premier Girls Fastpitch Nationals.

Noellah Ramos’ single in the bottom of the seventh sent the Storm to a walk-off victory over the Batbusters Gomes/Clark, 5-4, at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine’s Bill Barber Park on Friday morning.

The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo commit laced the game-winning single into the gap in right-center. Her team was out to celebrate before the ball had touched the outfield grass.

“I knew it,” Ramos said. “You can kind of feel it in your hands when the ball hits in the right spot of the bat. I just knew that was the one that was going to take the win.

“There is no better feeling. I was dialed in on the pitch. I knew that I was going to win it.”

Ramos should have felt good going into her final at-bat. In her previous plate appearance, she had nearly cleared the fence with a triple off the center-field wall. It was just the second hit of the game for the Storm, but it tied the game, 3-3, in the fifth.

A sacrifice-fly by Aly Gomonet scored Ramos, pushing the Storm into the lead for the first time.

The go-ahead RBI, while significant, was not Gomonet’s most impressive contribution. The UC Davis-bound shortstop kept the Storm’s deficit at 3-2 in the top of the fifth with a great defensive play. With runners on second and third, Alyssa Waltman’s comebacker deflected off the glove of pitcher Kaylee Dawson. Gomonet charged in, gathered the ball, and all in one motion, she threw to first for the final out of the inning.

“You have no time, especially with a runner like her, you have no time to think,” Gomonet said. “You just have to make the play and get rid of it. We practice this countless times in practice, and I just broke it down into my form, and I got the out.”

Three walks and two errors helped the Batbusters take a 2-0 lead in the first.

Although she hit four batters, Batbusters starter Janessa Jasso held the Storm hitless into the fourth. Following Jasso’s fourth hit batter, Alexis Kaiser hammered the first pitch she saw for a two-run home run to break up the no-hitter.

“It was a nice feeling,” Kaiser said. “I was struggling a lot during the week, but my teammates just kept me going and kept my confidence up. I was getting down on myself, and it felt really good to hit it over the fence, especially in this type of game.”

Andrew.Turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner