ROUNDUP: Henry gets share of title

SAN DIEGO (5-8-2019) –

It wasn’t the detour desired

by the Patrick Henry Patriots

softball team, but they had no

choice: either beat both of

the ballclubs above them over

the final week of the Western

League season or possible settle for

another two years as a CIF

Division II squad.

On Tuesday (May 7), half of

the task was completed after

taking down red-hot Cathedral

Catholic, 5-3, garnering at

least a share of the league

crown.

The Patriots can make it an

outright crown by also

defeating Scripps Ranch in

Thursday’s finale. However, if

the Falcons win, the league

will finish in a 3-way logjam

for the top spot, meaning City

Conference officials will need

to declare a champion for CIF

playoff consideration.

Patrick Henry made sure they

were on the right road early,

scoring a pair of runs in both

the 1st and 4th innings to

mount a 4-0 advantage, then

staving a late Dons rally.

Freshman shortstop Kaiah

Altmeyer stroked a lead

single to right field, then

cleanup hitter Edie Guthrie

also singled to right.

Dezi Patman followed with a

ground ball back to the circle,

but when the ball was thrown

away, but baserunners scored.

In the fourth, No. 9 hitter

Chloe Wilson, another frosh,

joined the parade with yet

another base hit to right.

Altmeyer was walked, then

Jessica DeWitt bunts both into

scoring position with a

sacrifice.

Lauren Nett also tried to go to

the right side, but yet

another Cathedral error again

allowed two runs to score for

a 4-0 lead without the aid of

an RBI.

The Dons moved to with 4-3,

but the Patriots halted the

comeback with a run in the

sixth.

Altmeyer accepted a one-out

walk, DeWitt’s grounder to

first base advanced her to

second base, then moving to

third on a base hit by Nett.

Guthrie  followed with a hard

grounder up the middle for

another base hit, scoring

Altmeyer.

Laila Spracklen was called

upon to pitch in relief of

Hallie “H” Jenks. The senior

survived a pair of Dons singles

in the seventh to earn the

save, her first of the season.

Patrick Henry (16-5 overall,

5-2 league) saw Nett, Wilson

and Altmeyer finish with two

hits each for the Patriots. In

addition, Altmeyer scored

three times.

For Cathedral Catholic (10-14,

5-3 league), Anna Herrmann

batted 2-for-3 with two RBI,

while Marisa Estrada also

posted two hits.

Scripps Ranch (15-11, 4-3

league) remained in

competition for the Western

crown despite falling to

Clairemont, 7-5. The game was

tied at4-all through six

frames before the Chieftains

erupted in the seventh.

MONTE VISTA 11, LINCOLN 0: At

Spring Valley, the Monarchs

(14-9 overall) clinched their

third winning season over the

last five years by blanking the

Hornets.

Pitcher Dessire Corona fired a

1-hitter in the 5-inning

contest, striking out five

Hornets. The junior co-captain

also drove in three runs, all

on a bases-loaded double in

the 3rd inning to cap the

scoring and invoke the run

rule.

Then in the fifth, Corona

also shined on defense by

starting a game-ending double

play. She chased down a

shallow popup to the side of

the pitching circle, then

fired the ball to shortstop

Meeah Matanane,

The ballgame was decided early

after Monte Vista scored seven

times in the first, when

leadoff batter Ionna Upham

drilled a two-run double on

her second at-bat of the

rally.

For Lincoln (3-15), senior

captain Cassie Franco recorded

the team’s lone hit with a

two-out single in the first,

later stealing third base

before Corona stranded her

with an inning-ending

strikeout.

LIBERTY CHARTER 17, CV-HIGH TECH 6: At San Miguel Park in Chula Vista, the visiting Lions scored three times in each of the first three innings, then added seven additional markers in the fourth to subdue the Bruins.

The sequence of “threes” can be found throughout the boxscore.

Junior first baseman Lily Schallock batted 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI.

Katie Peet collected three runs and three RBI, too, including a 3-run homer in the third.

plus, Peet, a sophomore, was the winning pitcher with six strikeouts — three over the first three innings, then three more over the balance of the one-sided contest.

Liberty Charter (7-11 overall, 3-2 league) clinched second place in the Summit League (which is better than being No. 3).

The Bruins (0-15, 0-6 league) issued 16 walks, including three to Peet and Sarah Johnston, plus two (not three) to Roseangle Mercado-Minor and Adriana Rodriguez.

Johnston and Faith Via also scored three times.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 23, ESCONDIDO ADVENTIST 1: At Santee ASA, Knights junior Carissa Wolford drove in five runs while freshman Kaylee Guler fired a one-hitter in overwhelming the visiting Hawks.

Wolhford’s 3-for-4 afternoon at the plate also included a pair of triple, scoring four times. In addition, Carly Robbins also went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

For Guler, she finished with six strikeouts, with the run allowed coming unearned in the second after the Lions staked her to a 4-0 lead. Then the ballclub added seven additional runs in the second and six more in the third.

Foothills Christian controls its own destiny to capture the Pacific League, but it won’t be easy since one league game will not be made up. Thus, they must go 2-0 to become the champions in games Thursday at home with Classical Academy, then the makeup on Friday at Orange Glen.

Escondido Adventist (1-11, 0-10 league) got its only hit on a leadoff single in the third by center fielder (No. 14; no roster provided).

CHRISTIAN 8, MIRA MESA 6 (8 inn.) – The Patriots’ Mallory Steele homered in the second inning for Christian but the Marauders rallied to win the league contest.

Mira Mesa led 3-0 when the Patriots scored three in the bottom of the second, including the three-run shot by Steele, which tied the game.

Christian took the lead with two runs in the fifth on an error.

The Marauders tied the game in the seventh inning on a home run.

Steele had three RBI in the contest and also scored three runs.

“My team played hard,” Steele said. “That was the best game that we have played all season. In the eighth, we all tried to get it together but Mira Mesa came out on top.”

Devyn Krystek had two hits and drove in a run for the Patriots.

Freshman Kate Manes drew four walks in addition to having one base hit for the Pats.

“Mallory had a fantastic home run and that changed the whole pace of the game,” Manes said. “I felt that today our team came together and played as a whole. I knew that if I messed up today someone else on the field would have my back, and that made me perform better.”

Christian High junior Audrey Shebloski added a double.

“Today was a heartbreaker but it’s part of the rebuilding process,” Shebloski said. “I’m proud of the way we competed though. Earlier this year we would get blown out or fall apart in those games and I think this game showed we are learning to compete.  The first step towards success is overcoming adversity and we are at least now facing it head on compared to the beginning of the year. “

“We all wanted to win that one bad for Mallory as it was our senior day. I was a bit overanxious in that last at-bat and got out in front and underneath the pitch. It’s a good learning point for me to try to relax and not try to do too much in those types of situations.”