Mujica enters CIFSDS record book
- Updated: June 5, 2021
2021 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL
By Adam Paul
EL CAJON – A late lead change by the Granite Hills Eagles with runs scored in the fifth and sixth innings proved to be the difference as they won 7-2 over the visiting West Hills Wolf Pack on both Senior and also a CIF Record tying day.
With both teams going back and forth it looked like it would come down to opportunities taken advantage of and West Hills would do so first in the top of the fourth inning.
The Wolf Pack would push across a pair of runs in the inning to lead 2-0 thanks to a one-out solo home run by Naomi Kai (2-3, R, RBI, HR) over the left-field fence and later in the inning, an RBI double by Marina Morales that would bring home Brianna Bentley (1-3, R).
But Granite Hills would answer right back with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sofia Mujica (2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR) launched one over the center-field fence for her seventeenth homer of the season to pull within 2-1.
Mujica would later tie the game with a two-out base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning that would score Taylor Rose (1-2, 2 R), the next batter Kayla Fox (1-4, RBI, 2B) roped an RBI double to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
West Hills would threaten in the top of the sixth inning as Kai led off with a single followed by Lily Youngdale reaching on an error and Kai advancing to second base. However, Chloe Knepp was able to retire the next three batters including a pair of strikeouts to get out of the inning.
Having dodged a bullet in the sixth inning the Eagles knew they had to push across some insurance runs and with two outs their hopes rose as Paige Baird (1-3, R) and Rose each singled.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Alexis Bauers (1-2, R, RBI) came up and laced a single to right field that scored Baird to make it 4-2, Rose would advance to third on the throw. Still, two outs and up came Kiki Sandoval (1-3, R, 2 RBI, 3B) who lined a ball to center field that would roll, and both Rose and Bauers would score and Sandoval would race all around and end up at third for a two-run triple which extended the lead to 6-2, Sandoval would eventually come into score on a wild pitch.
Down to their final at-bat the Wolf Pack, unfortunately, couldn’t much as the only batter to reach was Sabrina Brown (2-4) who laced a single before Knepp retired the final two batters to end the game.
For the Pack, Kai took the loss despite allowing only a single run over her four innings of work on one hit and walking one, Youngdale came into relief but gave up six runs on six hits over two innings while walking one.
On the other side, Knepp who got the nod picked up the win as she went the full seven innings in which she gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out seven on the day.
RECORD NOTE – Sofia Mujica’s home run in the fourth inning was her 17th of the season which tied the San Diego CIF Section’s all-time single-season home run record. The record was previously held by three other players including former All-America Lisa Dodd in 2003 for University City, Oceanside’s Trina Harrison tied the mark in 2008, and Poway’s Colleen Sullivan matched it in 2018.
