Curran adds epic memory, Cougars top No. 1 Grizzlies
- Updated: March 3, 2022
PHOTO COURTEST OF COACH PEARLSTEIN
2022 EAST COUNTY SOFTBALL
By Adam Paul
SPRING VALLEY (3-3-22) – Just as every player dreams to do so but to actually replicate the feat of a walk-off in a game is something else. On Thursday afternoon senior Abby Curran (2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, HR) did just that as she took the 1-0 count and crushed it over the center-field fence for the walk-off game home-run to give the Steele Canyon Cougars a 3-2 victory over the top-ranked Mission Hills Grizzlies (7-1) in Hilltop tournament action.
The Grizzlies came into the contest as the top-ranked team in the county according to the computer polls and justifiably so as they had won the Platinum Division championship in the recently concluded Cougar Classic without a blemish on the record would trail early on.
Steele Canyon would get on the board first in the bottom of the first inning when with two outs Mariah Mata would drive in both Jazmin Williams and Curran to give them a 2-0 lead. However, the lead would be wiped out in the top of the fourth inning when Mariah Briceno belted a two-run blast to even the game at 2-2.
For the Cougars, Emma Shellstrom was strong against the Grizzlies offense as she only allowed the two runs on four hits and struck out three over seven innings of work to get the complete-game victory.
Steele Canyon (7-2) received hits from Isabella Azevedo who doubled, Kamea Seunarine who had a pair, Hailey Trujillo and Gabrielle Ortega Alves.
With their record, the Cougars are off to their best start since the 2018 season when they started 8-1 and have won four in a row and will continue action on Saturday in the Hilltop tournament as they take on the Mustangs of Otay Ranch.
SCORES
Helix 11, EC-Southwest 3
Santana 12, Mission Bay 11
Steele Canyon 3, Mission Hills 2
Granite Hills 8, Ramona 1
West Hills 5, Calexico 2
Patrick Henry 10, Eastlake 2
Valhalla 7, El Capitan 5
Hoover at Monte Vista, no report
