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All-Breitbard softball team
Wilson, Owens, Mytinger, Hayden are All-CIF
first team picks
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - The determination to choose the top pitcher from the
San Diego Section could have come down to numbers. Edge: Valhalla's
LACEY WILSON. It could have come down to which pitcher
had the best stuff and meant more to her respective ballclub.
Edge: Christian's MELISSA OWENS. However . . .
However, the five-member media panel which selected this past
season's All-CIF San Diego Section softball team went with the
pitcher from the championship team. And although she pitched less
than one full game during the entire SDCIF playoffs, Melissa May
of Rancho Bernardo beat out the pair of East County entries to
be tabbed the Player of the Year.
May only tossed five innings in the SDCIF title game, missing
action with tendinitis in her pitching shoulder. However, both
Owens and Wilson attempted to gut it out and pitch through injuries,
yet both fell in the title game of their schools' respective divisions.
Nevertheless, both East County products capped their careers with
top-flight statistics.
Owens, who backed Christian to four Division IV title games, including
section titles as a sophomore and a junior, finishes ranked among
the top five performers on the SDCIF career record book in several
categories, including strikeouts.
Wilson, who posted a 21-4 record this past season before falling
in the Division III finale to Mission Hills, finishes with a career
mark of 44-5 - one of the best career records in section history.
Both still landed on the All-SDCIF first team in voting conducted
under the auspices of the San Diego Hall of Champions and the
Breitbard Athletic Foundation.
The East County pair was joined by West Hills slugger KASEY
MYTINGER and Valhalla catcher KIMMI HAYDEN on the first
team.
Mytinger posted the best numbers by any large-school player since
All-American Lisa Dodd of University City (now a starter at UCLA),
belting an East County and Grossmont Conference record 11 home
runs along with 44 RBI. Hayden, who earned a scholarship to Memphis,
batted .375 during the season, collecting two hits in each of
her postseason appearances, including game-winning hits in the
quarterfinals and semifinals.
Tabbed to the second team were pitchers from the Grossmont North
League junior MARA THORNTON of West Hills, and sophomore
SHAE BASS from Santana.
(06-17-05)
2005 ALL-CIF SAN DIEGO SECTION SOFTBALL TEAM Selected by a Media Panel for the San Diego Hall of Champions FIRST TEAM POS NAME SCHOOL YEAR P Melissa May Rancho Bernardo Senior P LACEY WILSON VALHALLA SENIOR P MELISSA OWENS CHRISTIAN SENIOR P Donna Kerr Patrick Henry Soph. P Janae Portugal Westview Junior P Whitney Orellana Mission Hills Soph. C Erin Floros Mt. Carmel Senior C KIMMI HAYDEN VALHALLA SENIOR SS Patrina Harrison-Doublet Oceanside Frosh 1B Gina Leomiti Mira Mesa Senior 1B Danielle Kinley Carlsbad Senior RF KASEY MYTINGER WEST HILLS SENIOR P-1B Brenda Langston Escondido Junior Player of the Year - Melissa May, Rancho Bernardo SECOND TEAM POS NAME SCHOOL YEAR P Jen Ellenbeck Poway Junior P Melissa Tillett Mira Mesa Soph. P Katie Nelson Rancho Buena Vista Senior P Melissa Lerno EC-Southwest Senior P SHAE BASS SANTANA SOPH. P MARA THORNTON WEST HILLS JUNIOR P-SS Erica Coelho Clairemont Junior INF Raylene Asman Escondido Junior 3B Melissa Andrews Rancho Buena Vista Senior SS Kelly Bence Vista Senior 3B Chelsea Bemis Mount Carmel Soph. OF Brittany Knudsen Escondido Junior OF Vanessa Perez Mission Hills Frosh (06-17-05)
2005 All-East County Team
East's award-winning quartet made for one
of most exciting seasons
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The debate raged all season to
determine the best softball players in the East County. And sides
and loyalties were equally split based on a wide range of criteria:
winning, reliability, talent and what a single player meant
to their respective ballclub.
And without the limitations which coaches have in singling-out
the very best, MELISSA OWENS of Christian High and LACEY
WILSON have been tabbed the East CountySports.com Co-Pitchers
of the Year for 2005. In an equally narrow race, EastCountySports.com
Co-Players of the Year honors are shared between Valhalla catcher
KIMMI HAYDEN and West Hills right fielder KASEY MYTINGER.
Owens all but single-handedly carried the Patriots into the San
Diego CIF Division IV finals. The San Diego State-bound senior
struck out 282 this season to go along with a 15-10 record and
a 0.35 ERA. She totaled 796 career strikeouts, 32 shutouts and
eight no-hitters, while posting a career batting average of .473.
The majority of her career stats rank in among the All-San Diego
CIF Top 10 best.
Wilson, the reigning SDCIF player of the Year by both the coaches
and the media after posting a 24-1 record in 2004, came close
to matching her unbelievable numbers before arm tightness bothered
her over the final month of the season. However, unlike pitchers
from North County schools, Wilson attempted to fight through the
pain, guiding the Norsemen to the SDCIF Division III championship
contest.
Wilson finished with a 22-4 record; 46-5 over two seasons.
Hayden, meanwhile, demonstrated her leadership skills both on
and off the field, earning a scholarship to Memphis. She batted
.364 with 13 doubles, a home run and 19 RBI.
Mytinger, the power hitter from the Wolf Pack, established Grossmont
Conference and East County records with 11 home runs this season.
However, her RBI total of 44 nearly matched the numbers put on
the board by University City's Lisa Dodd (now a starter at UCLA)
when the All-American drove home 50 runs two seasons ago. Mytinger
also batted at a .437 clip.
EastCountySports.com's choice for Coach of the Year goes
to the first-year skipper of the Granite Hills Eagles, MIKE
BERTUSSI. A long-time veteran of youth softball travel teams,
Bertussi inherited a Granite Hills program in disarray. Starting
from scratch, Bertussi's Eagles stumbled out of the gate to a
2-9 start, but ended up sharing the Grossmont South League title
with perennial power Valhalla.
KRISTEN MEDRUD, despite playing with a host of talented players
in front of her, was a constant on a powerful Santana ballclub
that captured its first league crown in 11 seasons. Medrud received
EastCountySports.com's Unsung Hero Award.
EastCountySports.com selected Co-East County Rookies of the
Year in freshmen Santana third baseman KELSEY McILONIE
and Granite Hills catcher MANDY OMAHEN.
(06-07-05)
Valhalla catcher Kimmi Hayden
(21) in close action at the plate as a Mission Hills runner approaches.
(5-28-05/Photo by Adolfo
Villanueva)
Norsemen, Patriots fall one win short of
championship goal
EastCountySports.com
San Diego CIF Playoffs
- Championship
LA JOLLA -- The clock struck midnight a few days too late for
a pair of East County softball teams, which each were seeking
a second consecutive San Diego CIF championship. However, injuries,
fatigue from a long season, and better hitting by the opposition
left Valhalla and Christian holding runner-up trophies in Saturday's
(May 28) San Diego Section finals held at UC San Diego. Following
a long pitchers' duel, the roof fell in on the Norsemen, who allowed
eight runs over the final two innings in falling to upstart Mission
Hills, 8-0, in the Division III finale. Meanwhile, the Patriots
were at less than 100 percent in both pitching and defense in
dropping a 2-1 decision to Imperial for the Division IV crown.
MISSION HILLS 8, VALHALLA 0: This was not the happily-ever-after
ending Valhalla ace pitcher LACEY WILSON and her Norsemen
teammates had in mind.
After winning more than 20 games in both her junior and senior
seasons, the toll of pitching in excess of 300 total innings finally
caught up to Wilson, the reigning SDCIF Player of the Year.
Wilson matched Mission Hills sophomore Whitney Orellana for five
scoreless innings, but Grizzlies junior Stephanie Frasca finally
figured out how to beat Wilson. The left-fielder stayed off the
riseball and registered five RBI over the final two innings --
a two-run single in the 6th, then a 3-run double in the 7th --
to give the first-year varsity program a surprising Division III
title over the defending Division II champions.
"After all she's pitched this year, it's definitely not the
best way to close out a career," noted head coach DOUG
HARTUNG of Wilson, who posted a 22-4 record after going 21-1
as a junior. "It all kind of got away from the team at the
end - Frasca just blasted the ball into center."
Grizzlies freshman shortstop Vanessa Perez, who went 3-for-3 to
help defeat top-seeded Santana in the semifinals, added two more
hits including a late triple to topple the Norsemen. Perez and
Jessica Fedder both reached base in the 6th and 7th to set the
stage for Frasca, who sent one shot up the middle for two runs,
then added a bases-loaded double to the fence to key a 6-run uprising
in the 7th.
Valhalla catcher KIMMI HAYDEN recorded two of the three
hits off Orellana, a sophomore who tossed three straight playoff
shutouts in blanking Brawley, Santana and the Norsemen (26-7-2).
For the postseason, Hayden recorded two hits in all three outings,
batting .462 (6-for-13) with six RBI, including a grand slam against
Clairemont in the semis.
"Kimmi had a great CIF playoff with all those hits and all
those RBI," added Hartung. "It was a great way to finish
her career, and I know she'll continue to do well at (the University
of) Memphis."
Norsemen second baseman JODIE SCHMEHR collected the only
other hit, as Orellana struck out five. Wilson struck out eight
Grizzlies, as each pitcher issued a single walk.
Christian's Amanda Plum (2)
gets the call at third in a Division IV SDCIF championship game
won by Imperial. (5-28-05/Photo
by Adolfo Villanueva)
IMPERIAL 2, CHRISTIAN 1: By the time Patriots pitcher MELISSA
OWENS made the necessary adjustments to pitch at less than
100 percent, the Tigers posted a pair of early runs then staved
off a Christian rally to record their first postseason triumph
in three tries over coach ROMA DAWSON's squad.
"Melissa showed a lot of character and is a real competitor,"
noted Dawson, who is now 3-3 in the CIF Division IV title game
over the past six seasons. "She did an admirable job."
Imperial (20-8) scored single runs in the first two innings off
Owens (both unearned) after the improving Patriots' defense slipped
a notch and committed five errors.
Tigers leadoff batter Melanie Medina opened the contest with a
walk, was sacrificed to second by Stephanie Ortega, then moved
to third on a wild pitch. Owens seemingly got out of the jam with
a grounder, but the ball was booted for a 1-0 lead.
In the 2nd, Chelsey Jensen doubled, one of only four hits off
Owens, but an error in the outfield allowed her to score.
Christian answered in the 2nd when AMANDA PLUM doubled
and took third on an Imperial error. SARAH MOSES followed
with a groundball to the right side of the infield for an RBI
to trim the deficit in half.
However, Tigers pitcher Caschjen Davis, the niece of Granite
Hills baseball coach JAMES DAVIS, matched Owens in allowing
just four hits.
Plum and ASHLEY PATERSON divided Christian's four-hit total
with two safeties apiece. Owens was 0-for-3, her ability being
limited due to injuries suffered while sliding into second base
in the semifinals.
Imperial first baseman Jennifer Sanchez also recorded a pair of
hits, including a double. Davis notched her 17th win in 22 decisions
for the Tigers, who lost in the finals to Christian 2-0 last year.
Valhalla's Amber Reardon (18) reaches for
the ball in a close play at second base in a Division III SDCIF
final game won by Mission Hills.
(5-28-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)
SAT., MAY 28, 2005 EastCountySports.com SDCIF Playoffs - Championship DIVISION III GRIZZLIES 8, NORSEMEN 0 MISSION HILLS ab r h bi VALHALLA ab r h bi Perez ss 3 2 2 0 Hayden c 3 0 2 0 Vlahos 2b 4 1 1 0 Schmehr 2b 3 0 1 0 Fedder c 3 2 2 0 Seitz dp 3 0 0 0 Frasca lf 4 0 2 5 Reardon ss 3 0 0 0 Hall cf 4 0 0 0 Vessey 1b 3 0 0 0 Russell 1b 3 1 2 0 Al.Johnson 3b 3 0 0 0 Jelinski dp 2 0 0 0 Alfano lf 3 0 0 0 Jaime 3b 3 1 1 1 Ludwig cf 1 0 0 0 Ghrer rf 3 1 1 1 Zinter rf 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 29 8 11 7 TOTALS 24 0 3 0 Mission Hills (21-7) 000 002 6 - 8 11 0 Valhalla (26-7-2) 000 000 0 - 0 3 1 GWRBI: Frasca. DP: Valhalla 1. LOB: Mission Hills 3, Valhalla 4. 2B: Frasca. 3B: Perez. MISSION HILLS ip h r er bb so Orellana W(19-7) 7.0 3 0 0 1 5 VALHALLA L.Wilson L(22-4) 7.0 11 8 8 1 8 HBP: by Orellana (Ludwig), by L.Wilson (Jelinski). *
Christian shortstop Ashley Paterson (11)
attempts a play against an Imperial baserunner at third base in a
SDCIF final game won by Imperial.
(5-28-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)
DIVISION IV TIGERS 2, PATRIOTS 1 IMPERIAL ab r h bi CHRISTIAN ab r h bi Medina 3b 3 1 1 0 Owens p 3 0 0 0 Ortega ss 3 0 0 0 Melendez c 3 0 0 0 Davis p 3 0 0 1 Paterson ss 3 0 2 0 Moler 2b 3 0 0 0 Seymour 1b 3 0 0 0 Jensen cf 3 1 1 0 Plum 3b 3 1 2 0 Cheatham c 3 0 0 1 Moses 2b 3 0 0 1 J.Sanchez 1b 3 0 2 0 Melvin dp 3 0 0 0 Loyd lf 3 0 0 0 Garvin cf 2 0 0 0 Severe cf 2 0 0 0 Zavadil rf 2 0 0 0 Graul lf 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 26 2 4 1 TOTALS 25 1 4 1 Imperial (20-8) 110 000 0 - 2 4 1 Christian (15-13) 010 000 0 - 1 4 5 GWRBI: Cheatham. LOB: Imperial 6, Christian 3. 2B: Jensen, J.Sanchez, Plum. S: Ortega. IMPERIAL ip h r er bb so Davis W(17-5) 7.0 4 1 0 0 7 CHRISTIAN Owens L(15-10) 7.0 4 2 0 3 5 WP: Owens. (05-28-05)
Valhalla's Lacey Wilson (16)
on her way to her 22nd win in Wednesday's SDCIF quarterfinal victory
for the Norsemen. (5-26-05/Photo by Michael Chipperfield)
Patriots, Norsemen seek consecutive SDCIF crowns
EastCountySports.com
San Diego CIF Playoffs - Semifinals
POWAY - Among the four East County
teams remaining in the SDCIF softball playoffs, two advanced to
Saturday's (May 28) title contests, as defending Division IV titlist
Christian gets a rematch with Imperial, while Valhalla, the Division
II kingpin last season, goes for a Division III banner. However,
the Norsemen will not get an all-East County showdown with top-seeded
Santana, after the Sultans were knocked out by surging Mission
Hills in Thursday's (May 26) semifinals. The other local victim
was West Hills, who was held hitless for 6.1 innings before falling
to Patrick Henry on just two hits.
DIVISION IV
CHRISTIAN 7, LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 3:
The news on this Division IV tilt wasn't the Patriots' victory,
but the status of All-County pitcher MELISSA OWENS, still
bothered some from a hamstring pull suffered nearly two months
ago against West Hills while running the bases. Head coach ROMA
DAWSON and her team swallowed hard when Owens failed to immediately
come to her feet after stealing second base in the 4th inning.
"I looked at her face and could see she was in pain,"
noted pinch-runner SARA GUNTER. "Her face turned white."
Owens slid awkwardly and suffered scrapes on her right knee, the
side she pushes off the rubber with when pitching, along with
abrasions to her pitching hand. However, Owens was determined
to remain in the contest, switching from her power style to an
array of junk-ball pitches to eat away the final four innings.
Although she lost her no-hitter bid on three Torreys' hits in
the 5th, Owens still struck out 12 batters to carry the Patriots
to their sixth consecutive title game appearance.
"Melissa showed a lot of moxie, character and determination,"
noted Dawson. "And then our girls showed some resilience
against a real good La Jolla Country Day team and got some more
hits and runs for her. I know she is hurting, but that just shows
you what kind of competitor she is."
Owens continued to keep the focus off her efforts.
"I caught on something sliding and, yes, it hurts a lot,"
noted Owens. "But I had to stay in there for the good of
the team because it's all of us who are trying to win out there,
not just me."
The top-seeded Patriots (15-12), who owned a 3-0 lead prior to
Owens' mishap at second base, jump-started on a two-run homer
by sophomore first baseman SARAH SEYMOUR in the 1st. After
Owens opened the ballgame with a single and the first of her two
stolen bases, Seymour noticed a pattern by the LJCD pitcher and
sent a drive down the left-field line for an inside-the-park home
run.
"I noticed that she threw the same first pitch to the first
three batters, so I was looking for something on the outside corner,"
noted the left-handed hitting Seymour. "So I saw it and just
drove it to make something happen."
"Then later on, when Melissa got hurt and came back to the
dugout, it was scary," she added. "But she did a great
job to tough it out, then we kept hitting the ball and kept our
errors to a minimum to back up Melissa."
Among the final five Christian runs, three scored on LJCD throwing
errors. SARAH MOSES pushed a run home with a smart groundout
to the right side of the diamond, and Seymour and ASHLEY PATERSON
converted a perfect double steal, as Seymour forced a throw to
second base, allowing Paterson to barge her way home. The Torreys
committed five errors to allow five unearned runs to score.
Despite the injuries, Owens collected two of the Patriots' seven
hits, while catcher STEPHANY MELENDEZ also collected two
hits while needing to be helped off the field following the contest.
Melendez is suffering back problems brought on by a kidney ailment.
The Torreys (15-9) received a pair of hits from Alexandra Weiss
and Alexandra Berenter, while pinchhitter Gabriel Scher posted
a two-run single in the 6th to ruin the shutout bid by Owens.
Christian seeks its fourth title in six years, having won earlier
titles in even-numbered years (2000, 2002, 2004).
"The seniors would really like to break that streak and win
one in an odd-numbered year," noted Seymour.
Valhalla's Jodie Schmehr (12) lays
down a bunt in the SDCIF quarterfinal Norsemen victory over Clairemont.
(5-26-05/Photo by Michael Chipperfield)
DIVISION III
VALHALLA 8, CLAIREMONT 2: Senior
KIMMI HAYDEN, on the heels of her game-winning hit in extra
innings during the quarterfinals, retained some more thunder-bursts
in her bat. The University of Memphis-bound catcher smashed a
grand slam for a quick 4-0 advantage in the 2nd inning, propelling
the Norsemen to an easy triumph over the Chieftains. Hayden finished
the afternoon going 2-for-4 with five RBI, including a run-scoring
single in the 4th to extend the lead to 6-0 over the Western League
champions.
"I didn't want to start pulling the ball, but I was able
to mentally stay in my zone, which is the most important part
of my game" explained Hayden. "Then just like the last
game, I hooked the first pitch foul before going with the next
pitch and hitting it to the fence."
Hayden found the gap in left-center field, with the ball rolling
to the baseball fence; arrangements by the CIF for temporary softball
fences fell through earlier in the day. Hayden easily scored without
a relay throw to the plate.
The inning started off innocently enough with a pair of outs,
then ANDI ALFANO, who went 3-for-5 in the team's postseason
opening win against USDHS, lined yet another single to center.
However, Clairemont got in trouble by hitting COURTNEY LUDWIG
with a pitch, then No. 9 batter JAMIE ZINTER walked to
allow Valhalla's hottest bat to come to the plate with the bases
loaded.
"I knew Kimmi would get a hit or do something," noted
Alfano. "She's really been stepping up for us."
Alfano has keyed the bottom third of the Valhalla lineup, which
scored five of the team's eight runs.
"I've been in a slump, but it is CIF time, so I took a lot
of extra batting practice," said Alfano, who is hitting .444
in the postseason. "The adrenaline was really in me, and
since I've been in CIF the last two years, I'd like to do well
in CIF both this year and next year."
The huge offensive display was more than enough for winning pitcher
LACEY WILSON. She ran her season record to 22-3 (and 43-4
over the past two seasons) by just getting outs, as both Chieftains
runs came on ground balls for outs in the 4th. Wilson finished
with a 3-hitter, and registered her lone strikeout to end the
ballgame.
The other Valhalla runs came in the 6th, as a tapper in front
of the plate by KELLEY SEITZ turned into a 4-base error
for two runs when the Clairemont catcher air-mailed first base
and the ball rolled all the way to the right-field baseball fence.
MISSION HILLS 2, SANTANA 0: What little offensive punch
there was in this semifinal only lasted about two minutes, but
it was enough to give the Grizzlies their first SDCIF championship
game appearance. In a strong pitchers' duel between sophomores
SHAE BASS of Santana and Mission Hills' Whitney Orellana,
the Grizz posted three consecutive hits in their final at-bat
to eliminate the top-seeded and defending champion Sultans.
Freshman Vanessa Perez capped a 3-for-3 outing with a lead single
to right in the 6th inning. One out later, Jessica Fedder smashed
an RBI triple to left, then scored an insurance run on a single
to right by Stephanie Frasca.
Bass finished with six strikeouts and allowed just five hits.
However, Orellana was a touch better, yielding just three hits
and escaping am early jam.
Santana loaded the bases with one out in the first on a walk to
TAYLOR KELLY and consecutive basehits by DANIELLE BALOUGH
and KATIE THOMAS. However, Orellana escaped on a force-out
at the plate and a pop-out.
In the second, KRISTEN MEDRUD doubled to center, and moved
to third on a JEN KRISMER sacrifice bunt, but Orellana
again emerged from the one-out jam without a scratch to keep the
contest scoreless.
The only other Sultans hit was a Bass double to leadoff the 4th,
followed by a Medrud sacrifice, but Orellana began a streak by
retiring the final 11 straight Santana batters to close the contest.
DIVISION II
PATRICK HENRY 2, WEST HILLS 1: Patriots
sophomore Donna Kerr carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning before
a pair of Wolf Pack seniors collected hits to give the Grossmont
North League champions a chance to extend the contest, but Kerr
survived a 7-pitch at-bat to coax a game-ending pop-out to advance
Patrick Henry to the finals. The Pats will meet Escondido for
the Division II title after the Cougars blanked Palomar League
titlist Westview, 5-0.
Kerr, who earlier this season established a San Diego Section
record with 31 consecutive strikeouts over several ballgames,
added to her total with 13 additional strikeouts, as the only
West Hills runners over the first six innings reached on errors.
However, senior KASEY MYINGTER, the East County's single
season home run record-holder, blooped a single in front of the
centerfielder to end the bid for a no-hitter. One out later, AMY
JOHNSON, another senior, lined a sharp single to right to
place runners on the corners, but the Pack couldn't find any more
magic.
"We had a great season, but it's hard to lose anytime,"
noted Mytinger.
Added Johnson, "This is one of the best teams we've ever
had, along with our team which lost to Lisa Dodd - we lost to
Lisa Dodd, not to Mira Mesa - when we were freshmen (in 2002)."
The Patriots scored the game's lone run in the 4th on a two-out
rally. Catcher Nicole LoCoco singled, moved to third on a double
from third baseman Tori McCombs, then scored an unearned run on
a passed ball. Patrick Henry later put the first two batters on
in the 6th, but West Hills went to MARA THORNTON in relief
to keep the lead at one run with a ground out and a double play
grounder.
Thornton was intentionally held out from starting by the coaching
staff, believing the match-up could produce an extended game and
it would be more important to have a fresh Thornton pitching the
second half of a long ballgame.
"I had no problems with that and I was ready to come in,"
noted Thornton. "It was a rough way to go out, but we played
hard and I'm proud of all my girls."
A Valhalla runner beats the throw to third
in the CIF semifinal game with Clairemont, won by the Norsemen
8-2. (5-26-05/Photos
by Adolfo Villanueva)
THUR., MAY 26, 2005 EastCountySports.com SDCIF Playoffs - Semifinals DIVISION II PATRIOTS 1, WOLF PACK 0 WEST HILLS ab r h bi PATRICK HENRY ab r h bi Burner cf 3 0 0 0 Kerr p 3 0 0 0 Larson 2b 3 0 0 0 Griswold 2b 2 0 1 0 Mytinger rf 3 0 1 0 Bryan ss 3 0 1 0 No.20 pr 0 0 0 0 Hensley cf 3 0 0 0 Thornton dp-p 3 0 0 0 Lococo c 3 1 1 0 Am.Johnson 3b 3 0 1 0 McCombs 3b 2 0 1 0 Valles pr 0 0 0 0 Navarro dp 2 0 0 0 Mel.Hill ss 3 0 0 0 Forrester 1b 2 0 0 0 Iavelli lf 2 0 0 0 Robertson rf 2 0 1 0 Swanson c 1 0 0 0 Levinson lf 0 0 0 0 Kovi ph 1 0 0 0 Sandberg p 2 0 0 0 Buah cf 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 24 0 2 0 TOTALS 22 1 5 0 West Hills (26-7) 000 000 0 - 0 2 9 Patrick Henry (26-4-1) 000 100 x - 1 5 2 GWRBI: none. DP: West Hills 1. Patrick Henry 1. LOB: West Hills 3, Patrick Henry 4. 2B: McCombs. SB: Iavelli. PITCHING SUMMARY WEST HILLS ip h r er bb so Sandberg L(8-3) 5.0+ 5 1 0 1 2 Thornton 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 PATRICK HENRY Kerr W 7.0 2 0 0 0 13 Sandberg faced 2 batters in the 6th. PB: Lococo. * DIVISION III NORSEMEN 8, CHIEFTAINS 2 VALHALLA ab r h bi CLAIREMONT ab r h bi Hayden c 4 1 2 5 Coelho p-ss 3 0 0 0 Schmehr 2b 4 1 1 0 Moore rf 0 0 0 0 Seitz dp 3 1 0 0 Link rf 2 0 0 0 Reardon ss 3 0 0 0 Telles p 1 0 0 0 Staninger ph 1 0 0 0 Gemar 1b 2 0 0 0 Vessey 1b 3 0 0 0 Coppa pr 0 1 0 0 Krier pr 0 0 0 0 Pierce c 3 0 1 0 Castetler ph 1 0 0 0 Marzicola pr 0 1 0 0 Minniss 1b 0 0 0 0 Hastings ss-3b-ss 3 0 1 1 Al.Johnson 3b 3 0 0 0 Trammer 2b 2 0 0 1 McGirr pr 0 0 0 0 Preovolos lf 1 0 1 0 Alfano lf 4 1 1 0 Gonion 3b 1 0 0 0 Ludwig cf 2 2 1 0 Turner cf-lf 3 0 0 0 Zinter rf 1 2 0 0 Wood 3b 2 0 0 0 Marsh rf 0 0 0 0 Marzicola cf-rf 0 0 0 0 Amalafoa ph 1 0 0 0 TOTALS 29 8 5 5 TOTALS 24 2 3 2 Valhalla (26-6-2) 040 202 0 - 8 5 5 Clairemont (20-10-2) 000 200 0 - 2 3 5 GWRBI: Hayden. DP: Valhalla 1. LOB: Valhalla 5, Clairemont 6. 2B: Schmehr. HR: Hayden (2nd, slam). SB: Zinter. S: Preovolos, Zinter. PITCHING SUMMARY VALHALLA ip h r er bb so L.Wilson W(22-3) 7.0 3 2 0 2 1 CLAIREMONT Coelho L 5.0 5 6 4 3 4 Telles 2.0 0 2 0 0 0 HBP: by Coelho (Ludwig). IP: L.Wilson 2. * GRIZZLIES 2, SULTANS 0 SANTANA ab r h bi MISSION HILLS ab r h bi Proctor cf 3 0 0 0 Perez ss 3 1 3 0 Kelly ss 2 0 0 0 Vlahos 2b 2 0 0 0 Balough 2b 3 0 0 0 Fedder c 3 1 1 1 Thomas dp 3 0 1 0 Frasca lf 3 0 1 1 Bass p 3 0 1 0 Hall cf 3 0 0 0 Medrud 1b 2 0 1 0 Russell 1b 2 0 0 0 Krismer lf 2 0 0 0 Jelinski rf 1 0 0 0 McIlonie 3b 2 0 0 0 Alvarez rf 1 0 0 0 Cook ph 1 0 0 0 Jaime 3b 2 0 0 0 Fenn c 2 0 0 0 Ghrer dp 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 23 0 3 0 TOTALS 22 2 5 2 Santana (26-5) 000 000 0 - 0 3 1 Mission Hills (20-7) 000 002 0 - 2 5 1 GWRBI: Fedder. Lob: Santana 5, Mission Hills 3. 2B: Bass. 3B: Fedder. S: Vlahos, Krismer, Medrud. PITCHING SUMMARY SANTANA ip h r er bb so Bass L(12-4) 6.0 5 2 2 0 6 MISSION HILLS Orellana W(18-7) 7.0 3 0 0 1 4 WP: Bass. BK: Bass. * DIVISION IV PATRIOTS 7, TORREYS 3 CHRISTIAN ab r h bi LJ COUNTRY DAY ab r h bi Owens p 3 1 2 0 Weiss cf 4 1 2 0 Gunter pr 0 0 0 0 S.Berenter ss 2 1 0 0 Zavadil rf 4 0 0 0 A.Berenter p 3 1 2 1 Paterson ss 4 1 1 0 Brainerd c 4 0 0 0 Seymour 1b 4 3 1 2 Pollack 3b 2 0 0 0 Plum 3b 4 1 1 0 Young 1b 2 0 0 0 Melendez c 4 1 2 0 Scher ph 1 0 1 2 Moses 2b 4 0 0 1 Kanater rf 3 0 0 0 Graul lf 3 0 0 0 Abbott 2b 3 0 0 0 Garvin cf 3 0 0 0 Rivera lf 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 33 7 7 3 TOTALS 27 3 5 3 Christian (15-12) 210 020 2 - 7 7 3 La Jolla Country Day (15-9) 000 002 1 - 3 5 5 LOB: Christian 5, LJCD 7. HR: Seymour (1st, 1 on). SB: Owens 2, Meledez, Seymour, Paterson. CHRISTIAN ip h r er bb k Owens W(15-9) 7.0 5 3 3 4 12 LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY A.Berenter L 7.0 7 7 2 0 3 PB: Melendez, Brainerd. (05-26-05)
Valhalla's Kimmi Hayden blasts in the winning
run in the Norsemen's 1-0 SDCIF quarterfinal defeat of USDHS
in 13 innings. (5-24-05/Photo by Michael Chipperfield)
Four local teams advance to playoff final
four
EastCountySports.com
San Diego CIF Playoffs
EL CAJON - Four East County squads
advanced to Thursday's (May 26) San Diego CIF divisional semifinals
at the Poway SportsPlex. In Tuesday's (May 24) quarterfinals,
Santana nipped Steele Canyon 2-1 in eight innings, Valhalla outlasted
USDHS 1-0 in 11 innings, West Hills edged Ramona 4-3, and Christian
eliminated Palo Verde 3-2.
VALHALLA 1, USDHS 0: In their final home-field
appearance, the "one-headed" battery combination of
seniors KIMMI HAYDEN and LACEY WILSON advanced the
Norsemen (25-6-2) to the semifinals following Tuesday's SDCIF
Division III a marathon win.
Hayden drove in ANDI ALFANO with the game-winning run on
a booming two-out double to the fence in the 11th inning, while
Wilson tossed a 3-hit shutout in gaining her 21st victory of the
season.
"It seems like we are one person since we've been playing
together since we were 6 or 7," explained Hayden of the teammates'
collective approach to the game. "You just get used to what
the other is thinking, which is usually the same thing."
Both indicated they knew Hayden would get a chance to win the
ballgame after Wilson escaped a major jam in the 10th.
After setting down 27 of the first 28 Dons hitters -- one batter
shy of a 9-inning perfect game -- USDHS collected a pair of infield
singles which collectively went a combined distance of 15 feet.
Alyssa Rosales hit a tapper toward Wilson, but beat the throw
for a scratch single. But when the throw raced down the right-field
line, the leadoff batter was suddenly at third base. And when
Alyc Kalamaha followed with another tapper for an infield single,
USDHS had runners at the corners and no outs.
However, USDHS (15-7-2) continued to play ultra-conservative and
never attempted to advance a runner via a steal, sacrifice or
hit-and-run play, to its detriment.
"They had some good hitters coming up and figured they would
get a hit," noted Wilson, who struck out nine Dons, including
two straight after the infield hits followed by a pop-out to escape
and keep the ballgame scoreless. "I was determined to strike
them out or get them to pop out."
In the decisive 11th, ALLISON JOHNSON and Alfano opened
the frame with consecutive singles, then COURTNEY LUDWIG
grounded into a fielder's choice at third. JAMIE ZINTER
almost became the hero with a screaming line drive, but it went
right into the glove of the Dons' centerfielder.
Hayden turned on the first pitch by USDHS pitcher Diana Moses,
hooking it foul. She then teed off the 0-1 pitch with a drive
to the fence, as Alfano turned the corner and raced home with
the game's only run before the standing-room only crowd.
"I did not hear a single person â¤" I was
in my own world at the plate," noted Hayden, who snapped
a mild hitting slump with her 2-for-6 effort. "It was my
last home game and I wanted to be the one who would win it for
us."
Valhalla had base-runners in nine innings, but stranded 13 of
them, including two in the 5th, 7th and 8th. USDHS had only three
runners on all afternoon, including a lead single by Katie Ghio
on an 0-2 pitch out of the strike zone to open the 4th. They also
left Alfano stranded at third in the 9th after she doubled and
was sacrificed along by Ludwig.
"(USDHS) had one of the best defensive teams that I've ever
seen," said Valhalla coach DOUG HARTUNG. "They
played like a college infield. They were so sharp. We put up 13
hits and couldn't score. We were threatening to score in so many
innings and they shut us down. They were flat good."
Hartung also singled-out Alfano for her nifty offense work.
"Andi was 3-for-5 with a couple of singles and a double and
scored the winning run," the coach said. â¤She
had a great day, really has picked it up lately.
ALLISON JOHNSON has been in a dry spell and today she went
2-for-4. JAMIE ZINTER went -2-for-5 and this was really
big for her because she's been in a slump."
The coup de grace to Hartung"s thinking was the partisan
Valhalla home crowd.
"There was a huge crowd out to watch the game -- the baseball
players, parents, teachers, students, athletic directors -- it
was really exciting," Hartung noted.
Valhalla takes on Clairemont in Thursday's semifinals at Poway
SportsPlex at 5 p.m.
WEST HILLS 4, RAMONA 3: Pinch-runner KRISTY VALLES,
promoted from the junior varsity this week, rushed home from third
base on a wild pitch to score the game-winning run, as the Wolf
Pack scored twice in a "bizarre" bottom of the 7th rally
to thwart the upset attempts of Ramona in Tuesday's (May 24) Division
II quarterfinals.
"That whole inning was bizarre," noted West Hills coach
STEVE SUTTON.
KASEY MYTINGER extended her East County home run record to
11 with a 1st -inning shot to center field, as both teams scored
a single run in the 5th inning. Mytinger's home run count ties
her for four on the SDCIF all-time books for long balls in a single
season.
However, Tori Gross answered with a two-run homer in the 3rd for
Ramona, giving the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead.
MELISSA HILL, the Pack shortstop, capped a 2-for-3 outing
with an RBI double in the 3rd to score Mytinger, but West Hills
was unable to score against the Ramona bullpen until the clock
nearly struck midnight on the season for the second-seeded Wolf
Pack.
However, pitcher MARA THORNTON was able to get her team
back into the game with her bat, stroking a single to start the
7th. Pinch-runner MEGAN COOK moved to second on a sacrifice
bunt by MICHELLE IAVELLI, then catcher BRITTANY SWANSON
singled to place runners on the corners.
JAYLEEN BUSH tied the game with a solid single to left, and
Balles was called upon to run for Bush, moving to third on a fielder's
choice.
"I told Kristy that if there is a passed ball, you need to
bust your tail and get in there and score," noted Sutton.
"And two pitches later, it happened."
With NANCY SUE LARSON at the plate, a pitch sailed far
inside and nearly hit the batter. Instead, it ticked off the glove
of the extended Ramona catcher for a wild pitch, and Balles raced
home.
Thornton was charged with just two earned runs, striking out seven
batters to collect the victory. West Hills will meet Patrick Henry
(25-4-1) at 5 pm in Thursday's (May 26) semifinals at Poway Sportsplex.
Steele Canyon pitcher Samantha Beasley (7) pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 14 in the Cougar's CIF first round victory over Madison. (5-21-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)
SANTANA 2, STEELE CANYON 1: KATIE THOMAS' sacrifice fly broke a
1-1 deadlock in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the top-seeded
Sultans (26-4) the hard-fought victory over the visiting Cougars
Tuesday (May 24) in Santee.
The win vaulted Santana into the semifinals Thursday (May 26)
against Mission Hills at 7:30 at Poway SportsPlex.
Thomas finished the game 2-for-3, driving in both Santana runs.
She collected her 4th game-winning RBI.
"Katie battled every time she was up to bat. She came
through for us today and also against West Hills. She won the
game for us," said Santana assistant coach SHANNON MORENO.
"(TAYLOR) KELLY had a great game with two hits in
the 6th inning and a leadoff double in the 8th, and (DANIELLE)
BALOUGH had a push bunt in the 6th and a sacrifice bunt in
the 8th, and we hardly bunted all year."
Santana's coaches were not bashful about sharing the praise with
Steele Canyon (14-13).
"(SAMANTHA) BEASLEY threw a great game. Fortunately
for us, we able to manufacture a run here and there," said
Santana head coach JOHN BOBOF.
While Beasley was scattering 7 hits and striking out 10, Santana
ace SHAE BASS was spinning a 2-hitter at the Cougars.
"Shae came up huge, didn't have her best stuff
today but she battled through it, she competed and did a great
job," said Bobof. "And Kelly had a great game, bunted
for a hit. She is probably the best defensive shortstop in the
county.
"We knew this game was going to be tough. We had a tough
bracket. At this point there aren't any slouches."
MIRA MESA 4, GRANITE HILLS 0: Following a reprieve
from a SDCIF Appeals panel which disqualified La Costa Canyon
from the SDCIF Division I playoffs on Monday (May 23), Granite
Hills was essentially eliminated on just one pitch by defending
champion Mira Mesa.
In the top of the 5th inning, Eagles starting pitcher CHARNEL
ZETSCH was hit by a pitch from the Marauders' Melissa Tillett.
Although she stayed in the contest temporarily, the Eagles senior
finally pulled herself out of the contest due to a bone bruise
on her pitching arm after allowing a lead single in the home-half
of the 5th.
That's when Mira Mesa (22-7) jumped on the Granite Hills relief
corps for four runs, thus ending the Eagles' season.
"It was unfortunate, but that's what happens when you pitch
inside," said Eagles assistant coach MARK OBNEY. "Sometimes
you get hit by the pitch, but it just happened to be our pitcher
during the playoffs."
All-CIF first baseman Gina Leomiti took advantage, slamming a
two-run double to make a winner of Tillett (17-4), who struck
out nine and walked four Eagles.
Granite Hills (17-12) placed runners on base in every inning,
but failed to produce a key hit. Included was a one-out triple
by KYLEE WILSON in the 6th to cap a 2-for-3 outing at the
plate. Her drive split the outfielders in the right-centerfield
gap, but she was left stranded.
Senior third baseman SARAH ALFORD added a base hit and
a stolen base in her final contest with the Eagles, while shortstop
NICOLE RIVERA went 1-for-2 and walked twice.
CHRISTIAN 3, PALO VERDE 2: The Patriots pulled a narrow
escape on Tuesday (May 24) in their quest for a third San Diego
CIF Division IV championship in the last four years.
The top-seeded Patriots (14-12) looked as if they were going to
breeze in their quarterfinal encounter against the visiting Yellowjackets
(17-15) from Blythe. Christian led 3-0 after innings and ace pitcher
MELISSA OWENS was closing in on a 1-hit victory that included
18 strikeouts.
Christian took a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning as Owens doubled,
advanced to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch.
The Patriots padded their advantage on SARAH SEYMOUR's
two-run single in the 5th inning.
Pleased that her team -- 14-12 -- had notched a playoff win, Christian
coach ROMA DAWSON observed â¤We were stuck
on 13 for awhile. It was not our lucky 13."
"It's always good to get that first win," Dawson added.
"Key on defense for us was that we played pretty solidly.
Palo Verde might have deserved a higher seed. They were a handful
for us. It was a good win for us -- they were a scrappy team."
Owens (14-9) has allowed only 5 earned runs in 144 innings (0.24
ERA) and has logged 2 strikeouts this season.
2005 CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS THUR., MAY 24 - Quarterfinals DIVISION I MARAUDERS 4, EAGLES 0 GRANITE HILLS ab r h bi MIRA MESA ab r h bi Rivera ss 2 0 1 0 Me.Goff 3b 3 1 0 0 Omahen c 4 0 1 0 Ramos 2b 2 1 1 0 Schatz 2b 4 0 0 0 Leomiti 1b 3 1 1 2 Zetsch p 2 0 1 0 Maera c 2 0 1 0 Tesum p 0 0 0 0 Gosnick ss 2 0 1 1 Alford 3b 3 0 1 0 Smith rf 3 0 1 0 K.Wilson rf 3 0 2 0 Leach lf 2 0 1 0 Conway 1b 1 0 0 0 Tillett p 3 0 0 0 Woodrow lf 3 0 0 0 Castle cf 3 1 1 0 Gray cf 1 0 0 0 Hagemann ph-cf 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 25 0 6 0 TOTALS 23 4 7 3 Granite Hills (17-12) 000 000 0 - 0 6 2 Mira Mesa (22-7) 000 040 x - 4 7 0 GWRBI: Leomiti. LOB: GH 10, MM 6. 2B: Leomiti. 3B: K.Wilson. SB: Alford. PITCHING SUMMARY GRANITE HILLS ip h r er bb so Zetsch L(13-8) 4.0 4 1 1 0 5 Tesum 2.0 3 3 3 1 2 MIRA MESA Tillett W(17-4) 7.0 6 0 0 4 9 Zetsch faced 1 batter in the 5th. HBP: by Tillett (Zetsch). PB: Omahen 2. * DIVISION II WOLF PACK 4, BULLDOGS 3 RAMONA ab r h bi WEST HILLS ab r h bi Estes cf 3 0 0 0 Burner cf 4 0 1 0 Cook rf 3 2 1 0 Larson 2b 3 0 0 0 Gross ss 2 1 1 2 Mytinger rf 2 2 1 1 Poston 3b 3 0 0 0 Am.Johnson 3b 3 0 0 0 Roberts 1b-p 3 0 1 0 Mel.Hill ss 3 0 2 1 Barrow c 3 0 1 1 Thornton p 3 0 1 0 J.Wilson lf 3 0 0 0 M.Cook pr 0 1 0 0 Beatty 2b 3 0 0 0 Iavelli lf 1 0 0 0 Worthington p 2 0 0 0 Swanson c 2 0 1 0 Dufresne 1b 1 0 0 0 Bush 1b 3 0 1 1 Valles pr 0 1 0 0 TOTALS 29 3 4 3 TOTALS 24 4 7 3 Ramona (18-8-2) 102 000 0 - 3 4 2 West Hills (26-6) 100 100 2 - 4 7 1 Two outs when winning run scored. GWRBI: none. LOB: Ram 3, WH 4. 2B: Mel.Hill. HR: Mytinger (11), 1st, solo; Gross, 3rd, 1 on. S: Iavelli. PITCHING SUMMARY RAMONA ip h r er bb so Worthington 4.1 3 2 2 3 1 Roberts L(1-0) 2.1 4 2 1 0 3 WEST HILLS Thornton W(12-4) 7.0 4 3 2 1 7 WP: Roberts 2. * DIVISION III SULTANS 2, COUGARS 1 (8 innings) STEELE CANYON ab r h bi SANTANA ab r h bi Summers cf 4 0 0 0 Proctor cf 4 0 0 0 Barrios c 4 0 0 0 Kelly ss 4 2 2 0 S.Beasley p 3 0 0 0 Balough 2b 3 0 2 0 Jones 1b 2 1 1 0 Thomas dp 3 0 2 2 Jarvis 3b 2 0 1 0 Krismer lf 3 0 0 0 Mongelli ss 3 0 0 0 Bass p 3 0 0 0 Young lf 2 0 0 0 Medrud 1b 3 0 0 0 Pierce rf 3 0 0 0 McIlonie 3b 2 0 0 0 E.Beasley 2b 3 0 0 0 Bramlage rf 3 0 1 0 TOTALS 26 1 2 0 TOTALS 28 2 7 2 Steele Canyon ((14-13) 000 100 00 - 1 2 0 Santana (26-4) 000 100 01 - 2 7 2 GWRBI: Thomas. LOB: SC 4, Sant 7. 2B: Kelly, Bramlage, Jones. SB: Thomas 2, Balough. S: Balough, Young. SF: Thomas PITCHING SUMMARY STEELE CANYON ip h r er bb so S.Beasley L(10-10) 7.1 7 2 2 1 10 SANTANA Bass W(12-3) 8.0 2 1 0 1 6 Winning run scored with one out in the 8th. PB: Barrios. * NORSEMEN 1, DONS 0 (11 Inn.) USDHS ab r h bi VALHALLA ab r h bi Ghio 2b 4 0 1 0 Hayden c 6 0 2 1 Rosales 3b 4 0 1 0 Schmehr 2b 5 0 0 0 Kalahama ss 4 0 1 0 Seitz dp 5 0 1 0 Dean 1b 4 0 0 0 Reardon ss 5 0 2 0 Lewis c 4 0 0 0 Krier pr 0 0 0 0 Garrett dp 4 0 0 0 Vessey 1b 4 0 0 0 Isbell rf 4 0 0 0 Al.Johnson 3b 4 0 2 0 Lindsay lf 3 0 0 0 Chipperfield pr 0 0 0 0 Herrera ph 1 0 0 0 Alfano lf 5 1 3 0 Berry cf 3 0 0 0 Ludwig cf 4 0 1 0 Baldino ph 1 0 0 0 Zinter rf 5 0 2 0 TOTALS 36 0 3 0 TOTALS 43 1 13 1 USDHS (15-7-2) 000 000 000 00 -- 0 3 0 Valhalla (25-6-2) 000 000 000 01 -- 1 13 1 Two outs when winning run scored. GWRBI: Hayden. DP: USDHS 1. LOB: USDHS 3, Valhalla 13. 2B: Alfano, Hayden. S: Ludwig. PITCHING SUMMARY USDHS ip h r er bb so D.Moses L(7-2) 10.2 13 1 0 2 2 VALHALLA L.Wilson W(21-3) 11.0 3 0 0 0 9 WP: Moses. * DIVISION IV PATRIOTS 3, YELLOWJACKETS 2 PALO VERDE ab r h bi CHRISTIAN ab r h bi Evans ss 3 1 0 0 Paterson ss 3 0 1 0 Johnson dp 2 1 0 0 Zavadil rf 3 1 2 0 M.Aguilar 3b 3 0 0 0 Owens p 2 2 1 0 Skevsick 1b 3 0 0 0 Seymour 1b 2 0 1 2 Butler c 3 0 0 0 Plum 3b 2 0 0 0 Lanis p 3 0 0 0 Moses 2b 3 0 0 0 Lavario cf 3 0 1 0 Melvin lf 3 0 1 0 McCaslin 2b 3 0 0 0 Garvin cf 2 0 0 0 Soto rf 2 0 0 0 Graul c 3 0 0 0 Hilleger lf-fx 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 25 2 1 0 TOTALS 23 3 6 2 Palo Verde (13-13) 000 002 0 - 2 1 1 Christian (14-12) 100 020 x - 3 6 1 GWRBI: None. LOB: PV 3, Chr 6. 2B: Paterson, Owens. SB: Johnson 2, Lavario, Evans 2. S: Garvin. PITCHING SUMMARY PALO VERDE ip h r er bb so Lanis L 6.0 5 3 2 2 9 CHRISTIAN Owens W(14-9) 7.0 1 2 0 1 18 HBP: by Lanis (Paterson, Owens). WP: Lanis 2. PB: Graul 3. (05-24-05)
Steele Canyon's Christine Barrios (15) went 2-for-4
in the Cougars' 4-1 SDCIF playoff victory over Madison on Saturday. (5-21-05/Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)
Eagles are declared first-round winner after
LCC's illegal pre-game batting practice
Despite so-called bounces, Cougars bounce
Madison from playoffs
EastCountySports.com
San Diego CIF Playoffs
BULLETIN: A
rules infraction by the La Costa Canyon coaches just hours prior
to the Mavericks 3-1 San Diego CIF 1st round Division I playoff
win over host Granite Hills on Saturday (May 21) led to SDCIF
Commissioner Dennis Ackerman's ruling on Monday (May 23)
to eliminate LCC from the tournament and allow Granite Hills (now
17-11-1) to advance to Tuesday's (May 24) quarterfinals at No.
2-seeded Mira Mesa. Ackerman based his decision on the Mavericks
having taken illegal batting practice prohibited under post-season
guidelines.
LA COSTA CANYON 3, GRANITE HILLS 1 (Forfeit; Granite Hills
declared winner). ORIGINAL STORY (with updates): Sophomore
right-hander Jessica Smith needed to take a personal timeout after
the Eagles collected their first hit of the game. Upon her return,
she set down six of the final seven batters to garner the save,
lifting the visiting Mavericks to victory in the opening round
of the SDCIF Division I playoffs.
"She needed to go to the sidelines and take 15 or 20 pitches
to get her thoughts in order," noted Granite Hills assistant
coach MARK OBNEY. "But hats off to her - she is an
amazing, amazing pitcher."
Smith and Allison Clark combined on a 1-hitter, advancing to Tuesday's
(May 24) semifinals against defending champion Mira Mesa. The
Eagles' season concludes at 16-11, but then again, maybe not.
The Eagles coaching staff filed a protest with the SDCIF office
over irregularities involving the Mavericks. According to SDCIF
rules, teams may not take batting practice within two hours of
the first pitch - a rule noted by CIF commissioner Dennis Ackerman
during Thursday's (May 19) playoff seeding meeting.
Obney noted that LCC coach Mike Hill was informed of the
rule, but he ignored the request to cease and continued pitching
to his players, so Granite Hills vice principal JAKE GAEIR
video-taped the infraction and delivered it to the SDCIF offices
on Monday (May 23).
The Eagles' protest was upheld, thus disqualifying La Costa Canyon
and allowing Granite Hills to continue its season.
Just for the scrapbook, though, here's more of what happened in
the first round game that was later nullified.
After the Mavericks (19-11-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 5th inning,
the Eagles bounced right back to tie the game. JESSICA GRAY
accepted a lead walk, moved to second on a basehit to center by
NICOLE RIVERA, and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Smith then asked Hill to temporarily remove her, so Clark not
only completed the inning, she slugged a two-run single in the
sixth to become the winning pitcher in relief. Her shot to right-center
scored both Elena Bloom and Jace Williams.
Eagles pitcher CHARNEL ZETSCH finished with six strikeouts,
allowing three earned runs and five hits.
The hard-luck Eagles lost a double by KYLEE WILSON which
the coaching staff claimed lifted chalk off the field, yet the
umpire ruled the ball foul. The team was also unlucky when a passed
ball bounced off the home plate umpire and away from the catcher,
allowing the first Mavs run to score.
STEELE CANYON 4, MADISON 1 - JAYME JARVIS couldn't
believe it when her 3rd-inning homer was instead ruled a ground-rule
double. However, since SAMANTHA BEASLEY carried a no-hitter
into the 7th inning, the washout of what appeared to be a 3-run
homer for Jarvis didn't matter much in the long run as Steele
Canyon waltzed to an easy decision over host Madison in Saturday's
(May 21) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division III softball
playoffs.
Jarvis, the Cougars' freshman third baseman, muscled a pitch over
the barrier in right-center field to increase a 1-0 lead to a
huge 4-0 advantage. However, the base umpire, in over-ruling the
home plate official, said the ball bounced over the fence, so
Jarvis was limited to a ground-rule double with only one run scoring.
It was Steele Canyon's first SDCIF playoff victory in the three-year
history of the softball program.
"I'd like to congratulate Jayme on her home run," Steele
Canyon coach JULIE BOHE said, without taking a direct shot
at the officiating crew.
Fortunately, ERIKA BEASLEY registered a two-out, run-scoring
single later in the inning, then AMANDA JONES placed a
perfect safety squeeze bunt to score JESSICA SUMMERS in
the 6th inning to recoup the 4-0 margin.
That would be all Samantha Beasley would need. The sophomore struck
out 14 batters to raise her record to 10-9.
"Samantha is at the top of her game right now," noted
Bohe. "It was an excellent, excellent job, and I like what
we did on defense, too."
Both of Jarvis' opening at-bats proved critical to get the early
jump on the Warhawks.
In the 1st, Jarvis survived a check-swing which the base umpire
ruled a no-swing to the harsh disagreement of the Warhawks, eventually
bouncing into a fielder's choice which scored Summers from third
base for an early 1-0 lead. Two innings later, the call went Madison's
way on the non-homer, yet another run scored to give Jarvis a
pair of RBI in her first career CIF appearance.
"I don't get intimidated by the crowd and just cleared my
mind," Jarvis explained. "Then I just throw my hands
at the ball and see what happens."
On her apparent home run, Jarvis emotions see-sawed in a flash.
"I was excited - I haven't hit the ball like that for a while,"
Jarvis added. "When I saw the (umpire's) hands go up I was
pretty angry."
Cougars catcher CHRISTINE BARRIOS raced down the line for
a pair of infield hits on the day, two of the team's seven hits,
while Erika Beasley batted 2-for-3, including a single to score
Jones following the HR overrule.
Madison (14-10), which gained the home game as Harbor League champions,
registered its lone hits and run in the 7th. The run against Beasley
was unearned.
With the triumph, Steele Canyon (14-12) not only is guaranteed
a winning season, the 9th-seeded Cougars gain a rematch at top-seeded
Santana in Tuesday's (May 24) quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. . The
Sultans (25-4) downed SC in twice during the Grossmont Conference
Tournament, including once in the tourney title game.
MOUNT CARMEL 5, GROSSMONT 0: UC San Diego bound senior
Allison Massingill slugged a lead homer in the 2nd inning, then
the Sundevils took advantage of four Foothillers errors Saturday
(May 21) to eliminate Grossmont in the opening round of the Division
II playoffs.
Massingill, who will be a bio-chemistry major at UCSD, batted
2-for-3 on the day, including her homer which cleared the fence
just left of dead-center field. It was her second of the season
after hitting her first homer against Mount Miguel earlier in
the year. Mt. Carmel then scored three other runs without the
aid of a hit for the easy triumph.
The Foothillers' lone charge came in the 6th, when CAMMI MOORE
and MEGAN GREEN registered consecutive singles, but winning
pitcher Jessica McDermott coaxed a pair of fly outs to escape
the jam. McDermott also struck out 10 and limited Grossmont to
four singles.
Steele Canyon's Jayme Jarvis (18) slides
in to second base safely in the Cougars' 4-1 CIF first round defeat
of Madison on Saturday. (5-21-05/Photo
by Adolfo Villanueva)
2005 CIF-SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS SAT., MAY 21 -- FIRST ROUND DIVISION I MAVERICKS 3, EAGLES 1 (LCC forfeited for breaking CIF rules) LA COSTA CANYON ab r h bi GRANITE HILLS ab r h bi Bloom rf 2 1 1 0 Rivera ss 2 0 1 0 Williams 3b 3 1 1 0 Omahen c 1 0 0 0 Clark 2b-p 2 0 1 2 Schatz 2b 3 0 0 0 Sawchenko pr 0 0 0 0 Zetsch p 2 0 0 0 Keenan c 3 0 1 0 Alford 3b 3 0 0 0 Raub 1b 2 1 1 0 K.Wilson rf 2 0 0 0 Wright ss 2 0 0 0 Conway 1b 3 0 0 0 Worley lf 2 0 0 0 Woodrow lf 2 0 0 0 J.Smith p-2b 2 0 0 0 Gray cf 2 1 0 0 Harvey dp 2 0 0 0 Brown rf 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 20 3 5 2 TOTALS 23 1 2 1 La Costa Canyon (19-11-1) 000 012 0 - 3 5 2 Granite Hills (16-12) 000 010 0 - 1 1 0 GWRBI: Clark. DP: Granite Hills 1. LOB: LC-Canyon 1, Granite Hills 6. 2B: Williams. S: Wright, Worley, K.Wilson. LA COSTA CANYON ip h r er bb so J.Smith 4.1 1 1 1 2 8 Clark W 0.2 0 0 0 1 0 J.Smith Sv 2.0 0 0 0 1 2 GRANITE HILLS Zetsch L(13-7) 7.0 5 3 3 1 6 HBP: by Zetsch (Raub). PB: Kennan, Omahen. * DIVISION II SUNDEVILS 5, FOOTHILLERS 0 GROSSMONT ab r h bi MT. CARMEL ab r h bi Moore 3b 3 0 1 0 Floros c 2 1 0 0 Green ss 3 0 1 0 Munoz lf 3 2 2 0 Osborne dp 3 0 1 0 Bemis 3b 2 0 1 1 Miranda c 3 0 1 0 Massingill dp 3 1 2 1 Gonzales cf 3 0 0 0 Basser 1b 2 0 0 0 Timmer 2b 3 0 0 0 Moore ss 3 0 0 0 Myers 1b 3 0 0 0 Schott cf 3 0 0 0 Heshmaty lf 2 0 0 0 Ferdig rf 2 1 0 0 Needen rf 1 0 0 0 Lawson rf 1 0 0 0 Escalante ph 1 0 0 0 Llamas 2b 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 25 0 4 0 TOTALS 23 5 5 2 Grossmont (12-17-1) 000 000 0 - 0 4 4 Mt. Carmel (15-12-1) 010 130 x - 5 5 0 GWRBI: Massingill. LOB: Grossmont 4, Mt. Carmel 4. HR: Massingill (2), 2nd,solo. S: Bemis. GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so Guerra L(3-7) 6.0 5 5 4 1 2 MOUNT CARMEL McDermott W(12-12) 7.0 4 0 0 0 10 * DIVISION III COUGARS 4, WARHAWKS 1 STEELE CANYON ab r h bi MADISON ab r h bi Summers ss 2 2 0 0 Zepeda cf 3 0 0 0 Barrios c 4 0 2 0 Gastelum 2b 3 0 0 0 Mongelli pr 0 0 0 0 Garcia ss 3 0 0 0 S.Beasley p 2 1 1 0 N.Jones p 1 0 0 0 A.Jones 1b 2 1 1 1 Swann 3b 2 0 1 0 Jarvis 3b 4 0 1 2 Meza c 2 1 0 0 Young lf 2 0 0 0 L.Jones dh 3 0 0 0 Va.Adame dp 3 0 0 0 Montes lf 3 0 1 1 Vi.Adame dp 1 0 0 0 Glassford rf 3 0 0 0 E.Beasley 2b 3 0 2 1 Morales 1b 0 0 0 0 Antoine cf 2 0 0 0 Pierce rf 0 0 0 0 TOTALS 25 4 7 4 TOTALS 23 1 2 1 Steele Canyon (14-12) 102 001 0 - 4 7 1 Madison (14-10) 000 000 1 - 1 2 1 GWRBI: Jarvis. DP: Madison 1, LOB: Steele Canyon 7, Madison 5. 2B: Jarvis. SB: Young. S: Antoine, Swann, Young, A.Jones. PITCHING SUMMARY STEELE CANYON ip h r er bb so S.Beasley W(10-9) 7.0 2 1 0 1 14 MADISON N.Jones L(11-8) 7.0 7 4 4 2 6 HBP: by N.Jones (Summers, A.Jones), by S.Beasley (N.Jones, Meza). WP: N.Jones 4. PB: Barrios. (05-21-05)
Sultans, Norsemen, Patriots garner top seeds
in CIF section playoffs
EastCountySports.com
San Diego CIF Playoffs
LINDA VISTA: In a rare potential match-up of defending champions,
Santana and Valhalla high schools were awarded the top seeds,
respectively, in the San Diego CIF softball championships, which
open play in four divisions on Saturday (May 21).
The Sultans, co-champions of the Grossmont North League, are the
defending Division III titlists and received the top seed in the
12-team field after posting a 25-4 overall record - only fifth-seeded
Brawley (23-3) had a better record. Should Santana advance,
the championship contest could feature an all-East County pairing
against Valhalla.
The Norsemen are the defending Division II champions, but with
the opening of Steele Canyon some three years ago, the school's
enrollment dropped enough to relegate the program to D-3 status.
Valhalla shared the Grossmont South League pennant with Granite
Hills, posting a 24-6-2 record.
Santana and Valhalla split a pair of contests this season. Valhalla
took a 1-0 decision in an international tiebreaker back on March
23, meeting in the semifinals of the Fred Davison Memorial Tournament
in Las Vegas. However, the Sultans bounced back to claim a 3-1
win during the Grossmont Conference North-South Tournament a few
weeks later.
A total of seven East County schools landed playoff berths, including
Christian High, the top seed in Division IV. The Patriots (14-13)
were only a .500 team record-wise, but competed in the tough Eastern
League, thus blowing away the other small-school opposition in
terms of strength of schedule.
Christian, the defending champions in the division, will need
to defeat second-seeded Imperial to claim yet another championship.
Other teams advancing are West Hills, Granite Hills, Steele Canyon
and Grossmont.
The Wolf Pack (25-6) matched Escondido with seven first-place
votes by the CIF seeding committee, but the Cougars (21-5) earned
more second-place votes to land the top seed in Division II.
This field may be the deepest of any division, as five teams made
cases to earn the top seed. The talent-laden bracket includes
No. 3 Patrick Henry (24-4-1), Westview (21-6) and El Centro-Southwest
(20-3).
Granite Hills, which garnered a share of the Grossmont South title
on the final week of the regular season, was seeking a first-round
bye in Division I. Instead, the committee slammed the Eagles (16-10-1)
into the No. 10 slot, yet as a league titlist, they still received
an opening-round home game on Saturday when they entertain La
Costa Canyon at 1:30 p.m.
Steele Canyon collected its first-ever CIF postseason invitation
as the No. 8 seed in Division II. However, the Cougars (13-12)
will need to travel to No. 9 Madison in Saturday's opening round,
as the Warhawks gained home-field by being a league champion.
The last berth went to Grossmont, which nipped Monte Vista for
the final at-large berth in Division II. The Foothillers (12-16-1)
were seeded 11th -- ahead of automatic entry Mar Vista, a league
champion placed 12th -- and will travel to Rancho Penasquitos
to meet Mt. Carmel in a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
The other top seed went to Rancho Bernardo (20-5) in Division
I, which rated just above defending titlist Mira Mesa (21-7).
The top four seeds in all division received a bye to Tuesday's
(May 24) quarterfinals. The semifinals will be held on Thursday
(May 26), at Poway Sportsplex. The finals are Saturday (May 28)
at UC San Diego.
(5-19-05)
