EastCountySports.com
Prep softball 2003
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EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - DOMINIQUE DE LUCA and JENNIFER
KRISMER combined on an 8-hitter
Monday (April 28) as host Santana edged El Cajon Valley 3-1 in
a Grossmont
North League game.
De Luca, a junior right-hander, worked through
the first 5 2/3 innings and
did not allow an earned run. She struck out 6 and walked one.
Reliever
Krismer put a lock on the victory, striking out 3 of the 4 batters
she faced
to earn the save.
Santana (15-6-1 overall) balanced its league
ledger at 3-3, while El Cajon
Valley tumbled to 0-7 in league and 4-10 overall.
The Sultans scored all the runs they needed
in the 3rd inning. Krismer
sparked the rally with a single to center. After stealing second,
JAIME CLARK
followed with a base hit to put runners at the corners. Clark
then swiped
second base. AIMEE BENZ plated Krismer with a sacrifice fly to
right field,
and Clark sprinted home on MARGEAUX BASS's groundout.
The Braves cut Santana's lead in half in
the 6th inning. NICOLE COPE singled
to left and SABRINA JULIEN singled to right. When the Sultans
misplayed
DANIELLE PEREZ's infield grounder, Cope scored.
Santana got that run back in the bottom
of the 6th. Bass reached base on an
error, advanced to second on TARYN PROCTOR's bunt and then to
third on LAURIE
LINDOW's single to left. Bass came home on a passed ball.
(04-28-03)
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - MELISSA BARRON shook off
the effects of allowing an early run
to power the Monarchs with both her arm and bat, as Monte Vista
moved into
Grossmont North League title contention following Saturday's (April
26)
triumph over visiting Mount Miguel, 3-1.
Barron allowed just three hits over the
final six innings to toss a complete
game 5-hitter. Then with the bat, the senior went 3-for-3 with
an RBI, then
successfully lifted a sacrifice fly for an insurance run in the
sixth inning
to complete a perfect performance at the plate.
"It was all of us, because we stayed
up and remained confident," said Barron.
"There was no turning point for us, as long we kept our head
up. So when I
gave up that early run, I didn't let it get to me."
The Monarchs (11-9-1, 2-1) scored twice
in their final at-bat to snap a 1-all
tie, as critical Mount Miguel errors led to a second straight
setback. After
MELANIE MASSEY reached on an error and LACEY HARRIS walked, diminutive
SIREENAH CRUSE sent a single to left field. But when the relay
throw missed
wide to the backstop, Massey scored the tie-breaking run.
Barron then followed with a deep fly to
right, allowing Cruse to score and
give Barron her second RBI of the contest.
"We wanted to beat them real bad --
they're our rivals," noted Cruse on
downing their Spring Valley neighbors. "We were real focused."
Mount Miguel needed just four batters to get on the scoreboard.
AMANDA BEASLEY opened the game with a sharp
single, then moved to third on
consecutive ground balls to the right-side of the diamond by JADE
SHIPP and
ASHLEY BEASLEY. Powerful first baseman EBONY THORPE then drilled
an RBI
single to center for a 1-0 Matadors lead.
The Monarchs answered in the fourth, courtesy
of Barron. Her single up the
middle brought home Cruse, a junior who matched season-highs with
two hits
and two runs scored from the No.9 slot in the Monte Vista batting
order.
Barron finished with six strikeouts and
walked one intentionally. Losing
pitcher BREANNA FELIX also walked one and struck out six.
VALHALLA 10, HELIX 0 - The Norsemen routed Helix on Saturday (April 26)
to
improve to 3-0 in the Grossmont South and 14-6-1 on the season.
LACEY WILSON (7-5-1) pitched a 3-hit shutout,
while WHITNEY HOLUM led the way
offensively.
Holum hit two doubles and a tape measure
home run over the right field fence
- a rare feat at this school due to the steady cross-current wind
that blows
from right to left. Earlier this season, Holum hammered only the
third ball
ever hit out of Valhalla's field.
Valhalla's KIMMY HAYDEN also had a big day,
going 3-for-4. LISA WOODEND,
MICHELLE BATCHELOR and ALLISON JOHNSON had 2 hits apiece. Batchelor
also had
a couple of very nice defensive plays.
SANTANA 4, LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 0 - The often overlooked Sultans (14-6-1)
started a busy day with a solid shutout of the host Aztecs in
Saturday's
(April 26) Lady Aztec Tournament at Montgomery High.
Freshman ASHLEY MATTOLA twirled a 2-hit
shutout while striking out 7 for the
Sultans in the nod over the Torreys.
LAURIE LINDOW's two-run double keyed a 3-run 1st inning for Santana.
SANTANA 3, CHRISTIAN 2 (8) - These teams had to overcome a 90-minute
tournament time limit (6 innings) to reach the International tie-breaker
Saturday (April 26) in the Lady Aztec Tournament at Montgomery.
Despite garnering only one hit, the Sultans
scored twice in the bottom of 8th
inning without benefit of a hit to eliminate the Patriots (9-8).
MELISSA OWENS struck out 8 and pitched a
complete game 2-hitter for
Christian, while two Santana pitchers - DOMINIQUE DE LUCA and
KIRSTEN MEDRUD
- combined to check Christian on 2 hits.
TAYLOR KELLY's 2nd-inning single was Santana's only hit.
Owens slashed a triple and MEGHAN ERVIN
stroked a single to account for
Christian's two safeties.
SANTANA 1, WESTVIEW 1 (11-called, darkness)
- Talk about busy. . . The
Sultans devoted 26 innings in three games on Saturday (April 26)
in their
quest for the Lady Aztec Tournament title at Montgomery High.
Despite superb pitching by KIRSTEN MEDRUD
- 6 hits and 1 run over 11 frames -
the Sultans (14-6-1) could not overturn the Wolverines in Saturday's
(April
26) Lady Aztec Tournament championship game at Montgomery. Thus,
the game,
halted by darkness after 11 innings, creating co-champions for
this year's
event.
The youthful Sultans with a 13-player roster
that features 8 freshman have to
be pleased with a championship of any kind.
One of the Sultans' yearlings - freshman
TARYN PROCTOR (2-for-4) - drove in
Santana's lone run in the title bout against senior-less Westview.
(04-26-03)
In the top of the seventh, Grossmont's Domonique
Guerra advances to third base safely with a slide.
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - Wolf Pack catcher KATIE ROLF has
needed to work among a core nucleus
of four pitchers this season, but a special bond has developed
between her
and freshman starter MARA THORNTON.
"Mara and I seem to have made a connection
out there on what and where we're
always going with the ball," said Rolf. "There's a certain
amount of
chemistry between us."
Such cohesion has advanced the Wolf Pack
halfway to their goal of another
Grossmont North League softball title. In yet another 1-0 ballgame
against
arch-rival Grossmont, Thornton scattered seven hits while Rolf
scored the
contest's lone run to again throttle the Foothillers.
West Hills now owns a 6-0 league record,
three games clear of the Hillers, El
Capitan and Santana in the loss column. Meanwhile, Grossmont fell
to 4-3 in
league play, despite an impressive two-hitter by losing pitcher
DOMONIQUE
GUERRA.
While Rolf has been the stabilizing influence
behind the plate for Wolf Pack
pitchers, her bat also came to the forefront Friday (April 25).
She opened
the 2nd inning with a booming double down the left-field line,
eventually
advancing to score on consecutive ground balls by KELLIE BRYAN
and AMY
JOHNSON.
"She threw an inside pitch and I just
turned on it," said Rolf, a transfer
student from Eastlake. "It's just a good feeling knowing
we're coming
together and acting as a team."
Rolf made a potentially important discovery
in the seventh, after Grossmont
received consecutive two-out singles from Guerra and ANGELIQUEA
BLACKMON.
Rolf noticed the Hillers attempt to steal the signs for the next
Wolf Pack
pitch, so she quickly instituted a series of signs to keep Grossmont
in the
dark, producing an easy groundout to secure Thornton's shutout.
Meanwhile, Johnson took advantage of a drawn-in
infield to score Rolf in the
second.
"I knew I had to hit it somewhere up
the middle," said Johnson, a sophomore
third baseman, who had her hard roller knocked down by shortstop
TARYIN
CASILLAS, but the only play was to first base after recovering
the loose ball.
Meanwhile, the Foothillers offense continue
their struggles to collect a key
hit against West Hills. Along with their seventh-inning rally,
the visitors
also registered a pair of two-out hits in the third, only to see
Thornton
escape with one of her five strikeouts. Grossmont also had two
runners on in
the sixth, but the hardluck Hillers saw a line shot by catcher
ASHLEY
LOVELADY land squarely in the glove of West Hills shortstop VALERIE
VARELA.
The only other Pack hit was a first-inning
single by NATASHA CHOUINARD, who
ended up at third base after the ball rolled under the glove of
an
outfielder. Otherwise, Guerra set down 15 of the final 17 batters
she faced,
as the other two received walks. Guerra struck out four.
"We won the league last year, but we
didn't go undefeated," noted Chouinard.
"But we're a new and young team this season, and going undefeated
is one of
our goals."
Guerra also produced a solid outing at the
plate, going 2-for-2 with a pair
of infield singles, and registered a sacrifice bunt.
(04-25-03)
Valhalla's
Lisa Woodend slides to score for a 3-2 lead on Thursday (4-23-03).
Mount Miguel's Jade Shipp takes the throw.
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - Twice this season Valhalla High carried a lead into the bottom half of the final inning, only to suffer heartbreaking setbacks to Bonita Vista and La Cañada due to a tiring starting pitcher.
"It's more important to get wins in softball than to get complete games," said Norsemen starting pitcher STEPHANIE SWEAT. "So it was okay to let her (reliever LACEY WILSON) go in."
After obtaining another late lead - this time courtesy of a booming RBI double from KIM HAYDEN - Wilson entered to set Mount Miguel down in order in the 9th inning, garnering her second save of the season, and securing Thursday's (Apr. 24) Grossmont South League 4-3 triumph.
The victory, coupled with Helix's mild upset of Granite Hills, gives the Norsemen (13-6-1) the early Grossmont South lead at 2-0.
Hayden's deep, one-out blast to center field scored WHITNEY HOLUM, who opened the frame with a double to the left-field corner. For Hayden, it was redemption after hitting the ball on the screws in three previous plate appearance, but with only a single to show for it.
"I just had to block it out," said Hayden. "I was tight, but every at-bat is a different at-bat, so I just tried to concentrate on what I was doing."
Mount Miguel scored in the 7th to force extra innings, as a groundout which should have ended the contest was booted, allowing pinch-hitter ADRIANNA MARTINEZ, who reached on a single off Sweat's leg, to score.
Valhalla had taken a 3-2 lead in the 6th
inning as catcher SAVANNAH BROWN
clouted a line single to center, scoring JAMIE McNALLY and LISA
WOODEND, who
both doubled.
"I was just hoping," said Brown,
who earlier gave Valhalla the lead with an
RBI double in the first, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI. "It
was 3-and-2
and I was so nervous. I was just hoping I would hit the ball."
However, when the Matadors faced a similar
situation in their half of the
6th, Sweat got out of the jam with a strikeout. She allowed just
3 hits and
struck out 5 in her eight innings of work, raising her record
to 7-1 overall.
All three runs were unearned.
Mount Miguel starter BREANNA FELIX, who
officially accepted a scholarship
from Radford University earlier in the month, recorded six strikeouts.
MONTE VISTA 3, STEELE CANYON 0 - Senior MELISSA BARRON fired a no-hitter at
the first-year-varsity Cougars Thursday (April 24) as the Monarchs
moved into
a four-way tie for second place in the Grossmont South League.
Barron faced only 23 hitters - walking two while striking out 7.
LYNDSAY CALHOUN was 2-for-3 with an RBI to pace Monte Vista's 8-hit attack.
ALYSHA DAIGLE and LACEY HARRIS also had
2 hits apiece for the Monarchs, who
pushed across one run in the 1st and 2 runs in the 5th against
Steele
Canyon's AMANDA JONES.
GROSSMONT 3, EL CAPITAN 1 - The Foothillers, who face front-running West
Hills in a key Grossmont North League game on Friday (April 25)
in Santee,
jumped into second place via Thursday's victory over the visiting
Vaqueros.
After leaving the bases loaded in the 1st
and 4th innings, the Foothillers
erupted for 3 runs in the 5th with a little help from their friends.
TARYIN CASILLAS got things started with
a lead-off single in the fateful 5th.
JENNIFER OSBORNE hit a single to center. Osborne's hit eluded
the El Capitan
fielder, allowing Casillas to score. Osborne ended up at third.
Brittany
Garcia ran for Osborne, and then scored on an illegal pitch.
Pinch-hitter ASHLEY LOVELADY singled to
left, and advanced to second on
MONIQUE GONZALEZ's sacrifice bunt. Lovelady raced home when JEN
PARKS singled
to right.
El Capitan (12-6, 3-3) spoiled ALEX SOBEL'S
shutout bid with a run in the
6th. MALLORY PALMER singled to right, and HEATHER LOCHER walked.
ALISSA UNDEN
singled to short right field to load the bases with one out. Grossmont
then
traded an out for a run when VIRGINIA WILLIAMSON hit into a force
play,
scoring Palmer.
"We hit the ball hard today, but once
again, so many just couldn't find a
hole," said Grossmont coach JERRY LERUD, noting that 11 Hillers
were stranded
on base. "We did get a few hits together to score enough
to hold on to the
win.
"We had another strong outing by our
senior pitcher, Alex Sobel, and our
defense made solid plays. We're playing with a lot of heart and
team spirit."
SERRA 5, CHRISTIAN 0 - The Patriots couldn't solve the serves of Serra
pitcher LINDSAY SOMMER, who fired a 2-hitter and struck out 10
in Thursday's
(April 24) Eastern League game at Christian.
MELISSA OWENS spoiled Sommer's no-hit bid
with a single in the 4th inning.
MEGHAN ERVIN collected Christian's second hit with a single in
the 6th.
Owens pitched the first five innings, striking
out 4. KYLEEN MURRAY toiled
the final 2 frames.
HELIX 2, GRANITE HILLS 0 - JESSICA SMITH and SARAH ALBERTS combined to blank
the visiting Eagles on a 2-hitter in Thursday's (April 24) Grossmont
South
League action. The Highlanders scored the only runs of the game
in the 6th,
giving Alberts (1-5) her first win in six decisions.
No other information was reported.
(04-24-03)
A bloop over the pitching circle by West Hills'
Mandy Weaver is just missed by ECV defenders for an RBI in the
fourth to tie the game at 2-2. The shortstop is Marissa Utley,
while the second baseman is Amanda Swann (left).
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - Upstart El Cajon Valley was thinking
upset in Wednesday's (April 23)
Grossmont North League game against first-place Wolf Pack at West
Hills. The
Braves, in fact, led 2-1 after three innings before the Wolf Pack
scrambled
back to claim a 4-3 victory.
West Hills (8-6-1, 5-0) capitalized on a
pair of bases-loaded walks to cap a
3-run 4th inning and then handed the ball to NATASHA CHOUINARD
who went on to
record a rare softball save with two solid innings in relief.
"It definitely felt unusual, but he
(coach STEVE SUTTON) warned me I might be
going in for the last few innings," said Chouinard, a senior
who owns a
softball scholarship to Penn State. "It was a totally different
aspect of the
game for me."
Chouinard has earned her niche playing at
first base for the past two seasons
before returning to the pitching rubber this season.
"I haven't pitched since my freshman
year," she noted. "But I love the change
and to be challenged - and I like being at the center of attention."
Chouinard and starter MARA THORNTON, who
garnered the victory, combined to
limit the Braves to two hits.
West Hills tied the game on an RBI single
by MANDY WEAVER, then MARKIE VARELA
and DENISE TRIPLETT walked with the bases full to push the advantage
to 4-2.
TIFFANY NESTLEBUSH and SABRINA JULIEN drove
home El Cajon Valley first two
runs in the 2nd inning. The Braves (4-9, 0-6) closed the margin
with a marker
off Chouinard in the 6th, but came up short in the end.
(04-23-03)
El Cajon Valley first baseman Danielle
Perez fails to grab a pop up in foul territory on Wednesday (4-23-03).
WEST HILLS WINS IN VEGAS
The Wolf Pack won four of six games to bring
home a championship trophy for
their division at the Fred Davison Memorial in Las Vegas last
week.
WEST HILLS 16, EL DORADO 1 - MARKIE VARELA scored 3 and drove in 3 runs with
3 hits, including a home run as the Pack pounded out 20 hits in
an opening
round romp (April 14). KATIE ROLF (3-for-4) also drove in 3 runs,
while
KASEY MYTINGER (3-for-3) added a double and 2 RBI. NATASHA CHOUINARD
(2-for-4) chipped in with 2 RBI.
SIERRA VISTA (Az.) 7, WEST HILLS 0 - Varela had 2 hits in the second round
(April 14) loss for the Wolf Pack.
EL CAPITAN 10, WEST HILLS 6 - KASEY MYTINGER (3-for-4) smacked a triple and
a double, driving in 3 runs in the (April 15) loss to El Capitan.
KATIE ROLF
(3-for-3) with a triple.
WEST HILLS 3, USDHS 1 - Chouinard clubbed a home run and Rolf doubled in
another in the Pack's tournament playoff win (April 15) over the
Dons.
WEST HILLS 2, PALO VERDE 1 - Chouinard pitched a 5-hitter and struck out 10
as the Pack claimed the (April 16) semifinal win over Palo Verde
(Az.).
Chouinard and Varela logged the RBI.
WEST HILLS 7, CATHEDRAL CITY 3 - Rolf rolled off 4 more hits and one RBI,
while Varela was 3-for-4 with a run batted in as West Hills supported
the
strong pitching of TARA IRVIN (1-0) in the (April 16) championship
game. West
Hills finished with 15 hits in the contest, including 2 apiece
by MELISSA
GUINN and ERICA TORRES. Rolf was 12-for-19 in the six tournament
games.
(04-23-03)
Granite Hills batter Sara Alford hits a sharp
grounder off Monarchs pitcher Sarah Castillo in Tuesday's Grossmont
South League opener. Monte Vista shortstop Melissa Barron made
the long throw from the hole to register the out to complete the
top of the third inning.
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - In a sluggish encounter that took more than two hours to complete the regulation 7 innings, visiting Granite Hills grabbed a 4-2 victory over Monte Vista in Tuesday's (April 22) Grossmont South League opener for both teams.
Limited to just three hits through six innings, SARA ALFORD singled to center to start a 7th-inning rally. Then catcher JESSICA TALMAN capped the outburst with a sharp two-run double to unlock a tied ballgame, as the Eagles (9-8-1, 1-0) bounced back to edge the Monarchs.
Talman's liner over the center-fielder's head rolled to the 200-foot marker and scored VALERIE VITALE and VANESSA MORENO. Eagles pitcher CHARNEL ZETSCH survived early arm woes and a two-out single in the home half of the frame to earn the complete-game victory to begin Granite Hills' defense of its league crown.
"Charnel's arm was hurting her, so I called timeout a few times to give her a break to relax," said Talman. "But she kept her fastball inside to get outs."
Talman's double was the lone extra-base hit all afternoon.
"I don't think when I bat, I just do it," added Talman, who also recorded a key hit in the sixth, part of her 2-for-4 outing at the plate.
Moments after Monte Vista (9-9-1, 0-1) scored
twice in the 5th on consecutive
RBI singles by MELISSA BARRON and LYNDSAY CALHOUN to mount a 2-1
lead, the
Eagles responded to knot the contest.
Talman's single to left put runners on the
corners, then BECCA TAYLOR rapped
a bouncer to shortstop. The throw came to the plate, yet Moreno
was able to
slide around the tag.
It was the second close play at the plate
that landed the Eagles' way. In the
4th inning, ALISON TINO opened the scoring when the catcher failed
to touch
the plate for a force out, allowing an unearned run to score on
the error.
Hard-luck losing pitcher SARAH CASTILLO
struck out five and allowed just one
earned run. Calhoun, the Monarchs second baseman, also collected
a pair of
hits.
GROSSMONT 4, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 - DOMONIQUE GUERRA pitched a complete game
2-hitter on Tuesday (April 22) as the Foothillers (8-7, 3-2) set
up
Wednesday's Grossmont North League showdown at front-running West
Hills.
The Foothillers scored all the runs they
needed in the 1st inning. Two El
Cajon errors coupled with a double steal by TAWNIE PETERSON and
TARYIN
CASILLAS put one run on the board. A double by JENNIFER OSBORNE
gave the
Hillers a 2-0 lead they wouldn't lose.
El Cajon Valley cut the lead in half in
the bottom of the 1st when AMANDA
SWANN drew a bases-loaded walk.
In the 4th inning, JEN PARKS singled to
the left side of the infield, beating
it out to 1st. ASHLEY LOVELADY then singled off the shin of the
ECV pitcher
MICHAELA CRAIN, KELLYE ZOLLERS reached base on a fielder's choice
and LISA
GREEN reached on an error, which scored Lovelady.
Grossmont took advantage of some confusion
in the 6th inning when the Braves
left the field thinking there were two outs. The Hillers started
things when
Parks got on with a single to the left side and went to second
on a fielder's
choice by Lovelady. The runners advanced on Zollers' infielder
out. But the
Braves, for some reason, left the field thinking the umpires had
recorded
three outs. In the confusion Parks stole third and home.
"We had a great outing on defense,
not making any errors and hitting the ball
really well," said Foothillers' coach JERRY LERUD. "Guerra
settled down after
the 1st inning and did a super job. We're coming together as a
team the more
we play. It's great to see."
VALHALLA 19, STEELE CANYON 0 - Valhalla opened Grossmont South League play
Tuesday (April 22) with a bang, routing first-year varsity Steele
Canyon
behind the one-hit shutout by pitcher LACEY WILSON.
Wilson (5-5) was in command all day, striking
out 10 hitters while walking
only one.
Offensively, the Norsemen (12-6-1, 1-0)
could not be stopped. Senior WHITNEY
HOLUM hit an opposite field home run, only the third ball ever
hit out of
Valhalla's field.
TORRE BUCKLES was 4-for-4 and scored 3 times.
SAVANNAH BROWN, STEPHANIE
SWEAT, ALLISON JOHNSON, Wilson and Holum all had multiple hits.
MIRA MESA 11, CHRISTIAN 10 - The Patriots could not overcome 6 unearned runs
Tuesday (April 22) as they dropped a high-scoring Eastern League
verdict to
No. 10-ranked Mira Mesa.
After the Marauders took a 6-0 1st inning
lead, the Patriots (9-6, 2-3) tied
matters with 6 runs in the 4th inning. ASHLEY PATERSON's 2-run
triple was the
key blow.
A second surge by Mira Mesa propelled the
Marauders back on top 11-6 after
five innings.
But MELISSA OWENS blasted a grand slam in
the 6th inning to pull the Patriots
back into contention. It was quite a contrast for Owens, who had
received
walks in her previous three at-bats. That's when Christian's comeback
hopes
waned, however.
Owens went the distance on the mound, striking out 8.
MOUNT MIGUEL 1, HELIX 0 (12) - AMANDA BEASLEY was 3-for-6 and scored the
winning run for the Matadors (7-4, 1-0) on a squibber hit by JADE
SHIPP in
Tuesday's (April 22) Grossmont South League duel in Spring Valley.
Beasley
was on first base with two outs when Shipp hit a squibber through
the wickets
of relief pitcher SARAH ALBERTS. Beasley never stopped running
and the first
baseman threw wide of third base, allowing the Matadors to break
the
scoreless deadlock.
Mount Miguel senior BREANNA FELIX pitched
a 6-hit shutout to post her 7th win
in nine decisions. She struck out 6 and walked one.
(04-22-03)
Helix
first baseman Lauren Brady tags out Westview's Kayla Smith following
her sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning of Friday's nonleague
game. The next batter, Brittany Rock, followed with a two-run
single, the only runs scored in the Wolverines' 2-0 triumph over
the Scotties.
Helix can't squeak by newcomer Westview
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - WESTVIEW 2, HELIX 0 - Despite a roster filled exclusively with sophomores and freshmen, the Westview Wolverines defeated the Helix Highlanders on Friday (April 18) to move among the favorites for the CIF Division IV title this spring.
Frosh Wolverine pitcher Janae Portugal fired a two-hitter while first baseman Brittany Rock drove in both runs with a sharp single in the fourth, as Westview (7-4-1) downed the visiting Highlanders (6-5) in Friday's (Apr. 18) non-league affair.
"This win puts us right up there with Christian, La Jolla Country Day and Imperial," said Portugal of her team's main D-4 contenders. "Our outfield did an awesome job - they're improved a lot, so now I have confidence in our defense."
Portugal struck out five Highlanders and only yielded a two-out, first inning single to Lauren Brady, and a line single to left by Andrea Ness to leadoff the fifth. However, she set down the final nine Scotties in order to raise her record to 5-4.
Rock got a little lucky on her slap up the
middle, as it deflected off Helix
pitcher SARAH ALBERTS and bounced through the infield past the
spot vacated
by shortstop DANIELLE GLENN. As the ball trickled to the outfield,
Samantha
Yoboud scored from second base right behind Portugal for the contest's
lone
runs.
"I was trying to go up the middle,"
said Rock, another Westview
freshman."I've learned to track the ball when I bat."
Alberts allowed just four hits, yet was
saddled with the loss. She struck out
three and set down the final seven Westview batters she faced.
(04-18-03)
Helix's Sipau
Lee-Noa goes to third, then scores when ball bounces away from
El Centro Central on Wednesday (4-16-03).
Castillo, Monarchs hit jackpot with pair
of wins
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The Monte Vista Monarchs finished a strong run in the Silver City on Wednesday (April 16) with a 6-1 romp over Marian Catholic in a Fred Davison Memorial Tournament consolation game in Las Vegas, Nev. The final day belonged to the Monarchs' SARAH CASTILLO, who fired a 1-hitter and went 2-for-2 with 3 RBI.
Castillo struck out 8 and didn't walk a
batter as she put the finishing
touches to the Monarchs' 4th win in five tournament starts.
"I was happier with our play today," Monarchs coach SIG CHABROWSKI said. "We played a lot better."
Castillo gave the Monarchs an early boost
with a 2-run triple up the middle,
scoring MELISSA BARRON and BROOKE FOGWELL in the 1st inning. Castillo
eventually cruised home on an error, giving Monte Vista (9-8-1)
a commanding 3-0 lead.
ALYSHA DAIGLE, who was 2-for-4, belted Monte Vista's second triple in the game, scoring LACEY HARRIS, who had walked, lifting the Monarchs' lead to 4-1.
In the 5th inning, SIREENAH CRUSE singled up the middle, advanced to second on a passed ball and raced home on Castillo's double. Castillo later scored her second run of the game on SAVANNAH MOYES' groundout.
GROSSMONT 5, BRAWLEY 0 - ALEX SOBEL fired a 2-hit shutout as the Foothillers
tamed the Wildcats in Wednesday's (April 16) Longhorn Tournament
game at
Rancho Buena Vista High. The victory balanced Grossmont's overall
ledger at
8-8.
LISA GREEN gave Grossmont the 1st inning
edge as she singled home TARYIN
CASILLAS, who opened the game with a walk and advanced a base
on TAWNIE
PETERSON's sacrifice.
RBI singles by ASHLEY LOVELADY and JEN PARKS sealed the Grossmont victory.
Parks came up with another key single in
the 7th as she drove in MICHELLE
MIRANDA, who reached base on a walk, stole second and went to
third on a wild
pitch.
A Helix player slides into third on Wednesday
(4-16-03).
HELIX 9, CENTRAL UNION (El Centro) 3
- SIPAU LEE-NOA slugged a pair of
run-scoring doubles, then tossed two shutout innings in relief
Wednesday
(April 16), propelling the Highlanders past the Spartans in the
Longhorn
Tournament.
Lee-Noa's first double scored two runs to
highlight a 6-run rally in the
third, lifting Helix from an early 2-0 deficit. She capped her
three RBI
performance with another two-base hit in the fifth, as the Highlanders
added
three more runs to blow the game open, making a winner of starting
pitcher
ADRIANA DeJONG.
Granite Hills second baseman (No.26) Valerie Vitale
applies late tag on Escondido baserunner Dana Gommes at first
base in third inning of Wednesday's RBV Tournament contest.
ESCONDIDO 6, GRANITE HILLS 1 -- Freshman left-fielder Brianne Sanchez belted a three-run, over-the-fence homer to key a five-run explosion in the third, powering the Cougars past the Eagles in Wednesday (Apr. 16) Longhorn Tournament play. Sanchez' shot carried over the centerfield fence.
Granite Hills held an early 1-0 lead on a VALERIE VITALE bunt towards third, as the throw was too late to nail CODY WIDDES at the plate on the fielder's choice.
Cougars starting pitcher Sarah Akamina limited Granite Hills to just three hits.
BONITA VISTA 5, GRANITE HILLS 0 - Fresh off their victory over previously
top-ranked University City a day earlier, the Barons extended
their season ledger to 19-1, including Wednesday's (Apr. 16) Longhorn
Tournament triumph over the Eagles for their second victory of
the day. The impressive victories should lift Bonita Vista to
the top of Union-Tribune Top 10.
LSU-bound senior Emily Turner, who injured her back in the victory over the Centurions, was limited to DH duties, but still was dangerous. When not sitting in the stands with a heating pad on her lower back, Turner went 2-for-4 with a solo homer to center and an off-the-wall double, while sophomore left-fielder Kristi Randall batted 3-for-4 against Eagles starter CHARNEL ZETSCH.
Winning pitcher Christine Miner struck out
six Eagles, putting Bonita Vista
into position to claim its second straight tournament after earlier
capturing
the Falcon Fiesta Classic at La Costa Canyon.
(04-16-03)
Cougars edge Foothillers in delayed tournament
game
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - After searching for clear weather
and a dry playing surface, the
Grossmont Foothillers finally found somewhere to play Tuesday
afternoon
(April15). Unable to open the Longhorn Tournament at Rancho Buena
Vista a day
earlier, and faced with muddy fields again Tuesday, Grossmont
rearranged
their schedule and traveled to Escondido to begin the tournament,
dropping a
2-1 decision to the Cougars.
Whitney Holstun broke a scoreless deadlock
with a 2-run triple in the 5th
inning and pitched a complete-game 3-hitter for Escondido (9-4-1).
LIQUEA BLACKMON accounted for all of Grossmont's
offense, ripping three
singles in as many at-bats against Holstun (6-2). Blackmon scored
the
Hillers' run in the 6th inning on the second of Escondido's two
errors.
On the defensive end, Grossmont second baseman
LISA GREEN executed a
double-play with Blackmon.
DOMONIQUE GUERRA was the hard-luck loser,
as she limited the Cougars to five
hits while striking out 4.
CARSON (Nev.) 9, MONTE VISTA 0 - The day started out well enough as the
Monarchs received a forfeit win from United Christian in the morning
at
Tuesday's (April 15) Fred Davison Memorial Tournament in Las Vegas.
The
freebie extended the Monarchs' modest winning streak to three
games.
By late afternoon, the tide had turned on
the Monarchs, as they were crushed
by Carson.
"We were pummeled," Monte Vista
SIG CHABROWSKI fumed. "We didn't do anything
right."
ALYSHA DAIGLE accounted for Monte Vista's only hit - a 4th inning double.
Carson pounded Monte Vista for 15 hits,
turning the game into a rout with 6
runs in the 7th inning.
The Monarchs meet Marian Catholic in a tournament
consolation game Wednesday
(April 16) at noon.
(4-15-03)
LAS VEGAS - No doubt happy that they didn't
stay home, the Monte Vista
Monarchs swept a first round doubleheader in the Fred Davison
Memorial
Tournament on Monday (April 14). The Monarchs clipped Coachella
Valley 8-3
and then blanked El Dorado (Nev.) 7-0 to balance their season
record at 7-7-1.
SARAH CASTILLO pitched a 2-hitter and struck
out 10 as the Monarchs mowed
down Coachella Valley in game one.
DONNALEE LEWIS' triple keyed a 3-run 4th
inning that helped Monte Vista erase
a 3-2 deficit. Castillo chipped in an RBI single in the 3-run
uprising that
gave the Monarchs a 5-3 edge.
An RBI single by ALYSSA PARKER followed
by BROOKE FOGWELL's two-run single in
the 6th locked up the win for Monte Vista.
MONTE VISTA 7, EL DORADO (Nev.) 0 - MELISSA BARRON fired a 1-hit shutout and
struck out 9 as the Monarchs (7-7-1) executed an opening round
sweep.
An RBI single by freshman BREE McMILLAN keyed a 3-run second inning.
Castillo and Parker added RBI singles in
the 7th inning to salt away the
victory for Monte Vista.
Fogwell collected 2 hits in each of the
two games for the Monarchs, who have
eyes for a berth in the tournament championship.
ELSEWHERE:
Due to rain, the Longhorn Tournament at
Rancho Buena Vista has been moved
ahead one day, and will begin play on Tuesday, April 15, weather
permitting.
(04-14-03)
Valhalla's Lacey Wilson, pitching
against Bonita Vista in a 16-inning 4-3
loss on Friday (4-11-03). Shortstop Whitney Holum waits in the
background.
(Courtesy photo)
Barons need 16 innings to get by Norsemen,
4-3
EastCountySports.com
BONITA - It was a game nobody should have
lost. It was a game of great
defense, timely hitting and dramatic home runs. Valhalla had it
won. Twice.
The Norsemen played spectacular defense for 16 innings, but couldn't
get the
final hit to win it.
JAMIE McNALLY, MICHELE BATCHELOR, WHITNEY
HOLUM, KIMMY HAYDEN and LISA
WOODEND all made plays for the Norsemen (7-4-1) worthy of Padres
announcer
Jerry Coleman's famous cry "Oh doctor, you can hang a star
on that one."
Valhalla's TORRE BUCKLES hit a 2 run RBI
single in the top of the 7th,
scoring SAVANNAH BROWN and Hayden.
Pitcher STEPHANIE SWEAT was cruising along
with a shutout over the powerful
Barons and needed just one more out. But, it wasn't to be. No.
3-ranked
Bonita Vista got a full count single and then a line drive to
the gap in
right that rolled for a game-saving 2 run home run for Kimmy Myers.
In the 8th, Brown hit a clutch, 2 out, RBI
single to right field scoring
Holum who had walked and stole second. The Barons came right back
in the
bottom half to tie it again, when pitcher Emily Turner hit a home
run to
right center.
LACEY WILSON relieved Sweat in the 8th and
pitched well enough to win again.
The score stayed knotted at 3 until the 16th when Bonita Vista
(16-1) pushed
across the final run. Some reports indicate that the Barons won
on a 3-run
inside-the-park home run in the 16th inning for a 6-3 final score.
The fact
is, it was sudden death and the first run that scored on Carlson's
hit ended
the game.
"I don't ever want to play you guys
again!" Emily Turner quipped when asked
how she liked playing Valhalla.
One of the Norsemen parents remarked, "We
should have had to pay admission to
see this game."
(04-11-03)
El
Capitan's Kim Whitlow scores in the top of the fifth inning against
Mount Miguel Thursday as Mount Miguel's Amanda Beasley (24) awaits
the throw (4-10-03).
Bell tolls for Vaqueros after getting dinged
early
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - El Capitan pitcher COURTNEY BELL survived a difficult first inning by tossing one-hit ball over the final six innings, as the Vaqueros rallied with five unearned runs to down host Mount Miguel, 5-3, in a Grossmont Conference game Thursday (April 10).
Bell, who allowed 2 runs and 3 hits in the first, finished with 8 strikeouts, as only two Matadors reached base over the balance of the contest.
Trailing 2-0, Bell was also the batter for the key play of the game in the 4th .
With the bases loaded, Bell lifted a routine fly ball to center field which should have ended the scoring threat. However, the ball was dropped, allowing HEATHER LOCHER and ASHLEY SAMPO to score. The relay to home skipped around the backstop, allowing ASHLEY MARX and Bell to score.
"We'll take the win," said Bell,
a junior. "I pitched fine, but I could've
done better. But the team came out and got some runs, so it was
nice to get
some support."
An inning later, a passed ball allowed KIM
WHITLOW to score El Cap's final
run, as the Matadors' defense looked rusty in the team's first
action in two
full weeks.
EBONY THORPE, Mount Miguel's senior first
baseman, clouted a two-run double
to score both BEASLEY sisters - AMANDA and ASHLEY, who each singled
- in the
1st. Thorpe later belted an over-the-fence homer to center in
the 6th to cap
a 2-for-3, three RBI performance.
"The pitch was a 'phatty' and I took
it (deep)," noted Thorpe on her second
homer of the season. "Why wait for two strikes to go by."
"And our defense really didn't play
that badly. It was just that one play,
then we weren't focused after that. Otherwise, we did pretty well."
Thorpe's homer was the only hit allowed after the 1st inning by Bell.
The Vaqueros (8-4) received 3 of their 7
hits from catcher MALLORY PALMER,
including a double to the fence in right-center in the 5th.
"I don't like getting out," explained
Palmer. "I knew I had to keep my
shoulder in to get results."
The Matadors (5-3) played without regular
starting pitcher BREANNA FELIX, who
was in Virginia to visit Radford University, which sources indicate
offered
the senior a softball scholarship.
CHRISTIAN 6, OUR LADY of PEACE 4 - The Patriots (9-5, 2-2) balanced their
Eastern League record against the visiting Pilots despite a shaky
performance
Thursday (April 10).
It started out to be an easy win for Christian
as the Patriots received RBI
singles from HEATHER McQUISTON and ASHLEY PATERSON en route to
a 4-run 2nd
inning.
After OLP pushed across a pair of unearned
runs against reliever KELLI MURRAY
in the top of the 3rd, the Patriots regained control with 2 runs
in the
bottom of the inning. MELISSA OWENS walked, stole second and third.
ERIN RYAN
pushed a squeeze bunt down the first base line. The Pilots made
the play to
the plate, but Owens beat the throw, and Ryan took second on the
play.
Ryan moved up to third base on a wild pitch
and scored on LAUREN OLDENBURG's
two-out single, making it 6-2.
Owens blanked OLP on one hit while striking
out 4 over the first two innings.
The Murray sisters took it from there. Kelli Murray, who received
credit for
her second win without a loss, allowed one hit and two unearned
runs over the
ensuing 2 innings before KYLEEN MURRAY toiled the final 3 innings
to earn the
save. None of OLP's runs were earned.
(04-10-03)
SAN DIEGO - KYLEEN MURRAY collected 3 hits,
scored a run and drove in another
Tuesday (April 8) as the visiting Christian High Patriots broke
into the
Eastern League win column with a 5-3 victory over the host Morse
Tigers.
The Patriots (8-5, 1-2) pounced on the Tigers
(1-8, 0-4) for two runs in the
top of the 1st inning. KELLI MURRAY singled and scored on MELISSA
OWENS'
triple. Owens then cruised home on Kyleen Murray's base hit.
That advantage was short-lived as Morse
took a 3-2 lead on Hellenden
Chapman's three-run home run in the bottom of the 1st.
The Patriots, who pounded out 13 hits, regained
the momentum in the 4th
inning. MEGHAN ERVIN singled and scored the tying run on ASHLEY
PATERSON's
triple to center field. KIM GILES' RBI single gave Christian the
lead for
keeps.
Singles by Christian's ASHLEY DUNTON, HEATHER
McQUISTON and Ervin produced an
insurance run in the 5th inning.
Owens, Dunton, and Ervin had two hits apiece.
Owens (6-4) limited Morse to three hits
and no runs over the final six
innings. She finished with 9 strikeouts and walked three.
Christian hosts Our Lady of Peace in an
Eastern League bout on Thursday
(April 10) at 3:30 p.m.
(04-08-03)
Valhalla's Savannah Brown connects for a double
in the 2nd inning against Grossmont pitcher Alex Sobel on Thursday
(4-3-03). Brown also had a 3-run home run in the 1st.
Wilson spins Norsemen to tournament win
over Hillers
EastCountySports.com
LA COSTA -Sophomore pitcher LACEY WILSON
carried a perfect game into the 6th
inning, then fought off a pair of late Grossmont rallies to lead
the Valhalla
Norsemen to a 2-1 victory in Saturday's (Apr. 5) Falcon Fiesta
Tournament
consolation contest played at La Costa Canyon High.
Wilson set down the first 15 Grossmont batters
she faced, including seven
straight by strikeout at one stretch, collecting 11 whiffs to
even her season
record at 3-3-1. However, a lead off walk to MONIQUE GONZALEZ
would lead to
the Hillers lone run after Valhalla scored twice in the top half
of the sixth
to break the drought.
It was a complete contrast to Thursday's
contest between the teams when 31
hits were registered.
"That walk came at a very bad time
- to the leadoff batter," said Wilson, who
has allowed just one earned run in 34 innings (0.49 ERA) this
season. "I'm
still working on all of my pitches continually, so I guess I need
to mix them
up more"
While Grossmont was completely blanked through
five frames, the Norsemen
managed just three baserunners during the same stretch, with just
one
reaching third base. But in the sixth, the bats started to heat
up.
Junior second baseman JAMIE McNALLY lined
a single to left to start the
Valhalla rally, was sacrificed to second by LISA WOODEND's bunt,
then moved
to third on a MICHELLE BATCHELOR base hit. Then the heart of the
Norsemen
batting order came through.
UCLA-bound shortstop WHITNEY HOLUM collected
her second game-winning RBI in
as many contests with a sharp, run-scoring single to left. SAVANNAH
BROWN
followed by successfully pushing the ball to the right side of
the infield,
forcing the play to first on her groundout as Batchelor scored
the second run.
Along with starting the winning rally with
her bat, McNally also made a key
play with her glove to keep Wilson's perfect game alive. She ranged
deep to
her right in the 4th and back-handed a drive up the middle by
Grossmont's
TARYIN CASILLAS.
The Hillers run came on a two-out single
to center by LIQUEA BLACKMON to
score Gonzalez. After her lead walk, she advanced on a KELLYE
ZOLLERS single,
then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by pitcher DOMONIQUE GUERRA.
Guerra only allowed five hits yet still
suffered the setback. She struck out
two, walked one and hit a batter, only allowing one hit through
the first
five frames.
PATRICK HENRY 2, MONTE VISTA 0 - It was
another day of missed opportunities
for the Monarchs (5-7-1), who were limited to 2 hits by Patrick
Henry's
Kristin Sheriff (7-4) in Saturday's (April 5) consolation round
of the
Falcon-Fiesta Classic at La Costa Canyon High. It was the third
straight loss
for Monte Vista.
MELISSA BARRON doubled in the 4th inning
for the Monarchs, but was eventually
thrown out at the plate as part of a double play.
The Monarchs were back in business in the
6th inning as DONNALEE LEWIS
started things with a bunt single and LACEY HARRIS reached base
on an error.
Three pop-ups killed that threat.
It was another tough loss for Monte Vista
pitcher SARAH CASTILLO (2-6), who
blanked the Patriots over 5 innings before surrendering 2 runs
in the 6th.
CARLSBAD 4, CHRISTIAN 0 - The Lancers struck quickly to take a 3-0 lead
after two innings and continued on behind the 3-hit pitching of
Cathy Hansen
to claim the Falcon Fiesta Classic consolation game Saturday (April
5) at La
Costa Canyon High.
LAUREN OLDENBURG broke up Hansen's no-hitter
with a leadoff single in the 5th
inning, but the Patriots' budding rally stalled.
Singles by KELLI MURRAY and MELISSA OWENS
with two outs in the 6th were
Christian's best scoring bid, but again Hansen stemmed the tide
for the
Lancers.
Owens struck out 6 during a six-inning stretch
for Christian (7-5).
(04-05-03)
Santana's Taryn Proctor (3) flies to left
to ends the top of the 1st Friday (4-4-03) against El Cajon Valley
pitcher Michaela Crain.
Proctor drives in three as Sultans get first
league win
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - TARYN PROCTOR drove in three
runs to lead Santana to an 8-2
Grossmont North League victory over host El Cajon Valley Friday
(April 4).
The Braves took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning.
They loaded bases on walks to
MICHAELA CRAIN, SHARON NAISH and MARISSA UTLEY. AMANDA SWANN singled
to
right to score Crain.
Santana capitalized on four El Cajon valley
errors to score 5 runs in the
third inning. ROCHELLE SANDBERG chipped in with an RBI single
and Proctor
plated three for the Sultans (8-4, 1-3).
The Sultans made it 6-1 in the 5th as MARGEAUX
BASS and TAYLOR KELLY
each hit a single. Bass scored on an error.
El Cajon Valley's final run came in the
bottom of the 5th inning as Utely
doubled, advanced to third on TAWNI MACKE's single and scored
on a passed
ball.
(04-04-03)
Santana's Laurie Lindow (10) grounds out
to second against El Cajon Valley pitcher Michaela Crain Friday
(4-4-03).
Valhalla's Allison Johnson (10) gets ready
to head for second during an attempted pickoff throw by Grossmont
Thursday (4-3-03).
Brown blasts three-run home run in Valhalla
rout
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Junior catcher SAVANNAH BROWN
keyed an eight-run Norsemen
explosion in their opening at-bat with a three-run homer that
cleared the
fence in left-center field, as Valhalla came through with timely
hitting
throughout its 15-4 non-league romp over host Grossmont. The teams
combined
for 31 hits, but the frustrated Hillers left eight runners stranded
in
failing to collect a key hit all afternoon.
Brown finished with four RBI, matching the
total of teammate MICHELLE
BATCHELOR, who clubbed a pair of two-run doubles, including one
to cap the
big inning.
"I didn't think it was high enough,
but it somehow went over the fence," said
Brown. "It was a 'phat' pitch and I got it with all my power."
Meanwhile, Valhalla pitcher STEPHANIE SWEAT
ran her record to 5-0 for the
season. She allowed five hits in four frames of work before leaving
with a
9-0 lead. But when the bullpen got tagged by the Foothillers,
including
back-to-back run-scoring doubles by ASHLEY LOVELADY and LISA GREEN,
Sweat
returned to toss two additional shutout innings.
The top three batters in the Grossmont line-up
- TARYIN CASILLAS, LIQUEA
BLACKMON and LOVELADY - registered three hits each (a combined
9-for-14), but
the rest of the team found difficulty beating Sweat to push the
baserunners
home.
UCLA-bound shortstop WHITNEY HOLUM was 4-for-5,
with 3 runs and 2 RBI, while
ALLISON JOHNSON and KIM HAYDEN added two hits each to pace a 16-hit
attack.
WEST HILLS 2, SANTANA 0 - Freshman MARA THORNTON pitched a 1-hit shutout
on Thursday (April 3) as the Wolf Pack (6-4-1, 4-0) claimed the
lead in the
Grossmont North League race.
West Hills scored the game's only runs in
the 5th inning. DENISE TRIPLETT
plated the first marker with a squeeze bunt to score MELISSA GUINN,
and KATIE
ROLF's sacrifice fly brought in KRISTINA MATTHEWS' insurance run.
Thornton walked 3 and struck out 8 as she rolled her record to 5-1.
The only hit for Santana was a 2nd inning
bloop single by TARYN PROCTOR, who
dropped a parachute into short right-center field.
EL CAPITAN 3, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 - COURTNEY BELL pitched a 5-hitter and
struck out 6 as the Vaqueros won Thursday's (April 3) Grossmont
North League
contest over host El Cajon Valley. All of El Capitan's runs came
in the 1st
inning.
HEATHER LOCHER and SAMI BEVERIDGE drove
in runs for El Capitan, and the third
tally scored on an error.
SHARON NAISH collected two of El Cajon Valley's
5 hits. TAWNI MACKE also had
a double for the Braves.
Christian High's Erin Allen
makes contact to get aboard and eventually score the Patriots'
first run Thursday (4-3-03).
CHRISTIAN 11, MISSION BAY 2 - Junior ASHLEY DUNTON went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI
to pace the Patriots to the lopsided non-league victory on Thursday
(April 3).
HEATHER McQUISTON and KIM GILES drove in
2 runs apiece for the Patriots
(7-4), while KYLEEN MURRAY pitched the final 4 innings to earn
her first
victory. Murray reached base on a single and 2 walks, scoring
3 runs.
MELISSA OWENS pitched 3 innings of 1-hit
ball, while drawing 3 walks and
scoring 3 runs.
(04-03-03)