EastCountySports.com
Prep softball 2003
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EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - The Valhalla Norsemen edged
Eastlake 4-3 Wednesday (May 14) in a
non-league game at the South Bay Titans field. Valhalla pitcher
STEPHANIE
SWEAT went the distance for the 10th-ranked Norsemen picking up
her 10th win
against only one loss.
Sweat struck out 4, gave up 6 hits, but
made good pitches when she had to.
She had good defensive support, including a sparkling double play
by second
baseman JAMIE MCNALLY. Catcher SAVANNAH BROWN made a couple of
critical
throws, gunning down 2 Titans trying to steal second base.
Offensively, KIMMY HAYDEN got things going
with a double in the 2nd. She came
around to score on an errant throw by the second baseman after
COURTNEY
LUDWIG had beat out an infield single.
Valhalla scored 3 runs in the 5th inning
to seemingly put the game out of
reach. With one out, McNally walked, LISA WOODEND singled to right
and
MICHELLE BATCHELOR advanced by runners with a perfect sacrifice
bunt.
Eastlake then intentionally walked WHITNEY
HOLUM for the 6th straight time in
two meetings this year. However, the Titans' strategy backfired
when Brown
came through with a clutch, two-out, 2-run RBI single. Brown and
Holum then
pulled off a delayed, double steal, allowing Holum to score just
before
Eastlake tagged out Brown. It turned out to be a huge run.
The Titans made things interesting by scoring
2 unearned runs in the 7th.
Sweat retired the final batter on an infield groundout.
(05-14-03)
Mount Miguel catcher Jade Shipp holds up the
ball after tagging out Monte Vista's Melanie Massey in the fourth
inning of Tuesday's (5-14-03) South League game. Massey attempted
to score following a single to right by Melissa Barron, but the
relay from RF Stephanie Robbins to 1B Amy Ledford to Shipp was
in time.
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - In a homecoming for several
members of the Monte Vista High
coaching staff, MELISSA BARRON tossed a two-out shutout to propel
the
Monarchs to their seventh consecutive victory after clipping host
Mount
Miguel, 4-0, Tuesday (May 13). The win keeps Monte Vista in a
first-place
standoff with Valhalla on top of the Grossmont South League.
Monarchs catcher ALYSHA DAIGLE capped the
scoring with a mammoth, 230-foot
home run off the scoreboard in the 7th inning, as the pieces to
a successful
season - which traditionally have fallen in place on the west
side of Spring
Valley - are instead fitting together nicely on the sunrise side
in 2003.
"No matter which team we're playing,
we have to stay focused," said Barron, a
senior who struck out 4 and only allowed a ground single in the
4th inning
and a bloop single in the 5th. "No matter if they're good
or bad, we were
ready for them."
Monte Vista was conscious of a Mount Miguel
unit, which twice pushed Valhalla
into extra innings, only to falter each time, entering in the
ballgame
uncharacteristically in fifth place.
"They've come so close," added
Barron (9-2), who set down the first 10
Matadors she faced. "But if we lost to them, we would've
gone down and had to
work hard to climb back up again."
However, single runs in four separate innings
kept Monte Vista (16-9-1, 7-1)
on track for its showdown in the regular season finale with the
Norsemen. But
it was Daigle's line drive over the left-field fence which punctuated
the
decision.
"I didn't do well (hitting) against
Steele Canyon," noted Daigle, a
sophomore, on her most recent plate appearances. "But today,
there was no
tension, and I didn't hear the pitcher or the catcher or anything.
I just
went into the ball."
Daigle was a simple explanation why achievement
has settled on her school's
side of the valley.
"Determination," stated Daigle.
"Last year, we didn't have very good
execution. But this year, we have an all-or-nothing attitude -
and we're
going for it for the seniors."
The circuit clout was Daigle's second of
the season, the other coming against
Valhalla in the first round of league action.
Almost every segment of the Monarchs batting
order came through to produce
offense.
In the third, clean-up hitter SARAH CASTILLO
lined a single to left to score
Barron, the leadoff batter. Then Monte Vista scored single runs
over the
final three innings.
A booming double to the right-centerfield
fence for an RBI double by ALYSHA
PARKER scored Castillo in the 5th. One frame later, the bottom
half of the
roster did the damage as a pinch-hit double by ROSALYN BURNS brought
home
LACEY HARRIS.
Barron and Parker registered two hits each,
while the Monarchs' bench batted
2-for-2.
Mount Miguel received hits from catcher
JADE SHIPP and first baseman AMY
LEDFORD, who's older sister, former Matador CARLY LEDFORD, was
part of the
school's CIF championship team along with current Monte Vista
coaches
STEPHANIE CALHOUN (catcher) and NICKY GEIS (shortstop).
Alysha Daigle is greeted at home plate
by Monte Vista coach Nicky Geis following her
home run off the scoreboard in left during the seventh inning
to cap Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Mount Miguel.
VALHALLA 1, HELIX 0 - Valhalla's LACEY WILSON threw a complete game,
2-hit
shutout against host Helix on Tuesday (May 13). The victory kept
Valhalla in
a first place tie with Monte Vista.
It was Wilson's 5th shutout in her last
6 games. Wilson struck out 9 while
walking none and her ERA fell to .059.
For the Norsemen, it was another close game
pulled out because of great
defense and timely hitting. They scored the only run Wilson would
need in the
fifth.
RANDI THOMPSON started the inning with an
infield single. JAMIE McNALLY put
down a sacrifice bunt to move her to second. Thompson went to
third on a
fielder's choice and then scored on a sharp single to center field
by
MICHELLE BATCHELOR (2 for 3).
LISA WOODEND, WHITNEY HOLUM, SAVANNAH BROWN
and McNally also had hits in the
game.
Valhalla pitcher Lacey Wilson lets one fly
as as Helix's Sipua Lee-Noa waits
at the plate in Tuesday's (5-13-03) Grossmont South League game
won by the
Norsemen 1-0. The catcher is Savannah Brown. (Courtesy photo)
SANTANA 4, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 - A 4-run 2nd inning and superb relief pitching
by KRISTEN MEDRUD Tuesday (May 13) kept the streaking Sultans
in the running
for a second place finish in the Grossmont North.
Medrud, who picked up for starter JEN KRISMER
in the 1st inning, blanked the
Braves on 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking none over the
final 6 1/3
innings to earn his 9th win in 14 decisions.
TAYLOR KELLY keyed Santana's big 2nd inning
with a leadoff double. She moved
up on Medrud's sacrifice bunt and scored on a passed ball, tying
the score at
1-1. Later in the same inning, DOMINIQUE DeLUCA belted a two-run
double
putting the Sultans on top to stay. Santana added an insurance
run when AIMEE
"Mercedes" BENZ singled to center to score DeLuca.
The Braves had taken a 1-0 lead in the 1st
inning as MARISA UTLEY walked,
advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on
wild pitch.
GROSSMONT 2, WEST HILLS 0 - Any plans the visiting Wolf Pack had of clinching
the Grossmont North League were blocked by the spirited Foothillers,
who were
hosting Senior Day on Tuesday (May 13).
Ah yes, Senior Day - the last regular season home game for the Foothillers.
"It's become a tradition," Grossmont
coach JERRY LERUD said. "Our senior
girls run around the bases backwards (starting at the plate going
to third,
second, first) and sliding into home plate. The team mothers give
the girls a
bouquet of flowers and a gift pack."
Six Grossmont seniors - JENNIFER OSBORNE,
KELLYE ZOLLERS, LISA GREEN, ASHLEY
LOVELADY, LIQUEA BLACKMON, and ALEX SOBEL - took the traditional
path on
Tuesday.
Sobel celebrated the occasion by pitching
a 2-hit shutout, striking out 8 and
walking none in front of a full house.
"Our defense played outstanding again,
error free again," Lerud said. "We got
a few things to go our way today, allowing us to get the lead
early, and with
our defense and sound pitching, pulled out the win."
Grossmont (13-11, 7-4) scored the only runs
of the game in the 2nd inning.
MICHELLE MIRANDA got on by fielder's choice, and then with two
outs TAWNIE
PETERSON was hit by a pitch. BRITTANY GARCIA hit a ground ball
that resulted
in an error and scoring Miranda. Peterson then scored on a wild
pitch.
MARA THORNTON pitched a complete-game 4-hitter
for West Hills (14-8-1, 8-2),
which needs one more victory to secure the Grossmont North League
title.
CHRISTIAN 7, OUR LADY OF PEACE 2 - ERIN RYAN went 3-for-3 with a double and
two stolen bases as the Patriots pasted the Pilots in an Eastern
League
encounter on Tuesday (May 13).
KYLEEN MURRAY pitched the final 6 innings
in relief to garner the win for
Christian (12-12, 5-5). The junior right-hander allowed only 5
hits and one
earned run as she collected the win to balance her record at 2-2.
KELLI MURRAY's bloop 2-RBI single to left
field capped a 4-run 1st inning for
the Patriots.
LAUREN OLDENBURG was 2-for-3 with one RBI and a run for Christian.
GRANITE HILLS 10, STEELE CANYON 1
(No information reported)
(05-13-03)
El Cajon Valley's Marissa Utley (2) is safe
at first on a bunt single to leadoff the bottom of the 1st on
Monday (5-12-03).
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The El Cajon Valley Braves snapped a 12-game losing streak at the expense of first-year-varsity Steele Canyon 2-1 in a non-league game Monday (May 12) afternoon. Senior MICHAELA "Kai" CRAIN struck out five and walked none, scattering six hits to gain the pitching decision.
"It feels good, but it wasn't something I thought about," said Crain. "I don't care if I get the win. I just want the team to do better."
This win was the first for the Braves since thumping Mission Bay more than six weeks ago.
"Winning really wasn't difficult," Crain added, "We just needed to get done what we needed to get done."
The Braves took care of their offense quickly in the first, needing less than five batters to grab a quick 2-0 advantage.
Third baseman MARISSA UTLEY opened the inning with a bunt single, moved to second base on the first of two sacrifice bunts on the afternoon by Crain, then scored when TAWNI MACKE sent a blast to the fence in right for an RBI triple.
"It was a beautiful pitch, but slow, and it hit just the right part of the bat," noted Macke, a junior shortstop. "It was nails, baby."
ALLISON SWANN was then hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners. And when she took a slow jog to second base on a delayed double-steal to draw a throw, Swann was easily tossed out by Cougars catcher ALEX YOUNG. In the same breath, Macke raced home with what proved to be the winning run.
Steele Canyon halved the lead in the 3rd when AMY ANTOINE smashed a one-out double over the center-fielder's head, then ASHLEY THEOLDORE cashed her in with two out on a booming double to right.
Theoldore
and Young each collected two of the Cougars' six hits. Both Braves
hits came in the first, as Cougars reliever RENEE WATKINS came
in to toss
three innings of no-hit ball.
(05-12-03)
El Cajon Valley's Michaela "Kai"
Crain (23) reaches on a sac bunt after an error by a Steele Canyon
infielder during the bottom of the 6th of a non-league game Monday
(5-12-03).
Santana's Rochelle Sandberg (5) scores on a
passed ball in the Sultans' 6-1 victory over San Dieguito Academy
on 5-10-03 in a Montgomery Tournament makeup game. On-deck hitter
Taylor Kelly (14) scored the game-winning RBI in the game. (Courtesy
photo)
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - When it comes time to seed the
San Diego CIF Division III playoffs,
the Santana Sultans should carry a lot of clout. The Sultans enhanced
their
chances for grabbing a high seed on Saturday (May 10) when they
submarined
visiting San Dieguito Academy 6-1 in a non-league game.
The Sultans (18-7-1) scored a major coup
in this one as the Mustangs (18-6)
were ranked No. 4 in Division III going into the week.
Freshman catcher LAURIE LINDOW led the Santana
charge with 4 hits and 3 RBI
in 4 at-bats.
Santana took a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning
as a single by ROCHELLE SANDBERG
and three passed balls made it 1-0. TARYN PROCTOR walked and eventually
scored on TAYLOR KELLY's sacrifice fly.
In the 2nd inning, winning pitcher KRISTEN
MEDRUD doubled and scored on a
passed ball.
Lindow then put the game on ice with a two-run double in the 3rd inning.
Medrud (8-5) gave up just 4 hits and struck
out 6 to pick up the win for the
Sultans, while JEN KRISMER pitched 3 shutout innings to log the
save, adding four Ks.
OAKS CHRISTIAN 15-1, CHRISTIAN 3-0 - The Lions (24-2), the top-ranked
Division IV team in the Southern Section, traveled south from
Westlake
Village to sweep a non-league doubleheader from the Christian
High Patriots
on Saturday (May 10), winning by scores of 15-3 and 1-0.
In the opener, MELISSA OWENS belted a pair
of solo home runs for the
Patriots, including a tape-measure shot. Her leadoff shot in the
fourth
cleared both the outfield fence and a secondary fence, landing
in the parking
lot following an estimated 260-foot excursion. She also added
another solo
homer in the sixth.
Trailing 8-0 early, the Pats scored an unearned
run in the third. ERIN RYAN
singled to center, but when the outfielder misplayed the ball,
designated
hitter RASHAWNA CHAPMAN, who was hit by pitch, circled the bases.
The lone hits by the Patriots (11-12) were
a first-inning single by Ryan and
a second-inning double by ASHLEY PATERSON.
GRANITE HILLS 4, EL CENTRO-SOUTHWEST 2 -
In a battle of the birds on
Saturday (May 10), the Granite Hills Eagles (14-11-1) defeated
the visiting
El Centro-Southwest Eagles (18-3) in a Longhorn Tournament make-up
game.
Sophomore pitcher LACY TONER (6-3) pitched a complete game 3-hitter.
No further information was reported to EastCountySports.com.
(05-10-03)
A Grossmont batter fouls off a pitch on
Thursday (May 8) as El Capitan catcher Mallory Palmer gets rid
of her mask.
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - DOMONIQUE GUERRA tossed a two-hit
shutout, while the combination
of TARYIN CASILLAS and JENNIFER OSBORNE produced the offense,
backing
Grossmont to a 3-0 blanking of host El Capitan in a key Grossmont
North
League contest Thursday (May 8). The teams entered the day in
a three-way tie
for second place, along with Santana.
All afternoon, Guerra frustrated the Vaqueros,
who have now failed to score
in 17 innings over three ballgames. But it was a simple matter
of executing
of defense which decided the game early.
In the 1st inning alone, the Foothillers
hit three balls which barely eluded
El Capitan defenders, including a pair which tipped off the top
of gloves by
extended infielders. The Vaqueros also accumulated five errors,
which helped
the momentum remain with Grossmont.
"The defense backed us up," said
Guerra, who struck out three and only had
one baserunner reach second base all day. "And our hitting
was on. When we
got one, we'd get another and kept on going."
The Hillers' opening at-bat proved the case.
Casillas slammed a two-out double, as the
ball failed to clear the left-field
fence by about a foot. Then El Capitan's hard-luck defense got
burned on
three straight plays.
Osborne's RBI single up the middle was grazed
by the second baseman. A line
single by MONIQUE GONZALEZ was deflected by the third baseman.
And a LISA
GREEN single to center rolled under the glove of the diving shortstop.
Even when El Capitan made the correct play
on defense, everything seemed to
turn sour.
After Gonzelez' single put Osborne on third,
Vaqueros catcher MALLORY PALMER
had Osborne cleanly picked off, only to see the infield not ready
for the
ball, which caromed into foul territory as Osborne trotted home
for a quick
2-0 lead.
In the fifth, Casillas boomed a triple to
right-centerfield, coming home one
batter later when Osborne lifted a deep sacrifice fly to left.
Casillas and
Gonzalez each had two of the Hillers seven hits, while Osborne
finished
1-for-3 with two RBI.
"It wouldn't have been a game without
Taryin on the bases and hustling,"
noted the Grossmont College-bound Osborne. "Once we scored
in the first, it
helped build up the attitude for the rest of the game."
Grossmont, meanwhile, converted on defense
to keep El Capitan at bay.
Included was a picture perfect double play started by Casillas
in the seventh,
"Before the pitch, I thought about
a perfect double play," said Casillas, as
second baseman Green took her toss and made the pivot to register
the
twin-killing. "Then all of a sudden, she hit it to the perfect
spot."
Meanwhile, Palmer was limited to one hit
in three at-bats with a line single
in the first, watching her batting average fall below the .500
mark (now
.478) for the first time in more than a month. Later on, Palmer,
a finalist
for league player of the year honors, was robbed in the fourth
when her
rocket to centerfield was snared by Gonzalez.
HEATHER LOCHER, who pitched two innings
of no-hit relief, had the only other
hit for the Vaqueros with a lead single in the seventh, only to
be quickly
erased on the double play.
"This was our overall best outing," Foothillers coach JERRY LERUD noted.
MONTE VISTA 8, STEELE CANYON 1 - The Monarchs players insist that coach SIG
CHABROWKSI continue to wear his BluBlockers sun glasses on game
days.
Why?
Ever since Chabrowski purchased the classy
shades, the Monarchs have been on
a roll - as in 6 straight wins and a share of the Grossmont South
League lead.
The Monarchs stormed to a 3-0 lead after
two innings on Thursday (May 8). Six
Monarchs enjoyed multiple hit games, led by LACEY HARRIS' 3-for-4
effort.
LYNDSAY CALHOUN was 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and ALYSHA DAIGLE was 2-for-4
batting,
including 2 RBI.
Monte Vista's SARAH CASTILLO pitched a complete
game three-hitter to raise
her record to 6-7.
WEST HILLS 5, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 - A three-run 7th inning rally broke a 2-2
tie and gave the Wolf Pack a victory on Thursday (May 8) that
clinched at
least a tie for its fifth Grossmont North League title in seven
years.
MARKIE VARELA went 3-for-3 for the Wolf
Pack, giving her 9 hits in 11 at-bats
in the last three games, raising her season average to .492 (30-for-61).
Trailing 2-1 after 4 innings, West Hills
looked to Varela for help. She did
not disappoint.
Varela reached base on a bunt single, stole
second and third and scored on a
passed ball, tying the game at 2-2.
In the 7th, West Hills parlayed two errors
into the winning formula, that
included singles by ERICA TORRES and KATIE ROLF.
Varela went 3-for-3, giving her 9 hits over
11 at-bats in the last three
games. She is batting at a .492 clip for the season. She also
stole 3 bases
against the Braves, who led 2-1 after four innings.
A combination of errors and DENISE TRIPLETT's
sacrifice fly and KASEY
MYTINGER's RBI single in the 7th inning gave West Hills the victory.
The Valhalla Norsemen celebrate their 1-0,
9-inning victory over Mount Miguel on Thursday (5-8-03). (Courtesy
photo)
VALHALLA 1, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 (9) - For the second time this season, Valhalla
had to go extra innings against Mount Miguel to pick up a victory.
The
Norsemen won on Thursday (May 8) in a clutch rematch on a double
by TORRE
BUCKLES in the bottom of the ninth.
LACEY WILSON made the victory possible,
giving up only 3 hits while striking
out 12 in a complete game outing. The Norsemen played superb defense
behind
Wilson, getting some key plays by JAMIE McNALLY, MICHELLE BATCHELOR
and
WHITNEY HOLUM.
The Matadors threatened in the 9th. AMANDA
BEASLEY led off with a single to
left, and then was bunted to second. With two out, EBONY THORPE
was walked.
Wilson then struck out a pinch hitter with runners on second and
third to end
the rally.
The Norsemen were held in check most of
the game by the Matadors' BREANNA
FELIX, but they finally broke through in the 9th. Holum started
things with a
single to right. SAVANNAH BROWN laid down a perfect sacrifice
bunt, moving
Holum to second. KIMMY HAYDEN followed with an infield single.
That brought
up Buckles, who promptly drove the ball to the alley in left-center
to win it.
CHRISTIAN 2, MORSE 1 - MELISSA OWENS pitched an 11-inning 3-hitter Thursday
(May 8) as the Patriots won the Eastern League battle in overtime.
Owens struck out 14, walked 3 and did not allow an earned run.
ERIN RYAN's long single with bases loaded
sailed over the center-fielder's
head as Christian (11-10, 4-5) won the Eastern League game in
overtime.
LAUREN OLDENBURG finished with 4 hits and
the Murray sisters - KYLEEN and
KELLIE - each had three.
(05-08-03)
A 2-rrun single by Lacey Harris in the top
of the 1st scores Melissa Barron and then Alysha Daigle (rounding
third).
EastCountySports.com
SPRING VALLEY - In one of the biggest offensive
outputs by any East County
team all season, LACEY HARRIS, ALYSHA DAIGLE, ALYSSA PARKER and
MELISSA
BARRON collected three hits each Tuesday (May 6), as Monte Vista
produced a
season-best 19 hits in whipping the host Eagles 9-2.
Harris' plate appearance in the opening
inning turned into a microcosm of
Monte Vista's entire season to date. She smashed a 2-run single
to trigger
the landslide.
Although the Monarchs now sport a 14-9-1
overall record, the team continues
to demonstrate sharp improvement of late, winners in eight of
their last 10
to claim a share of the Grossmont South League lead with Valhalla
at 5-1.
"I was ready to hit - I was totally
prepared," said Harris, a junior Honors
student for Monte Vista. "All of our bats came through."
Eight of the hits were of the infield variety,
as the Monarchs' speed proved
too much for Granite Hills' defenders. Three other connections
blooped over
the infield for hits, including a double by SARAH CASTILLO, which
chased
Eagles starter Chantel Zetsch early in the 3rd.
Parker followed with an RBI grounder which
was booted for an error, opening
the flood gates to five additional runs - all unearned - to give
Monte Vista
an 8-0 advantage. During the rally, SAVANNAH MOYES walked with
the bases
loaded, Barron and LYNDSEY CALHOUN lined run-scoring singles,
then Daigle
slugged a two-run double into the left-field corner.
"We came out determined," noted
Daigle, the team's catcher. "So we were fIred
up for the rest of the game."
Noted Parker, a freshman third baseman,
"We built up our intensity and didn't
want to lose here. We didn't want to give in, especially since
we lost to
them earlier."
Even the Monarchs bench came though, as
reserve outfielder ROSALYN BURNS
pounded an RBI double in the 4th, mounting a 9-0 lead.
Granite Hills got two runs back in the 7th
on a 2-run single by VALERIE
VITALE to avoid the shutout. It was Vitale's second hit of the
contest.
Castillo scattered 6 hits and struck out 5 to garner the victory.
Granite Hills, which a week ago had a chance
to grab a share of the league
lead, has suddenly fallen flat to drop toward the middle of the
pack,
outscored 17-3 by the co-league leaders over the past week.
Valhalla junior Stephanie Sweat (9-1) throws
her 3rd no-hitter of the season on Tuesday (5-6-03) against Steele
Canyon. (Courtesy photo)
VALHALLA 10, STEELE CANYON 0 - The Grossmont South League-leading Norsemen
got back on the winning track Tuesday (May 6) behind the stellar
pitching of
junior STEPHANIE SWEAT.
Sweat no-hit the Cougars while striking
out 6 and walking only one. It was
Sweat's third no-hitter of the season. She improved her record
to 9-1.
Offensively, WHITNEY HOLUM continued her
torrid batting season, hitting
safely in her 20th consecutive game. To add to her recent batting
bonanza,
the UCLA-bound Holum hit her 3rd home run out of Leto Field this
year.
Sophomore KIMMY HAYDEN also cleared the
fence with her first home run on the
season. LISA WOODEND, MICHELE BATCHELOR, SAVANNAH BROWN and Holum
all had 2
hits in the game.
GROSSMONT 4, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 - ASHLEY LOVELADY's RBI single in the 4th
inning Tuesday (May 6) snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled the host
Grossmont
Foothillers to the Grossmont North conquest of the visiting Braves.
KELLYE ZOLLERS started the Hillers winning
rally with a single to center. JEN
PARKS' sacrifice bunt advanced Zollers to second base. After BRITTANY
GARCIA
reached base on a fielder's choice, Lovelady singled to cash in
Zollers. An
errant relay by the Brasves enabled the Hillers' runners to advance
a base.
NICOLE WRIGHT then singled ton right-center
field giving Grossmont 11-11,
5-4) a 3-1 edge.
The Hillers tacked on an insurance run in
the 6th as Zollers single to left,
stole second, advanced to third on TAWNIE PETERSON's pop fly that
the El
Cajon Valley second baseman could hold. Zollers then scurried
home on a wild
pitch.
El Cajon Valley scored on a wild pitch in
the 1st inning and added a second
tally in the 7th . TAWNI MACKE sparked the late inning rally with
a base hit.
She advanced to second on ALLISON SWANN's sacrifice bunt, and
scored on a
single to center by NICOLE COPE.
Grossmont tied it 1-1 on an error in the bottom of the 1st.
HELIX 3 , MOUNT MIGUEL 0 - The Highlanders' ADRIANNA DeJONG threw a 2-hitter
to defeat Mount Miguel (8-7, 2-4) on a cold and cloudy afternoon
Tuesday (May
6) at Helix.
CHRISTINA HERNANDEZ scored in the second
inning on a DANIELLE GLENN double to
left.
Helix (9-8, 3-3) struck again in a four-hit
barrage in the 3rd. LIZ BITTLE
scored on a single by SIPAU LEE-NOA. Then DeJong helped her own
cause by
singling in LAUREN Brady for the third run.
SANTANA 2, EL CAPITAN 0 - The Sultans scored two runs in the 4th on RBI
inning by VANESSA GAOA scoring MARGEAUX BASS and LAURIE LINDOW
scoring TAYLOR
KELLY in Tuesday's (May 6) Grossmont North League encounter in
Santee.
No other information was reported by either
team.
(05-06-03)
Sophmore Designated Hitter Vanessa Gaoa before
hitting her RBI single in the 4th inning to drive in second
and final run of game versus El Capitan.
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - El Capitan catcher MALLORY PALMER
powered an inside-the-park grand
slam Monday (May 5) to key a 6-run 4th inning as the Vaqueros
overcame an
early deficit to defeat Scripps Ranch 7-2 in a non-league game.
The 4th inning rally started when ASHLEY
SAMPO and KIM WHITLOW singled and
VIRGINIA WILLIAMSON walked to load the bases. ASHLEY MARX reached
on an
error as Sampo scored the tying run to make 2-2.
ASHLEY HART hammered a base hit to score
Whitlow with the go-ahead run. That
set the stage for Palmer to lower the boom. And she did, smacking
a line
drive into the right-center field gap to break the game open.
COURTNEY BELL picked up her 12th win in
18 decisions for El Capitan (13-8,
5-3), which scored its first run in the opening inning on a walk
to Hart, a
single by Palmer and HEATHER LOCHER's fielder's choice that scored
Hart.
SAN MARCOS 5, CHRISTIAN 4 - The visiting Patriots (10-10) were one out away
from wrapping up a 4-1 Falcon Fiesta Tournament victory on Monday
(May 5)
when the ceiling caved in.
The Knights (4-14), who eventually won via
the International Tiebreaker on a
sacrifice fly in the 9th inning, parlayed a two-out walk, a double,
an error
and a triple into 3 runs, sending the game into extra innings.
It was a tough loss for Christian's KYLEEN
MURRAY, who pitched a
complete-game 4-hitter. The Patriots' pitcher helped her own cause
when she
followed an ERIN RYAN double with an RBI single in the 1st inning.
Base hits from Ryan, ASHLEY PATERSON and
ASHLEY DUNTON meshed with 2 San
Marcos errors helped the Patriots break a 1-1 tie with 3 runs
in the 6th
inning.
Christian out-hit San Marcos 8-4, with Ryan
and Paterson pacing the Patriots
with a single and a double apiece.
The Patriots, who were beaten by costly
fielding miscues, managed to turn a
pair of double plays in the loss.
(05-05-03)
Santana's Laurie Lindow (10) connects for a hit off
West Hills' winning pitcher Mara Thornton to score Taylor Kelly
(14) from second and tie the game 1-1 in Thursday's (5-1-03) loss
to the Grossmont North League-leading Wolf Pack. (Courtesy
photo)
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - They may not only be among the best teams in the East County, they may also rank among the most popular in the world. This according to relatives of West Hills High starting pitcher MARA THORNTON, who recently learned that the Wolf Pack have become a favorite for many members of the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq.
It seems that Thornton's uncle, Staff Sgt. Tim Encinas of the U.S. Air Force, just returned from deployment in the Middle East, where he reported that he and many members of his squadron used EastCountySports.com on a regular basis to follow on the exploits of the freshman pitcher and the Grossmont North League-leading Wolf Pack.
Following each update on this web site, the fly boys would give a cheer each time West Hills registered another victory, which have been frequent lately, as the Wolf Pack (14-6-1) has captured eight of their last nine ballgames.
Meanwhile:
PATRICK HENRY 1, GROSSMONT 0 (8 innings)
-- Wearing the familiar number ofher
family -- No. 13 -- on her back, Patrick Henry pitcher Kristin
Sheriff needed to go overtime before collecting her 2-hit shutout,
as teammate
Danielle Bryan drove home the game's only run in the eighth inning
in the
Patriots' 1-0 blanking of host Grossmont in non-league action
Friday (May 2).
Sheriff, the cousin of former West Hills High and San Diego State
football
quarterback LON SHERIFF, was astonished to discover her relative
recently
signed a free agent with the Miami Dolphins.
"How come nobody ever told me?," noted the standout
junior pitcher, looking
around at teammates and family members for answers about her cousin,
who is
getting married in a few months prior to entering medical school.
For the
record, EastCountySports.com put the news of Sheriff's
pro signing on the
internet the day it happened. The quarterback left for a Miami
minicamp on
Thursday.
Nevertheless, the softball pitcher has been too busy with her
exploits, which
first took note three years ago when Sheriff's club softball team
took the
Under-14 Gold Division national championship.
And except for one sour outing when she allowed five earned runs
against
Escondido after laying sick in bed for three days, Sheriff has
now allowed a
mere six additional earned runs in more than 100 innings all season,
including limiting Grossmont to just four baserunners all afternoon.
"We really had our heads into the game, which should help
us for CIF,"
Sheriff noted of the Hillers, a possible Division II postseason
Henry
opponent. "It didn't matter that this was a non-league game
because we are so
close to the playoffs, so every game is important."
The Foothillers' only hits off Sheriff were a third-inning triple
by
Grossmont freshman pitcher DOMONIQUE GUERRA, and a two-out, line
single by
NICOLE WRIGHT in the 6th. Sheriff struck out six, including all
three Hillers
in the second, and walked one. She also overcame an error in the
eighth when
catcher Nicole Lococo, the niece of Henry baseball coach Jack
Lococo, threw
out a Grossmont runner attempting to steal second base.
The game's only run was unearned after Henry shortstop Jackie
Dixon reached
on a one-out error. She was sacrifice to second by Lococo, then
Bryan slammed
an RBI double to the fence in centerfield.
The Grossmont defense kept the game scoreless with a pair of smart
stops.
MONIQUE GONZALEZ came charging in from centerfield to make a diving
catch of
a Dixon blooper to open the ballgame. Then in the 7th, LIQUEA
BLACKMON came
off the bag at first to snare a foul liner off the bat of Pats'
third baseman
Stephanie Grimes.
(05-02-03)
LEFT (T-6th):
West Hills baserunner Natasha Chouinard is tagged out at the plate
by Santana catcher Laurie Lindow following a strong throw from
Taryn Proctor, one of two outfield assists by the Sultans centerfielder
to home in Thursday's Grossmont South League softball contest.
Proctor also threw out Mandy Weaver one inning later in the seventh,
giving Santana an opportunity to move the contest into extra innings
with a run in the home-half of the inning.
RIGHT (B-5th):
Wolf Pack catcher Katie Wolf applies the tag on Sultans baserunner
Jen Krismer to complete a double play after centerfielder Melissa
Guinn caught a line drive off the bat of Santana's Rochelle Sandberg,
then threw a strike to the plate to preserve a 1-0 lead.
EastCountySports.com
Better known as the table-setter at the
top of the Wolf Pack batting order,
junior shortstop MARKIE VARELA turned into the clean-up hitter
Thursday (May
1) after seldom-used No. 9-hitter MANDY WEAVER reached base three
times.
Varela answered by going 4-for-4, reaching
base all five trips while driving
in a pair of runs, as West Hills scored twice in the 8th inning
to nip the
host Sultans 3-1 in 8 innings.
"I'm usually the one who bunts and
slaps to get on base," explained Varela.
"But today I played with people who got on base, so it was
up to me to hit
the ball into the gaps."
Spraying the ball to all fields, Varela's
single to left-center in the fourth
looked to be the only run needed, as Weaver scored following her
two-out
double to the centerfield fence.
However, facing match point with two out
in the seventh, West Hills pitcher
MARA THORNTON lost her bid for a one-hit shutout when the Sultans'
LAURIE
LINDOW collected her second hit of the contest, bringing home
TAYLOR KELLY to
force extra innings against the Grossmont North League leaders.
"I realized that we were doing pretty
well, so maybe I got a little cocky,"
noted Thornton, who took advantage of a wide strike zone by the
home plate
umpire to collect six strikeouts while setting down the first
14 Sultans she
faced before Lindow singled in the fifth. "But we played
great defense, as
MELISSA (GUINN) made an awesome play to the plate."
Guinn, the center-fielder, caught a long
drive by ROCHELLE SANDBERG, then
nailed JEN KRISMER at the plate with a strong throw to catcher
KATIE WOLF for
a double play to end the 6th.
Not to be outdone, Santana center-fielder
TARYN PROCTOR twice cut down
potential run-scorers at the plate in both the 6th and 7th innings,
throwing
consecutive strikes to Lindow, the Sultans catcher, to maintain
the 1-0
pitchers' duel.
A Santana error with two outs in the 8th
allowed Wolf to score the go-ahead
run for the Pack. Weaver followed with a walk, then Varela dropped
in her
fourth single of the ballgame for an insurance run. Weaver also
added a
single in her 2-for-3 outing at the plate.
"Not many times do I get a chance to
play," said Weaver, a junior designated
hitter. "But I did pretty well in the (batting) cage, so
I was excited being
able to play. It was a big opportunity for me and I took it."
NATASHA CHOUINARD and KASEY MYTINGER each
added two hits to power the 13-hit
Wolf Pack attack.
Thornton's 4 2/3 innings of perfect ball
was backed by a pair of solid
defensive plays in the 3rd. Varela went deep into the hole to
pick-up a hot
grounder before throwing out VANESSA GAOA. One batter later, second
baseman
KELLIE BRYAN sprinted behind the pitcher's circle to backhand
a ball ticketed
for centerfield, eventually throwing out KIRSTEN MEDRUD.
MONTE VISTA 2, VALHALLA 1 - ALYSHA DAIGLE blasted a mammoth fence-clearing
home run and SARAH CASTILLO broke a 1-1 deadlock in the bottom
of the 8th
with an RBI double as the Monarchs upset Grossmont South League
leading
Valhalla in Thursday's (May 1) encounter in Spring Valley in eight
innings.
The victory left the Monarchs tied with
Valhalla (15-7-1, 4-1) for the
Grossmont South League lead.
Daigle's home run over the fence earned
her a steak dinner courtesy of Monte
Vista coach SIG CHABOWSKI.
After the Monarchs took a 1-0 lead, the
Norsemen's SAVANNAH BROWN drove in
MICHELLE BATCHELOR with a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the
6th inning.
But MELISSA BARRON, Monte Vista's stalwart
pitcher - who did not allow an
earned run all day - retired the first-place Norsemen to set the
stage for
Castillo's game-winning blow.
Barron, who turned in a complete game effort,
struck out 6 as she posted her
8th win in 10 decisions.
CHRISTIAN 2, PATRICK HENRY 1 - MELISSA OWENS twirled a 3-hitter, did not
allow an earned run, and struck out 10 as the visiting Patriots
stunned
Eastern League power Patrick Henry on Thursday (May 1).
The sophomore right-hander limited Henry
(14-7, 5-2) to 3 hits as she
improved her record to 7-8.
"This was one of the top three of Owens'
pitching performances," Christian
coach ROMA DAWSON noted.
Fortunately for Owens, Henry committed a
couple of key errors that led to a
pair of unearned runs in the 2nd inning.
EL CAPITAN 5, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 - The visiting Vaqueros kept their Grossmont
North League playoff hopes alive on Thursday (May 1) with the
hard-earned
victory over the Braves.
El Capitan (12-8, 5-3) took a 1-0 lead on
HEATHER LOCHER's RBI single in the
opening frame. ASHLEY MARX, who singled and scored in the 1st
inning, walked
and scored on MALLORY PALMER's base hit in the 3rd.
El Cajon Valley (4-14, 0-8) cut the Vaqueros'
lead in half on MARISSA UTLEY's
RBI single in the 5th.
The Vaqueros countered in the 6th inning.
Singles by SAMI BEVERIDGE and
COURTNEY BELL, coupled with an El Cajon Valley error, loaded the
bases and
set the stage for ALYSSA LOVEDAY's two-run single.
The Vaqueros added an insurance run in the
7th on Bell's bases-loaded single
up the middle.
Bell struck out 6 and walked 2 as she ran her record to 11-6.
The Braves' NICOLE COPE wasn't baffled by
Bell's deliveries, as she finished
3-for-3 with a double and 2 stolen bases.
GRANITE HILLS 5, MOUNT MIGUEL 1 - A 4-run 1st inning proved to be the
difference for the host Eagles in Thursday's (May 1) Grossmont
South League
contest.
The Eagles' LACY TONER was in trouble all
day long, as the Matadors pelted
her with 13 hits, but still finished on top.
EBONY THORPE collected 3 hits in four at-bats to pace Mount Miguel (8-6, 2-3).
BREANNA FELIX was the hard luck loser for
the Matadors, as she allowed only 2
earned runs and 7 hits in her route-going performance.
HELIX 1, STEELE CANYON 0 - No information supplied.
(05-01-03)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Despite securing an early lead,
another team failed to escape the
Valhalla pressure cooker Tuesday (April 29), as the Norsemen forced
the issue
with aggressive running along the Leto Diamond basepaths to paste
Granite
Hills, 8-1, to assume a two-game lead in the Grossmont South League.
KIM HAYDEN
(left) knocked in runs in three of her four at-bats, as
the left fielder
finished 2-for-3 with four RBI, while MICHELLE BATCHELOR belted
a two-run
single to break open the contest in the fourth inning.
"I felt like I was playing rec ball
- they were chasing the ball all over,"
said Hayden, a sophomore. "I feel like I'm still running."
"But we do whatever it takes to win,
so I don't mind if I'm catching or
playing left field (as she does in club ball)."
Forcing Granite Hills to complete plays
on defense, coach DOUG HARTUNG sent
Norsemen runners along at every opportunity, which resulted in
a run every
time he kept winding his arm, most notably in the fourth and sixth
when
Valhalla scored three times each.
Leading 2-1, Batchelor's sharp single to
center brought home JAMIE MCNALLY,
who opened the fourth with a double. However, the coach kept LISA
WOODEN
motoring from second base, as the throw never made it to the plate.
Three batters later, Hayden lifted a fly
ball to the outfield, but the throw
was cutoff as Batchelor scored on the sacrifice fly.
"(Valhalla coach DOUG HARTUNG) is very
aggressive on offense and defense,"
said Batchelor, a senior who is considering a softball offer from
Loyola
Marymount. "And because of it, this team is full of confidence
and we think
we can win CIF."
"We're very happy how far we've come along."
More assertiveness in the sixth produced a three-run play.
After Batchelor opened the inning reaching
base on the fourth of five Eagles
errors on the afternoon, WHITNEY HOLUM extended her hitting streak
to 18
games with a double to left to put a pair of runners in scoring
position.
Catcher SAVANNAH BROWN was robbed on her
line shot to shortstop, but Hayden
completed her stellar performance by circling the bases. Her single
to center
scored both Batchelor and Holum, as Hayden took an extra base
on the throw
home. But when Granite Hills' attempt to nail her at second sailed
into the
outfield, Hayden completed the circuit to build a seven-run advantage.
"We practice running the bases like
that almost every day," added Batchelor.
"It's one of the tools we have to win."
Meanwhile, winning pitcher STEPHANIE SWEAT
overcame a soft start by allowing
just two hits over the final six innings in her solid four-hit
performance.
Sweat consistently forced the Eagles to spank the ball into the
ground,
including nine of the game's first 10 outs before she recorded
her only two
strikeouts.
For the ballgame, Sweat allowed just four
fly ball outs, as she retired 17 of
the final 18 batters she faced.
SARA ALFORD led off with a single, then
moved to third via a VALERIE VITALE
sacrifice bunt and a check-swing slap by VANESSA MORENO. ALLISON
TINO then
lined a single to right-center for a quick 1-0 lead.
However, Hayden registered the first of
her run-scoring hits in immediate
response for Valhalla. Her line single off the glove of the third
baseman
allowed Batchelor to score the first of her three runs on the
day.
Wooden added two hits for Valhalla, while
CODY WIDDES went 2-for-2 for the
Eagles before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the seventh.
MONTE VISTA 1, HELIX 0 - Monte Vista's MELISSA BARRON has been the hottest
pitcher in East County of late. She gave host Helix a taste of
her talent
when she fired a 4-hit shutout in Tuesday's (April 29) Grossmont
South League
victory.
On top of her primo pitching, Barron batted
in the only run of the game with
a triple into the right-center field gap in the 5th inning. Barron's
blow
scored LACEY HARRIS, who reached base on a fielder's choice.
SARAH CASTILLO accounted for 2 of the Monarchs' 5 hits.
Monte Vista (12-9-1, 3-1) is one game behind
Valhalla in the race for the
Grossmont South League pennant.
SANTANA 2, GROSSMONT 1 - The visiting Sultans scored twice in the top of
the
7th inning Tuesday (April 29) to deal Grossmont North League contender
Grossmont a bitter defeat.
RBI singles by KIRSTEN MEDRUD and ROCHELLE
SANDBERG provided the winning
margin for Santana (16-6-1, 4-3),
The Foothillers (10-10, 4-4) took a 1-0
lead in the 1st inning when ASHLEY
LOVELADY singled and scored on an error.
Medrud limited the Foothillers to 3 hits
and no earned runs, while
Grossmont's ALEX SOBEL was a hard-luck loser allowing just 6 hits
and one
earned run.
EL CAPITAN 7, WEST HILLS 5 - A 6-run 4th inning served as a springboard for
host El Capitan, which handed the Wolf Pack its first Grossmont
North League
loss on Tuesday (April 29).
COURTNEY BELL survived a 10-hit assault
by the Wolf Pack (12-7-1, 6-1) to
post her 10th pitching win for the Vaqueros (13-6, 4-3).
Bell also rang up the key hit for El Capitan
with a bases-loaded triple to
cap the 6-run 4th inning uprising. AYLSSA UNDEN and ASHLEY MARX
also had RBI
hits for the Vaqueros.
MALLORY PALMER contributed a solo home run to the winning cause.
CASEY MYTINGER had two hits, including a
two-run double that gave West Hills
a 2-0 advantage in the 1st inning.
MOUNT MIGUEL 4, STEELE CANYON 3 - JADE SHIPP's RBI single in the 4th inning
broke a 2-2 tie and pointed the Matadors to the narrow Grossmont
South League
victory over the visiting Cougars on Tuesday (April 29).
Shipp's game-winning blow followed a walk
to KELLY ZOCH and a single by MEGAN
MITCHELL.
Mitchell and EBONY THORPE collected 2 hits apiece for Mount Miguel (8-5, 2-2).
After Steele Canyon took a 1-0 edge in the
top of the 1st inning, Thorpe
singled in AMANDA BEASLEY with the tying run in the bottom of
the frame.
STEPHANIE ROBBINS singled in Zoch with the
go-head run in the 2nd inning for
the Matadors.
Mount Miguel added what it thought to be
an insurance run on Mitchell's RBI
single in the 5th that gave the Matadors a 4-2 pad. It proved
to be the
winning margin.
AMY ANTOINE was 2-for-3 with an RBI for
Steele Canyon, which also received
RBI from RENEE WATKINS and EMILY CASTETTER.
SCRIPPS RANCH 4, CHRISTIAN 2 - The Patriots took an early 1-0 lead, but
couldn't hold it as the visiting Falcons scored all of their runs
in the 4th
inning to capture the Eastern League verdict on Tuesday (April
29).
LAUREN OLDENBURG was 3-for-3 with a double
and a run score for Christian
(9-9, 2-5).
ERIN RYAN, who was 2-for-3, slapped an RBI
single to give the Patriots a 1-0
edge in the 1st inning.
(04-29-03)