Cougars find some consolation after close defeats
A pair of one-run losses Thursday could have derailed Coronado’s weekend. Instead, the Cougars used it as motivation for a strong second day Friday in the Spring Jamboree at Majestic Park.
After routing Bell (Calif.) 11-2 in pool play, Coronado used a four-run first inning to springboard to a 10-1 softball win over South Florence (S.C.) in the quarterfinals of consolation bracket play.
“Today was the day,” Cougars coach Melissa Krueger said. “I preach to them win the week, win the day. Today we won the day.”
Coronado lost tight games to Chaminade (Calif.) and Beckman (Calif.) on Thursday, but scored nine runs in the final three innings of the win over Bell and carried that momentum into the game against South Florence.
Haley Harrison singled, stole second, took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch to give the Cougars the lead for good. After Danielle Amato’s double, Alex Battest’s RBI single and Nicole Hardy’s two-run double made it 4-0.
“The bottom of the order stepped up,” Krueger said. “We need offense, and we need defense. In the beginning (of the season) we were giving up runs early, but to get the lead early is important.”
Amato and the defense took care of the rest. She allowed five hits and struck out three, taking a shutout into the seventh.
Amato is rounding into form after offseason surgery on her pitching shoulder.
“She’s kind of limited innings-wise, and she’s not 100 percent, but she’s getting back there,” Krueger said.
Hardy and Emily Hendrix each were 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Haley Harrison and Basia Query each were 2-for-4 for Coronado, which advanced to the Class 4A state final last year.
“I’m looking at next week and league play, and putting us in a position to be back where we were last year,” Krueger said. “We expect to be back there.”
Coronado 11, Bell (Calif.) 2 — Emily Hendrix was 3-for-3 with three RBIs as the Cougars rolled past Bell in six innings.
Kendell Sauter was 2-for-3 with three RBIs for Coronado, which got home runs from Amato and Basia Query.
Palo Verde 8, Port of Los Angeles 6 — Breanna Beatty belted a two-run home run in the top of the sixth to lift the Panthers by the Bears.
The Bears were attempting to intentionally walk Beatty with the go-ahead run at third and two outs, but left a pitch near the plate, and Beatty drilled it over the right-center field fence.
Beatty was 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBI, and Brooke Stover went 1-for-3 with two RBIs for Palo Verde.
Palo Verde 15, Garfield (Calif.) 0 — Dejanae Gage was 3-for-3 with an RBI as the Panthers routed the Bulldogs in five innings.
Beatty was 2-for-2 with two doubles and an RBI, and Stover went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for Palo Verde.
El Camino Real (Calif.) 12, Palo Verde 3 — The Conquistadors scored four runs in the third inning and used a 23-hit attack to top the Panthers.
Rachel Williams went 2-for-3, and Beatty homered for Palo Verde.
Dayne DeBlasi was 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs for El Camino Real.
Beckman (Calif.) 7, Centennial 0 — Beckman erupted for six runs in the fifth inning to beat the Bulldogs in six innings.
Heather Bowen was 1-for-3 with a double for Centennial.
Centennial 13, San Fernando (Calif.) 0 — Savannah Horvath homered in her first two at bats and finished 4-for-4 with a double and seven RBIs in the Bulldogs’ five-inning rout of the Tigers.
Ashley Ross, Mia Acuna and Taylor Huntly all went 2-for-3 for Centennial, which got a four-hit shutout from Kate Rauskin.
Rancho 3, Mingus (Ariz.) 2 — Aly Lamboo spun a six-inning six-hitter with 12 strikeouts as the Rams nipped Mingus.
Lamboo went 2-for-3 for Rancho, which had just three hits.
Chaminade (Calif.) 8, Rancho 7 — Chaminade scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to outlast the Rams.
Jacey Kelley was 2-for-4 with a double for Rancho.
Valley 12, Long Beach Jordan (Calif.) 4 — Kristina Manthei tossed a six-inning no-hitter, and the Vikings scored nine runs in the sixth inning to top Jordan.
Taylor Trotta had two hits during the nine-run inning and scored twice for Valley.
Cheyenne 16, Valley 11 — Vanessa Sanders was 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs as the Desert Shields outslugged the Vikings in six innings.
Brittany Leeds was 4-for-4 with a double, four runs and four RBIs for Cheyenne.
Shannon Williams was 2-for-3 with an RBI for Valley.
Bonanza 12, Harbor Teacher Prep (Calif.) 7 — Raquell Hoyes went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles as the Bengals picked up a win over Harbor Teacher.
Erin Bettis was 3-for-5 for Harbor Teacher.
San Benito (Calif.) 8, Bonanza 3 — Elizabeth Burley was 3-for-3 as San Benito took an 8-0 lead after three innings and held on to top the Bengals in five innings.
Tori Lind was 3-for-3 for Bonanza.
San Fernando (Calif.) 7, Cheyenne 3 — The Tigers used a four-run fifth inning to break open a close game and top the Desert Shields in six innings.
Sanders was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI for Cheyenne, which trailed 3-2 entering the the fifth.
Fernley 7, Durango 5 — The Vaqueros scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to beat the Trailblazers.
Dallas Boyce’s two-out grand slam in the bottom of the seventh tied the game for Durango. Boyce was 3-for-4.
Durango 3, Pleasant Grove (Utah) 3 — Brooke Alves went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and the Trailblazers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie Pleasant Grove.
Chaminade (Calif.) 3, Pahrump Valley 0 — Tayor White was 2-for-2 with a home run and scored all three runs in the Eagles’ six-inning win over the Trojans.
Whitney Roderick tossed a seven-hitter for Pahrump.
Green Valley 10, Apollo (Ariz.) 2 — Chelsea Perez and Fenixx Henderson each went 3-for-3, and Jinger Meiur was 3-for-4 with a double to lead the Gators to the five-inning win.
Megan Barrera doubled twice for Green Valley.
Green Valley 14, River Valley (Ariz.) 2 — Maggie Manwarren was 4-for-5 as the Gators earned the six-inning win.
Perez went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, and Autumn Owens homered for Green Valley.
