Dons Win Without Knocking on Wood

It wouldn’t be completely fair to say that Melanie Wood dominated South Gate High batters in Verdugo Hills’ 4-1 victory in the City Section 3-A Division final Tuesday at UCLA’s Easton Field.

The senior right-hander scattered eight hits and snuffed several potential game-breaking situations. The eight hits were seven more than her average, at least in Northern Conference games.

But then again, Wood responded the way a dominating pitcher would--she went right at the hitters and got them out.

The Rams (20-4) stranded 11 baserunners as Wood finished with 12 strikeouts, three with runners in scoring position, to help the top-seeded Dons (21-3) claim their second section title since 1993.

“She changed her speed really well,” Verdugo Hills Coach Dan Balkey said. “We knew they were going to be swinging so [we] had to find a way to take advantage.”

Faced with bases-loaded situations in the first and sixth innings, Wood was bailed out by impressive fielding from her teammates and came away without yielding a run.

In the first, Wood nailed Lena Jimenez at home plate on a comebacker, and shortstop Rian Standley made a nice play on a ground ball by Candice Esquivel to end the inning.

The only run off Wood (18-3) came in the third after Kristy Frye misjudged Susie Espinoza’s deep fly ball into a triple. Espinoza scored on a single by her sister, Patty.

Wood didn’t do so badly with the bat, either. Her two-run single in the fourth highlighted a three-run outburst that erased the 1-0 deficit.

Before the fourth, Verdugo Hills didn’t have a baserunner against freshman Esquivel (10-1).

Jodi Kent finally reached first on an error by first baseman Cathy Cerda. Verdugo Hills also took advantage of three errors in the inning.

“We were a little nervous at the start,” Kent said. “It took us a while to get relaxed and hitting the way we can.

Verdugo Hills, making its fourth consecutive title game appearance, added a run in the sixth on singles by Rhianna Slimak, Standley and Jeanise Smith.