High School Softball / Playoffs : La Canada Falls Into Hole Early

The umpire’s cry of “play ball” had barely finished echoing at La Canada High, but the Spartans’ softball season was pretty much over.

El Segundo’s first three batters reached base and scored before the game was five minutes old and the Eagles went on to rout La Canada, 6-1, in a Southern Section Division IV quarterfinal on Thursday.

El Segundo’s Erin Murphy walked to lead off the game and Tiffany Rivituso reached on an error by first baseman Stephanie Tenerelli to put runners at second and third. The Eagles (26-4) followed with a two-run triple by Angeline Hawley and a sacrifice fly by Shiloh Talanoa, spelling doom for La Canada (15-9).

“It’s hard to get out of a hole like that,” La Canada Coach Bart Dickins said. “We made a couple of mistakes and we couldn’t recover. That’s what happens against an aggressive team like them.”

Murphy scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and the Eagles extended the lead to 6-1 with a two-out rally in the seventh that was capped by Dena Wise’s two-run double.

Dickins and his Rio Hondo League championship team were not overly disappointed after the loss.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to win league, let alone get this far in the playoffs,” said Dickins, in his first season at La Canada. “We surprised a lot of people and I’m pleased with where the program is going. I don’t think we’re going to sneak up on anybody next year.”

The Spartans had a couple of chances to get back in the game, but failed to get clutch hits. They left four runners on base, three in scoring position.

Kara Campbell, who walked and went to second on an errant pickoff throw by Eagle catcher Ketti Yasia, scored on Sunny Park’s single for La Canada’s run.

Ty Peterson had a two-out triple in the sixth for the only other Spartan highlight.

El Segundo Coach Keith Cameron, a La Canada High graduate and former coach of the Spartans, said it was strange to return to his alma mater.

“It’s a little surreal coming back here,” he said. “But if I had my druthers I would rather play La Canada than anyone else because no matter who wins, I have a team going to the [semifinals].”