Softball: Sailors upset bid falls short
The Newport Harbor High softball team did more than just push heavily favored Garden Grove Santiago on Saturday in the championship game of the Costa Mesa tournament.
The Sailors scored three in the top of the first inning and led for the majority of the game at TeWinkle Park. They seemed poised to earn the big upset.
But just when they needed it, the undefeated Cavaliers got a big inning.
They scored four in the bottom of the sixth and rallied for a 9-7 victory, denying Newport Harbor the tournament title.
Still, the Sailors had to feel good about their tournament, even though they lost both of their games Saturday. They also fell to Crean Lutheran, 3-2 in nine innings, in the earlier game. But it was Newport Harbor, not Crean Lutheran, which made the title game based on allowing fewer runs to that point in the tournament.
Newport Harbor (4-9) led Santiago, 7-3, at one point of the championship game. It was nothing like the first time the teams played, when Santiago routed the Sailors, 19-0, in a nonleague game March 16 at Newport Harbor.
“Nobody thought we were going to be in that game, except I thought we would,” Coach Tony Qualin said. “Our girls are playing really well right now. Our pitcher, Sammy [del Toro], was having big trouble [against Santiago in the teams’ first meeting] and we had to pitch our freshman at Newport Harbor. Here, we pitched our No. 1, and that makes all the difference, even though she just pitched nine innings in the first game [against Crean Lutheran]. It was amazing for her to put that performance out.”
The Sailors jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Kendall Machado legged out a double to left, before Leah Freeman reached on an infield throwing error. Del Toro then reached on another error, a slow roller that went between the legs of the shortstop, allowing Machado to score. Skialer Carter then laid down a nice bunt, but the catcher threw high to first, allowing two more runs to score.
Santiago (14-0), the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 6, uncharacteristically made six errors in the game. Newport Harbor took advantage, scoring the most runs the Cavaliers had allowed all season.
Even after Santiago rallied to tie the score 3-3, Newport Harbor broke through for four more runs in the fourth inning. Diana Surber, Carter, catcher Lesly De La Rosa and Kaitlyn Graham all scored.
“If that team was in the Sunset League, they’d probably take second,” Qualin said. “They’re a really good team. Too good of a team for the league they’re in. Too good of a team for this tournament, really. But we almost knocked them off. You could tell, there was desperation on their faces. They’re not used to being behind.”
The Sailors, playing with no substitutes, still led 7-5 into the bottom of the sixth before Santiago rallied. Madison Lorton, Topanga Gonzalez and Odalys Flores had three straight singles to start the inning, plating a run, before Katherine Sua followed with a bunt single to load the bases.
Del Toro struck out the next batter, but Santiago senior Aurora Adams followed with a sharply hit single to center that was bobbled. It cleared the bases, giving the Cavaliers a 9-7 advantage.
Adams, who was four for four in the title game including a double and a triple, came into Saturday’s action batting .756.
“It was just a little unlucky,” said Surber, one of three Newport team captains along with fellow seniors Carter and Machado. “They had runners in scoring position and we let runs score, and we got down on ourselves. We just lost some energy, which really affects us, and we couldn’t get ourselves back together.”
Newport Harbor tried to rally in the top of the seventh, when Machado led off with an infield single, a feat Del Toro also achieved one out later. Carter lined out to center, but Claire Austin reached on a fielder’s choice, as the Cavaliers just failed to get a force out at second base.
With the bases loaded and two outs, however, Santiago freshman pitcher Renamarie Rocha induced a groundout. She flipped the ball to first base, and the Cavaliers had the tournament title.
Newport Harbor could still hold its head high. The Sailors also held the tournament second-place trophy in the outfield, posing for pictures.
“I feel like everyone was expecting them to win, and no one really expected us to do this well,” Surber said. “But we definitely stepped it up. This is how we play. We haven’t played this well, but I think because we’re such a new team, we’re finally getting the hang of it. We’re finally pulling it all together and playing at our best.”
In other tournament action Saturday, Los Amigos (6-8) finished fourth. The Lobos lost to Crean Lutheran, 6-3, in the tournament third-place game after outlasting Laguna Beach, 7-6, earlier Saturday.
Corona del Mar ended the tournament with a win after beating Costa Mesa, 5-2. Mallory McCrane pitched the whole way for the Sea Kings and had a run-scoring triple. CdM Coach Jordann Wakabayashi also highlighted the play of senior catcher Lauren Oberreiter.
“Our defense as a collective played really well, but Lauren Oberreiter has just been a wall for us back there all season,” Wakabayashi said. “She and I call pitches, and she is able to relay to me what is working and what is not, pitch by pitch. She has really been an integral part of this team.”
CdM (7-6) has now equaled its win total from the previous two seasons combined.
“They are in it to win it this season,” Wakabayashi said. “They come every day wanting to win, knowing they can keep up with a lot of these teams this year. There’s a big confidence boost that wasn’t there last year ... they have come to realize that this is the year they start to turn this program around.”
In the earlier game Saturday, CdM lost to Santiago, 9-2. Oberreiter and Brooke Franson had doubles, and Sophia Rhee had a triple.
Costa Mesa (4-8) opened play Saturday with a 21-1 win over Century. Haley Sheffner pitched the complete game and Brenna Alvis had a grand slam.
The Sea Kings will have a rematch with the Mustangs when they play a nonleague game at Mesa on Tuesday.
Twitter: @mjszabo
