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Rebels stave off late rally
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| Flintridge Prep #21, Kelsey Merchant, dives safely back to third base as Rio Hondo Prop #20, Cyndi Smith, tries for the tag on Tuesday. (Roger Wilson/News-Press) |
Softball: Flintridge Prep makes early lead hold up to remain perfect in Prep League play.
By Grant Gordon
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Everything went well at the start of Tuesday afternoon’s Prep League tilt for host Flintridge Prep, but matters got a bit dicey at the end.
Nevertheless, the Rebels held on to remain undefeated in league play, fending off Rio Hondo Prep, 7-6.
“Luckily we’d given ourselves enough of a head start,” said Rebels Coach Julie Jaime, whose team led 4-0 after the first inning and 7-2 heading into the sixth. “We continue to find ways to win.”
The Rebels, in search of their first playoff berth since 2005, improved to 9-3 overall, but, more importantly, 5-0 in league with the season sweep of Rio Hondo (4-9, 1-5 in league).
“I’m ecstatic,” said Jaime of her team’s league success. “We have a lot of confidence going for us.”
And a lot of players contributing. Six Rebels combined for the team’s eight hits, while seven scored runs.
“That’s been huge,” said Rebels pitcher Lydia Kay. “It’s so relieving to know that even though the bottom of the lineup is going up ... something will happen.”
The first was Alina Khodadian, who went two for two with two walks. Khodadian walked to lead off the game before scoring on a single by Kate Beck to make it 1-0.
Beck and Kari Van Horn, who reached on an error, scored on a Kay single and a subsequent error. Natalie Weinstein, Kay’s courtesy runner, made it 4-0 on Rio Hondo’s third error of the game.
In all, the Kares committed five of the game’s nine errors.
Rio Hondo cut the Rebels’ lead in half in the third inning after two Flintridge Prep errors.
All six of the Kares’ runs were unearned.
Kay, who also had two walks to go with her run-scoring single, got the win in the circle, but struggled at times, allowing nine hits, while striking out nine.
Alina Okamoto tripled in the bottom of the third before scoring on an errant throw to third to make it 5-2.
An Okamoto groundout in the fifth scored Shannon Adelman just before Kelsey Merchant’s single to center plated Kaitlin French for a 7-2 lead.
With the game seemingly out of reach, Rio Hondo fired back.
“I think we just started to take it for granted,” Kay said. “It fell apart for a little bit. It was one scary inning.”
Kay hit the first batter of the inning. Another Kare reached base on a one-out error before an infield single made the score 7-3. With two outs, Kay allowed a triple, then a single, then walked a batter before hitting one more.
Eventually she induced a comebacker to leave the bases loaded. In all, Kay stranded 10 runners.
“It definitely is frustrating,” said Kay of the errors. “But mistakes happen, I made mistakes too.”
Kay stranded one final runner in the seventh to bring the Rebels their fourth straight victory.
Next up, Flintridge Prep faces Mayfield on Thursday, but two bouts with archrival Pasadena Poly, which is also undefeated in league, remain, as well.
“The girls’ confidence is up,” Jaime said. “We’ve found fight.”
Nevertheless, the Rebels held on to remain undefeated in league play, fending off Rio Hondo Prep, 7-6.
“Luckily we’d given ourselves enough of a head start,” said Rebels Coach Julie Jaime, whose team led 4-0 after the first inning and 7-2 heading into the sixth. “We continue to find ways to win.”
The Rebels, in search of their first playoff berth since 2005, improved to 9-3 overall, but, more importantly, 5-0 in league with the season sweep of Rio Hondo (4-9, 1-5 in league).
“I’m ecstatic,” said Jaime of her team’s league success. “We have a lot of confidence going for us.”
And a lot of players contributing. Six Rebels combined for the team’s eight hits, while seven scored runs.
“That’s been huge,” said Rebels pitcher Lydia Kay. “It’s so relieving to know that even though the bottom of the lineup is going up ... something will happen.”
The first was Alina Khodadian, who went two for two with two walks. Khodadian walked to lead off the game before scoring on a single by Kate Beck to make it 1-0.
Beck and Kari Van Horn, who reached on an error, scored on a Kay single and a subsequent error. Natalie Weinstein, Kay’s courtesy runner, made it 4-0 on Rio Hondo’s third error of the game.
In all, the Kares committed five of the game’s nine errors.
Rio Hondo cut the Rebels’ lead in half in the third inning after two Flintridge Prep errors.
All six of the Kares’ runs were unearned.
Kay, who also had two walks to go with her run-scoring single, got the win in the circle, but struggled at times, allowing nine hits, while striking out nine.
Alina Okamoto tripled in the bottom of the third before scoring on an errant throw to third to make it 5-2.
An Okamoto groundout in the fifth scored Shannon Adelman just before Kelsey Merchant’s single to center plated Kaitlin French for a 7-2 lead.
With the game seemingly out of reach, Rio Hondo fired back.
“I think we just started to take it for granted,” Kay said. “It fell apart for a little bit. It was one scary inning.”
Kay hit the first batter of the inning. Another Kare reached base on a one-out error before an infield single made the score 7-3. With two outs, Kay allowed a triple, then a single, then walked a batter before hitting one more.
Eventually she induced a comebacker to leave the bases loaded. In all, Kay stranded 10 runners.
“It definitely is frustrating,” said Kay of the errors. “But mistakes happen, I made mistakes too.”
Kay stranded one final runner in the seventh to bring the Rebels their fourth straight victory.
Next up, Flintridge Prep faces Mayfield on Thursday, but two bouts with archrival Pasadena Poly, which is also undefeated in league, remain, as well.
“The girls’ confidence is up,” Jaime said. “We’ve found fight.”
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