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Prep suffers costly defeat
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| Flintridge Prep's Alina Khodadian tags Pasadena Poly's Lili Liu out at second on Wednsday.(ROGER WILSON/News-Press) |
Softball: Despite loss, Rebels can still salvage a co-title with a victory today over Pasadena Poly.
By Grant Gordon
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — It was hardly the performance Flintridge Prep’s softball team was looking for, and hardly the result it had been striving for all season long.
The Rebels relinquished eight unearned runs and ran into four outs on the basepaths en route to a 10-2 Prep League home loss against archrival Pasadena on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon.
“It was a combination today,” said Rebels Coach Julie Jaime, whose team committed seven errors. “There were a couple key moments in the game where it could’ve gone either way. Unfortunately, it went their way and they took advantage.”
With the victory, not only did the Panthers (12-9, 9-2 in league) spoil senior day for the Rebels (11-6, 8-3), but they clinched a share of their 25th league title in 26 seasons after a second-place finish a year ago.
Prep can still notch a share of the title with a win in today’s 3:30 p.m. contest at Poly.
“I think we played a little on our heels day, when we should’ve been on our toes,” Jaime said. “I think [today], if we come out more relaxed, we’ll do a lot better.”
Jaime said Lydia Kay, who took the loss on Wednesday, will start today, as well. To say Wednesday was a bad day for Kay would be an understatement.
To say the junior pitcher didn’t showcase unlimited character and fortitude would be an even bigger understatement.
“She’s so tough,” said Jaime of Kay, who tossed six innings, allowing seven runs, of which only two were earned, while allowing 11 hits and striking out seven. “She hung through it. She’s our workhorse, we’re going back to her [today].”
Any question of whether Kay would be back wasn’t because of performance, but rather the two line drives that hit her during the game. Kay, who went two for three at the plate, showed plenty of resolve throughout, despite her defense letting her down on numerous occasions.
Left fielder Caitlyn French, however, came up huge defensively in two instances. In the top of the first, her relay on a Jordan Richard-Craven double held the lead runner at third, enabling Kay to shut down the threat with a strikeout. French also crashed through the outfield fence to rob a home run in the fifth.
Two Prep errors led to a 2-0 Poly lead in the second, while another unearned run upped the advantage to 3-0 in the third.
In the bottom of the third, consecutive two-out singles by Emma Vine, Kay and Kate Beck pushed Vine across for a 3-1 score. But on the play, Flintridge Prep ran into an out at third. It was the first of four outs on the bases for the Rebels. On top of that, the Rebels stranded six runners, as well.
“They did hit the ball,” Poly Coach Jeff Taylor said.
Vine was two for four with a run batted in and a run scored and Beck also had two hits with an RBI and a stolen base, as Prep pounded out 10 hits.
Poly blew the game open with a three-run fifth, scoring its only two earned runs. The inning prior, Kay took a line drive off her inner thigh. After taking a few warm-up tosses, she remained in the game.
She’d do the same in the sixth. This time, though, her grit was even more unbelievable, as a line drive nailed her in the right knee, landing in left field for a single.
Kay did her best to fight off tears, as she pulled her collar up to her face and tried to walk off the pain before once again returning to action.
Poly would score four runs in the inning, three coming after Jaime took Kay out after Prep’s final error.
Prep scored its second run in the fifth, when Alina Khodadian singled and then scored on a Vine double.
The Rebels relinquished eight unearned runs and ran into four outs on the basepaths en route to a 10-2 Prep League home loss against archrival Pasadena on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon.
“It was a combination today,” said Rebels Coach Julie Jaime, whose team committed seven errors. “There were a couple key moments in the game where it could’ve gone either way. Unfortunately, it went their way and they took advantage.”
With the victory, not only did the Panthers (12-9, 9-2 in league) spoil senior day for the Rebels (11-6, 8-3), but they clinched a share of their 25th league title in 26 seasons after a second-place finish a year ago.
Prep can still notch a share of the title with a win in today’s 3:30 p.m. contest at Poly.
“I think we played a little on our heels day, when we should’ve been on our toes,” Jaime said. “I think [today], if we come out more relaxed, we’ll do a lot better.”
Jaime said Lydia Kay, who took the loss on Wednesday, will start today, as well. To say Wednesday was a bad day for Kay would be an understatement.
To say the junior pitcher didn’t showcase unlimited character and fortitude would be an even bigger understatement.
“She’s so tough,” said Jaime of Kay, who tossed six innings, allowing seven runs, of which only two were earned, while allowing 11 hits and striking out seven. “She hung through it. She’s our workhorse, we’re going back to her [today].”
Any question of whether Kay would be back wasn’t because of performance, but rather the two line drives that hit her during the game. Kay, who went two for three at the plate, showed plenty of resolve throughout, despite her defense letting her down on numerous occasions.
Left fielder Caitlyn French, however, came up huge defensively in two instances. In the top of the first, her relay on a Jordan Richard-Craven double held the lead runner at third, enabling Kay to shut down the threat with a strikeout. French also crashed through the outfield fence to rob a home run in the fifth.
Two Prep errors led to a 2-0 Poly lead in the second, while another unearned run upped the advantage to 3-0 in the third.
In the bottom of the third, consecutive two-out singles by Emma Vine, Kay and Kate Beck pushed Vine across for a 3-1 score. But on the play, Flintridge Prep ran into an out at third. It was the first of four outs on the bases for the Rebels. On top of that, the Rebels stranded six runners, as well.
“They did hit the ball,” Poly Coach Jeff Taylor said.
Vine was two for four with a run batted in and a run scored and Beck also had two hits with an RBI and a stolen base, as Prep pounded out 10 hits.
Poly blew the game open with a three-run fifth, scoring its only two earned runs. The inning prior, Kay took a line drive off her inner thigh. After taking a few warm-up tosses, she remained in the game.
She’d do the same in the sixth. This time, though, her grit was even more unbelievable, as a line drive nailed her in the right knee, landing in left field for a single.
Kay did her best to fight off tears, as she pulled her collar up to her face and tried to walk off the pain before once again returning to action.
Poly would score four runs in the inning, three coming after Jaime took Kay out after Prep’s final error.
Prep scored its second run in the fifth, when Alina Khodadian singled and then scored on a Vine double.
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