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Locals prove not in playoff rush

2019 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

East County Sports staff report

SAN MARCOS (5-17-2019) – Except for one notable
achievement, it was a very long day for East County
softball programs in the official first round of the
CIF San Diego Section championships.

Every local ballclub lost — several by significant
margins — and are all headed to the challengers
bracket, each needing to sweep the rest of their
games or be finished for the season.

There was one minor exception: Santana saw its
Division I contest at Scripps Ranch postponed because
of wet grounds.

The significant highlight saw Steele Canyon
catcher Audrey Bagge establish a Cougars single-
season record with her 11th home run of the season.

However, Bagge’s 2-run shot was the team’s lone hit
on the afternoon in a 6-2 pasting from host San
Marcos.
DIVISION I
SAN MARCOS 6, STEELE CANYON 2: At San Marcos, Knights
senior pitcher Samantha Turner yielded just one hit
over her six innings, then Rachel Baer pitched a 1-2
-3 seventh in a victory over the Cougars.

Bagge took over the East County lead in home runs
with her school-record 11th blast. Her shot to center
field in the fourth also scored shortstop Jessica
“J.J.” Venzor.

However, San Marcos junior Maddie Helms earlier
homered to give the Knights a 3-0 lead. For Helms,
her 2-run shot to left field in the third was her
eighth long-ball of the season.

Two batters later, Knights senior Mia Cunnings also
slugged a 2-run homer to center field, as the 4-run
frame expanded the lead to 5-0.

San Marcos (15-11), the second-seed, will host
Cathedral Catholic in the second round.

Meanwhile, it will be an all-GHL pairing for Steele
Canyon (14-15), going to third-seeded Grossmont for
an elimination contest,

CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 12, GROSSMONT 3: At El Cajon, the
sixth-seeded Lady Dons mounted an early 7-0 cushion
to rout the Foothillers in a CIF Division I first-
round contest Thursday (May 16).

Grossmont’s Kati Contreras, the GHL batting champion
this season, answered with a solo home run in the
third. However, Cathedral would expand the margin to
12-1 by the seventh.

For the Foothillers, the loss was their biggest ever
in CIF playoff competition, breaking a mark first established
more than 40 years ago.

When softball was still a winter sport, Mount Miguel
shutout the Hillers, 5-0, in the 1977-78 campaign.
The Matadors again won by the same score in 2004, as
did Mt. Carmel in 2005.

The Lady Dons mounted an early lead behind three RBI
by sophomore shortstop Sophia Manos.

The team also received a home run by senior Sara
Rusconi, a 2-run shot to left in the third. The
catcher was joined by teammates Marisa Estrada and
Angelina Hicks with two RBI each.

For Grossmont, Contreras batted 2-for-4, while five
others garnered one hit reach.

Cathedral Catholic (12-14) next meets defending CIF
titlist San Marcos in a re-match of last season’s
championship contest.

Grossmont (19-12) will seek to sweep Steele Canyon in
Friday’s elimination contest. The first two meetings
were close, with the Hillers winning at home, 6-5,
then going eight innings before taking a 12-4
decision on the road in the regular-season finale.

DIVISION II
LA COSTA CANYON 11, PATRICK HENRY 1: At West Hills
High in Santee, the Mavericks bounced
the underclassmen-dominated Patriots in a CIF
Division II contest, which was moved after the new
field at Patrick Henry High was never completed this
season.

Despite a heavy wind blowing in from Mission Trails
Regional Park, La Costa Canyon drilled the ball all
over the ballpark, mounting an 8-9 cushion through
four innings.

Leading the way was senior catcher Desiree Dufek, who
fell a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Deufek
drove in four runs, including three on her rocket over
the center field fence in the seventh.

For the Mavericks, shortstop Kaitlyn Farley batted 2-
for-4 with a triple, scoring two runs, while Angelina
Russo also doubled.

In the circle, Russo spun a 4-hitter with seven
strikeouts.

The lone Patriots run came in the fifth.

No. 9 hitter Sydney Newton, a sophomore outfielder,
worked a one-out walk, moving to third base on a
double to right by Kaiah Altmeyer. Jessics DeWitt
followed with a grounder to Russo, but by the time
she fielded the ball and fired home, Newton hustled
down the line to score.

La Costa Canyon (13-12 overall) will host San Pasqual
in the second round. The ballclibs met in the first
two games of the season, but the Golden Eagles took
victories of 13-1 and 7-4.

Patrick Henry (16-7) will meet El Capitan in an
elimination game, It will be the first meeting
between these relatively nearby schools this century.
SAN PASQUAL 5, EL CAPITAN 2: At Lakeside, the Golden
Eagles avenged a loss by grabbing a
road triumph in the first round of the CIF Division
II championship.

Six weeks ago, San Pasqual was handed a 14-4 defeat
from the Vaqueros in the championship game of Valley
Center’s annual Jaguar Classic.

Unlike that meeting, this time it was the Golden
Eagles which jumped to a quick start by posting three
runs in their initial trip to the plate. The rally
was capped by a two-run homer by Annie Villalobos,
who sent the ball deep to left field despite a heavy
wind blowing from the west.

Trailing 5-0, however, El Capitan made a game of it
with a pair of late rallies.

In the sixth, Brooke Horn led off with a
single. She moved around on a sacrifice bunt by
Madison Rosalis, then consecutive singles by Bailey
Olaveson and Alexa Williams (RBI) to end the shutout
bid by San Pasqual pitcher Raquel Moore.

El Cap left fielder Allyson VonYokes followed with
another run-scoring single, trimming the deficit to
5-2.

In the seventh, Hannah Davis also reached on a lead
single. Then with two outs, Madison Rosalis was hit
by a pitch.

Pinch-hitter Katie Collier followed with an RBI
single, leaving both of the potential game-tying
runners on base and the potential game-winning run at
the plate with Olaveson and Williams — the No. 3 and
4 hitters with two hits each — due up next for the
Vaqueros.

However, one of the
runners were caught attempting to take an extra base,
as San Pasqual left fielder Kylee Sweet fired the
ball to shortstop Olivia Burroughs for the final out.

For San Pasqual, Moore collected the win despite
allowing eight hits. With the bat, she led the Golden
Eagles offense with three hits, while Villalobos
knocked in the other two.

San Pasqual (22-10 overall) will tangle with La Costa
Canyon in the next round. El Capitan (21-7) gets
top-seeded Patrick Henry in a knock-out game.

In the other half of the D-2 bracket, No. 2 seed
Brawley blanked Del Norte, 6-0, while El Centro-
Southwest shocked No. 3 seed Mission Hills, 9-1.

DIVISION IV
CANYON CREST 14, MONTE VISTA 3: At Carmel Heights, by
the time fans took their seats,
Monte Vista was already facing a 6-0 deficit, which
expanded to 10-1 through two innings in a run-rule
shortened contest.

First baseman Camille Davis drove in four runs, while
third baseman Sydney Ang registered three hits for
Canyon Crest. Both are sophomores.

Monte Vista pitcher Abigail Johnston slugged her
second home run of the season. However in the circle,
she was tagged for 10 runs, but only one was earned
as the Monarchs suffered on defense with 10 errors.

In the third, Monte Vista showed some life when Ionna
Upham tole home. Moments later during the same at-bat,
Johnston homered to trim the deficit to 10-3.
Johnston batted 2-for-2 plus a walk.

It was the second-highest scoring CIF playoff game in
Monarchs history. The record came in 2010, when
Cathedral Catholic took a football-like 14-7
decision.

Canyon Crest (13-11 overall), the No. 2 seed, will
host Mission Vista in the second round.

Monte Vista (16-11) will gain a home game in the
elimination round, entertaining nearby Morse. The
11th-seeded Tigers fell to Mission Vista, 2-1.

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