Softball finds happy gaps between storms

By Adam Paul
Updated: February 23, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

ESCONDIDO (2-22-22) – On a day when it rained throughout the entire county, there was some doubt as to whether or not games would be called due to weather. But luckily the weather held up long enough to a point where some of the games could be played.

Patrick Henry 3, Torrey Pines 1 (5 inn.)

In one of the early games of the day, the Patrick Henry Patriots would down the Torrey Pines Falcons to earn their first win of the season. Coming off a game the previous evening in which they could not hold onto a two-run lead to Rancho Buena Vista the Patriots this time made sure that wouldn’t happen again.

Emily Hanna picked up the win for the Patriots as she went 5 innings in which she only allowed a run on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3 on the day to earn her first-ever varsity victory.

Helping Hanna garner the victory was the offense as the bats collected 9 hits on the day including a pair by senior Malia Savage (2-3, R, RBI) who also drove in a run, sophomore Leila Ludwig (2-2, R) matched Savages’ output with a pair of her own hits including a run scored.

Also contributing for the Patriots were Chloe Wilson (1-1), Jenel Mallari (1-3), Maura Evans (1-1, RBI), McKenna Geiger (1-3), and Savannah Sutton (1-2) who all had a hit in the contest.

Scoring one of the other runs in the contest for the Patriots was Brooke Taylor while Josie Alvarado drove in a run.

Torrey Pines would score their lone run of the contest in the bottom of the fourth inning.

With the win, the Patriots improve to 1-1-1 and will next face Ramona in a 7 p.m. contest on Friday night at Kit Carson.

Granite Hills 9, Clairemont 0 (4 inn.)

The Eagles scored in a variety of ways in their win over the Chieftains on Tuesday evening to pick up the win in what was their season opener.

Granite Hills would take an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Kailey Sandoval (1-2, 2 R, SB) took off and stole home which was followed by Taylor Rose (2-3, RBI, 3 R, 2 SB) racing home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

The Eagles would extend their lead even further in the bottom of the second inning starting with a leadoff solo home run by Jenna Haynal (1-2, RBI, R, HR) over the center-field fence, the next three batters Kayla Fox (2-2, R), Kamryn Flath (1-2) and Sandoval all singled to load the bases.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Rose would hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Fox to score, later in the inning Sofia Mujica (1-1, R, 2 RBI) came to the plate and roped a two-run single that brought both Sandoval and Rose home which made it 6-0.

A couple of innings later in the bottom of the fourth the Eagles added more when Rose scored on a passed ball, Audrey Smale (R, 2 SB) scored on a wild pitch and Mujica scored on a sacrifice fly by Chloe Knepp (RBI).

Knepp picked up the win in the circle as she fanned 6 while only surrendering 1 hit in her 4 innings of work.

Valhalla 16, Oceanside 12 (3 inn.)

You would think sixteen runs scored over the first couple of innings would be enough to pull out a comfortable win but not on Tuesday as the Oceanside Pirates tried their darndest to make a ferocious comeback as they scored nine runs in the bottom of the third inning before the game was stopped.

For Valhalla, Marissa Lupo started the scoring in the top of the first inning as she roped an RBI triple that allowed Maryn Jordan to come into score, Lupo would come into score on a wild pitch, later in the inning with two outs Alaya Chapa knocked in both Lily Moscoso and Avery Voth, Jordan would come back up to bat and this time drive in both Nayeli Chapa and Alaya Chapa with a double to left field to make it 6-0.

Later in the inning, McKayla Fish would drive in both Lupo and Cadyn Ruffer, and the Norsemen rounded out their scoring when Voth drove in Lily Moscoso.

Oceanside would answer with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning to make it 11-3.

However, Valhalla answered right back as Bella Moscoso drove in Brooke Tucci which was followed by a two-run double by Jordan to make it 13-3. A couple of batters later with two outs Ruffer would add another run and Voth followed that up with a two-run single scoring both Jordan and Taylor Mack.

But the run-scoring party wasn’t over as the Pirates in the bottom of the third inning would have multiple hits and take advantage of multiple walks and an error to push across nine runs to pull within 16-12 before the game was halted.