D-3: Moody sets HR mark, Calexico wins

By Adam Paul
Updated: May 22, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

CALEXICO – Christian High’s Allyson Moody established a school record for home runs, but late runs by the Calexico Bulldogs secured their rally to doom the visiting Patriots, 8-5, on Saturday in second-round action of Division 3 CIFSDS playoff championship.

A pair of solo home runs by the Bulldogs in the bottom of the third inning would stake them to a 2-0 lead.

However, the momentum would shift to the Patriots in the top of the fourth inning starting with a one-out solo home run by Moody for her 11th of the season, snapping the school’s single-season record.

The following batter Rachel Stephens would double to center field and later come around to score when Ashley Wood belted her first home run of the season over the left-field fence. Both Stephens and Chloe Hessom who came in as a courtesy runner would score.

Thanks to a pair of longballs the Patriots now led 4-2.

Calexico wasn’t done though and would scratch a run back in the bottom of the fourth on a ground out to pull within 4-3. The Patriots though would answer with a run in the top of the fifth inning when Lucy Sherburne drove in Stephens to make it 5-3.

Unfortunately, a pair of errors by the Patriots followed by a base hit and a sacrifice fly would allow the Bulldogs to tie the game 5-5. They would add another run on another error which allowed them to take the lead 6-5.

Singles by Wood and Tyler Krystek in the top of the sixth inning unfortunately wouldn’t lead to anything for the Patriots as the Bulldogs would get out of the inning.

Calexico would add to their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as they scored a pair of runs to lead 8-5.

Despite back-to-back two-out singles by Sherburne and Kaitlyn Moody the Patriot’s rally would be cut short as the Bulldogs would retire the next batter to end the game.

Moody would take the loss for the Patriots as she allowed eight runs on five hits over six innings of work, she would also walk four and strike out four on the day.

Christian will now travel on Tuesday to take on Westview who defeated Imperial 10-7.

Moody’s homer eclipsed the single-season record of 10, set by Mary Grabowski, the 2011 East County Player f the Year as a junior, who set the mark as a senior in 2012. The mark was later equaled by Anna Sherburne (10) during the Patriots’ CIFSDS D-IV championship season in 2016.

In The Mood

Christian High single-season home run leaders

HRs	Player	Year
11	Allyson Moody	2022
10	Anna Sherburne	2016
10	Mary Grabowski	2012
8	Jessie Owens	2004

Coronado 5, West Hills 2
SANTEE – The pitching was strong for the Coronado Islanders as they limited the host and second-seeded West Hills Wolf Pack to only three hits in the victory in a challengers bracket elimination game on Saturday.

The Wolf Pack had an opportunity to strike in the bottom of the second inning as Alyssa Thornton led off with a single, Callia Rooks would come in as a courtesy runner and would steal second base. The batter Marina Morales would be awarded first base thanks to the catcher’s interference.

With runners on first and second and only one out things looked good but unfortunately, both runners would be stranded as the Islanders would get out of the inning.

The Islanders would breakthrough in the top of the fourth inning as Annaliese Wong led off with a solo home run and later Lana Allari-Smith doubled in a run followed by another run scoring on an error by the Wolf Pack.

Trailing 3-0 the Pack would get on board in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI double by Morales that plated Rooks to make it 3-1.

West Hills would pull within 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a Lily Youngdale sacrifice fly that allowed Jaci McKindley to tag up and score and Amaya Angeli who singled to advance to second base. Unfortunately, that would be all the Pack would muster in the inning.

Coronado would score another pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning thanks to back-to-back singles. The only base runner the Wolf Pack would muster in the bottom of the seventh was when McKindley reached on an error.

Thornton would be tagged with the loss for the Wolf Pack. On the day she allowed five runs on nine hits over seven innings that saw her walk one and strike out eight on the day.

With the loss, the West Hills Wolf Pack are officially eliminated from the playoffs and finish their season 12-9.

Coronado on the other hand advances to Tuesday’s game where they will take on the Pilots of Our Lady of Peace.