Matadors’ 24-all tie with Parker not lost

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS staff writer

SPRING VALLEY – Mount Miguel High School is well-chronicles with some of the most successful softball coaches and teams since girls’ sports were sanctioned in 1974.

CIF-San Diego Section championship teams from Mount Miguel were guided by names like Jane Trude — the Matadors’ home diamond is named in her honor — Carol Oftedahl and  Kathy Worley. Worley was the 1997 CIFSDS coach of the year, too.

In the newer power rating system in 2017, Kevin Darby also captured a Division V title.

Despite their success, the 2021 Matadors achieved something the others could not: a listing in the CalHiSports state record book.

In the season opener on March 29, the Matadors were obviously disappointed after host Francis Parker tallied seven times in the bottom of the seventh inning, forcing extra innings.

Although it’s not clear why the ballgame was stopped — the umpires and/or the coaches thought the 3-hour-plus marathon was long enough — the Matadors-Lancers slugfest might be a state record.

Although an official record is not listed, CalHiSports officials indicated that while recently revamping its softball records, they do not recall coming across a tie game with such a high score.

“We can’t call it an official record,” said Mark Tennis, the present curator of the popular website founded by his father. “But we will keep it in mind until something higher gets turned it.”

In other words, if no other school(s) comes forward with an interesting experience to document a deadlock with more runs, Mount Miguel and Francis Parker — for the moment — will be recognized with an-asterisk as the highest-scoring draw in state history.

The thought of a high-scoring tie came to mind after a 2012 football game in the very season that the CIFSDS banned tie games and mandated that overtime will be played until a decision rendered.

In Week 5  that season, Steele Canyon, in a road game at Canyon High of Canyon Country (near Magic Mountain) finished regulation at 49-all. However, the game was conducted in CIF-Southern Section territory, where no rule forcing overtime existed.

Although Canyon, which was carrying all of the game’s late momentum, fully desired to continue to play, first-year Cougars head coach Scott Longerbone knew better and told the referees that a tie was fine, directing his troops to head straight for the locker room.

It was the last tie in CIFSDS football history. It was also a state record, breaking the mark of 48-all set a week earlier. That game broke a mark that stood in California for nearly two decades, then two games in as many weeks superseded the mark.

Thus, a quick email was sent to CalHiSports about the softball deadlock.

And history, with an asterisk, for now, was made.

Among the Mount Miguel highlights:

— Home runs by sophomore Sami Jelowdar (3-run shot in the second inning) and co-captain Roanna “Ro” Riggins (2-run shot in the third). Jelowdar also smacked a double.

— Two triples from senior Valeria Ray, plus a three-base hit from freshman Ariani Moya (who also doubled), junior infielder Alex Schneider, and senior Giselle “Gigi” Valencia.

— Three RBI each from Jelowdar, Ray, Riggins, and Schneider. Riggins also scored four times.