FINAL 2007 Statistics HERE

Beasley honored as EA Sports All-American
Henry's Kerr also on first team

© East County Sports.com
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (7-21-07) -- Nine players from California highlight the second annual EA Sports High School All-America fastpitch softball teams, including a pair of CIF San Diego Section standouts in Steele Canyon's SAM BEASLEY and Patrick Henry''s Donna Kerr. They were rated among 30 players named to the first team, as selected by the editors of Student Sports.

Florida prep Kelsi Dunne was tabbed EA Sports' national player of the year,while Diane Laffey of Michigan was the coach of the year.

Beasley was honored among the utility players for both her pitching and hitting abilities.

The San Diego State bound Beasley went undefeated in two seasons of playoff action, leading the Cougars to consecutive CIF-SDS Division III championships. She also collected 61 hits this past season, the second-highest total in section history, helping her gain Player of the Year honors by the San Diego Hall of Champions and an All-California state berth from CalHiSports.

She also finished with seven homers, 24 RBI, and an ERA of 1.11 with 148 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Kerr, one of three first-team honorees headed for UCLA, did not go unnoticed even after the Patriots for disqualified from participating in the CIF playoffs.

Kerr as another EA Sports All-American who represented the U.S. in the Netherlands this summer as part of the Jr. National team.

Last summer, Kerr was the winning pitcher for her club team, the OC Batbusters, at ASA Gold Nationals. She continued her success in her senior season at Henry, throwing several no-hitters and one-hitters with a season high 17 strikeouts against Madison. She ended her career with 914 strikeouts.

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Five Inlanders gain All-State honors
Beasley, Bass, among Elite 30

© East County Sports.com
TORRANCE (6-29-07) -- Five East County fastpitch players are among a list of 14 standouts from San Diego County honored on various All-California teams announced Friday (June 29) by CalHiSports.com.

Included on two all-state lists are Steele Canyon's SAM BEASLEY and LORENA KLOPP. Both were tabbed to the all-state team among medium-size schools, of which Beasley was tabbed player of the year earlier in the week. Beasley also ranked among the top overall players on the All-State Elite 30, while Klopp, a finalist for freshman of the year honors, was a second-team pick on the All-Underclass team.

Also gaining an All-State citations was Santana High pitcher SHAE BASS. Like, Beasley, the Michigan State bound Bass was on the all-star roster for medium-size schools.

Meanwhile, JESSIE OWENS of Christian and KELLY MAJAM of Mountain Empire were honored among the 30 best in the All-State Small Schools division.

Other CIF-San Diego Section players honored were junior pitcher Jessica McDermott and senior catcher Chelsea Bemis, who both led Mt. Carmel to its first section championship. Each were named to the All-State second-team. Bemis will play for Louisville next season.

Also named to the second team was Vista catcher Audrey Roderfeld and Oceanside shortstop Trina Harrison-Doublet.

Escondido junior pitcher Lisa Akamine was named to the All-State Underclass first team along with McDermott and Harrison-Doublet. Akamine committed to Penn State prior to last month's CIF playoffs.

Patrick Henry pitcher Donna Kerr (UCLA) was selected to the All-State first team along with Beasley (San Diego State). Mira Mesa pitcher Melissa Tillett (Northern Iowa) was on the second team, although she out-polled Kerr for Eastern League pitcher of the year laurels..

Joining Owens and Majam on the All-State Small Schools Team was sophomore infielder Lauren Tomey, who helped Francis Parker to the CIF Div. IV crown over Christian.

This 'n' data -- Klopp (101) and Beasley (99) did establish an East County record for total bases, while the Cougars' team total of 530 breaks the existing state record listed in the CalHiSports record book... Steele Canyon also set CIF-SDS records for home runs (36) in a season and triples (5) in a game... Beasley's 62 hits were one short of the section mark set by Lisa Dodd (University City), who now plays for UCLA.

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Beasley named State Player of the Year
Teammate Klopp to receive All-Underclassmen berth

© East County Sports.com
TORRANCE (6-24-07) -- San Diego State bound pitcher SAM BEASLEY of Steele Canyon High became just the second fastpitch athlete from San Diego County to be named one of CalHiSports' California State players of the year.

Beasley headed the publication's All-State team for medium size schools, joining former University City standout LISA DODD (UCLA) to earn the honor since teams were first selected following the 1981 season.

Meanwhile, Steele Canyon teammate LORENA KLOPP, who played first base when not spelling Beasley in the pitching circle, is expected to be selected to state all-underclassmen team when CalHiSports makes its announcemenyt later this week. Plus, the Cougars were selected the top Division III ballclub in California under the direction of head coach JULIE BOHE.

Beasley capped her high school career with dominant performance in the CIF San Diego Section championships. She capped a 6-0 postseason run over two seasons by whipping Cathedral Catholic and Santana en route to a second straight second title.

Against Catholic, she equaled a second record with three homers while striking out 15 in a complete-game shutout victory. Beasley capped her career with a victory over the Grossmont Conference rival Sultans, posting a 15-4 record with 1.12 ERA with 148 strikeouts, along with slugging a solid .521 batting average.

Earlier, Beasley was named CIF-SDS player of the year by both the media (San Diego Hall of Champions and San Diego Union-Tribune) and coaches (CIF Division III player of the year).

Klopp led all East County batters with a .531 average this past season, including nine homers and an East County record 60 RBI (second-best in section history). She compiled 101 total bases, which is believed to be a record, while amassing a 7-2 pitching record. CalHiSports is expected to announce that Klopp was one of the finalists for the State Frosh of the Year award.

The last state freshman of the year from San Diego was Monte Vista's KELLY HOWARD (now Kelly Howard Warren) in 1989. Later a two-time All-America at UCLA, she served as an assistant coach at San Diego State until being named the head coach at Cal State San Marcos last month.

The numbers -- During the Cougars' team banquet, Bohe announced that Beasley's uniform No. 7 will be retired.

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Steele Canyon senior pitcher Sam Beasley -- the 2007 East County Fastpitch Player of the year. (Photo by Susan Cooper Photography)

Beasley tabbed
East County's
Player of the Year
Also named county's best
by San Diego Hall of Champions

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (6-8-07) --The CIF Division III playoffs didn't serve as a tiebreaker to determine East County's player of the year, it only served as validation.

Following a 3-homer hitting performance in the semifinals, Steele Canyon pitcher SAM BEASLEY out-dueled her opponent with a shutout in the final to gain the school's second straight San Diego Section championship. And when you throw in a season batting average hovering above .500, the multifaceted Beasley was the selection to top the 2007 All-East County fastpitch team.

With a scholarship to San Diego State in her pocket, Beasley is also a leading finalist for the player of the year award for the entire county. The All-County Team, as selected by the media through the San Diego Hall of Champions, will be released Saturday.

San Diego Hall of Champions' 2007 All-CIFSDS Team Sam Beasley CIF Player of the Year First Team Sam Beasley, Steele Canyon Shae Bass, Santana Lorena Klopp, Steele Canyon Second Team Jazmin Daigle, Steele Canyon Jessie Owens, Christian Nicole Rivera, Granite Hills (Complete Team Listed Below)

Three other Cougars joined Beasley on the first team, including freshman first baseman LORENA KLOPP, who accumulated more than 100 total bases en route to both the batting and home run titles this season. The others were corner infielder JAZMIN DAIGLE and catcher HANNAH ROST.

Obviously, Klopp was tabbed Rookie of the Year, too. Steele Canyon's JULIE BOHE was named Coach of the Year after winning a second straight section crown.

With Beasley taking the overall player award, Santana senior SHAE BASS won the pitcher of the year citation. The Michigan State bound righthander led the region with 19 victories while batting a solid .387.

The Unsung Hero Award went to a player not named among the 30 on either the first or second team. Outfielder ANDREA NEDDEN of Grossmont overcame a mediocre start to the season with a blazing finish, stroking homers over three consecutive games, then a week later registering late, key hits three times to deliver the game-winning RBI each time to keep the Foothillers in contention.

KYLEE KRINGS of West Hills, the coaches' North League pitcher of the year, captured the ERA title at 0.60. The senior posted an 11-2 record. Bass was the North's overall player of the year, barely capturing the strikeout title with 150, nipping Christian's JESSIE OWENS (149) and Beasley (148).

In the South, Beasley (pitcher) and NICOLE RIVERA, who plans to walk-on at San Diego State, were honored by league coaches.

Other first team selections on the All-East County team included: Santana's Kelsey McIlonie and Amanda Carpenter; West Hills' Brianna LaChusa and Krings; Christian's Owens and school valedictorian Sarah Seymour; Granite Hills' Rivera and Brittani Bertussi; Grossmont catcher Cammi Moore and Mount Miguel pitcher Laura Nelson.

© East County Sports.com
ALPINE (6-4-07) -- Much is known about the coaching success of Christian High School's ROMA DAWSON, featuring 11 berths to the CIF-San Diego Section softball championship game, including last week's Division IV finale.

The 1964 ASA National Champion Erv Lind Florist softball team of Portland, Ore., featuring second baseman Roma Dawson (front row, far right). (Contributed by teammate Carolyn Fitzwater, an ASA Hall of Famer)

"There wasn't much out there at the time for girls in sports," said Dawson. "But softball was one of the few sports organized at the local and national level, so I was playing Women's Open Division at 14."

Fortunately for Dawson, her hometown of Portland, Ore., featured one of the nation's top club programs. The sponsor was Erv Lind Florist, with the owner serving 26 years as the team's head coach.

"They won a championship back in 1944," noted Dawson. "And when I joined the team, I was a shortstop, but was soon moved to second base."

In 1963, the teams met in the final, which the Brakettes hosted and won. But at a neutral site in 1964, Dawson 's team earned a national championship.

"To come so close to winning on their field in 1963 was something," Dawson noted. "But in 1964, we became U.S. champions by winning the whole thing the next year in Orlando, Fla."

Dawson's championship ballclub was so good, it was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum's Class of 1993, which also featured a Rose Bowl champion football team from the University of Oregon.

Eventually, Dawson married and relocated to San Diego County, where all three of her daughters -- Amy, Sarah and Ruth -- were among the top players in San Diego County history -- and the reason Dawson became involved in coaching.

"Rene Palafox was the head coach at Christian at the time, and I became the JV coach when Amy was a freshman in 1986," noted Dawson. "And when the varsity made the playoffs, Rene allowed me to join the varsity coaching staff. I was so happy Rene allowed me to play a small part in winning CIF that year.'"

Three seasons later, Palafox moved on to Valhalla High, leaving Dawson in charge of a Patriots program which captured five section titles in a span of 17 seasons. However, there will not be a sixth championship under her tutelage, as late last week, Dawson turned in her papers to the Christian High staff to announce her retirement from the program.

"There were a lot of great players and a lot of great teams while I was coaching here, but coaching my daughters is what I'll remember most," said Dawson . "But I hope all my players learned that life's lessons were about more than softball only."

Sarah has been the most successful in the sport since leaving Christian. She is currently head coach at Louisiana Tech after an All-America career at UL-Monroe, still holding several NCAA Division I records. In 1997, she was named MVP of the women's pro league (now known as National Pro Fastpitch).

"Amy was always very competitive -- not that my other daughters weren't," noted Dawson . "Sarah had to pitch every game because we didn't have any other pitcher until Ruth joined the team as a freshman, so we used her a little bit just in case Sarah got hurt."

Pitching has always been the backbone with Christian softball

The 1986 CIF champs featured SDCIF player of the year MICHELLE WESSON. Sarah received the same honor in the 1993 season, then Ruth gained the award for 1994.

Since then, other Patriots to gain Player of the Year laurels under Dawson include: ALY DUNN (1996), RENE HENSON (2000-'01), JENNY RAY (2002) and three-time winner MELISSA OWENS (2003-05), who now stars for San Diego State.

Dawson still plans to attend games and assist the program when needed when not tending to her 90-year old mother. The new coach will inherit a ballclub which loses just one senior in first baseman SARAH SEYMOUR, the school's co-valedictorian.

Beasley carries Steele Canyon
to second straight CIF crown

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-27-07) — For Steele Canyon's SAM BEASLEY, the senior's final foray in a high school fastpitch contest featured an appearance on her future diamond playing for San Diego State. And she made a quick delivery to the Aztecs coaching staff.

In her first at-bat, Beasley smacked a pitch off the yellow line at the top of the centerfield fence, directly in front of the coaching staff which will mentor her for the next four years.

Not that she will need any assistance.

Carrying the Cougars (27-6-1) upon her shoulders, Beasley dominated an opponent for the second straight outing, slugging a pair of doubles and pitching a 6-hit shutout to lift Steele Canyon past Grossmont Conference rival Santana, 8-0, to capture back-to-back San Diego CIF Division III fastpitch championships.

"My seniors certainly went out with a bang, but I will especially miss Sam for several reasons," said Cougars coach Julie Bohe. "She, above all, deserved that (CIF) Sportsmanship Award today."

Beasley struck out seven, including two to escape jams after Santana placed two runners in scoring position in the 2nd and 5th innings. And her two hits gave her 62 for the season, one shy of the section record set by University City's Lisa Dodd, the state player of the year in 2004.

Steele Canyon catcher Hannah Rost (right) is checked out by the coaching staff, including head coach Julie Bohe (in red), after getting hit by a pitch in the ankle. Moments later, Rost stole her second base of the championship. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva)

"It was crunch time and we crunched -- that's how it is." -- Cougars catcher Hannah Rost

“It’s nice to go out with a big win like this,” said Beasley. "I was just ready to come here and play and hit. I wasn't trying to do anything big, just get on base and help my team out."

The player with the best view of Beasley's talents may be catcher HANNAH ROST, who helped her capture eight consecutive victories to close the season.

"Sam is an amazing player and she always will be -- Sam will never be forgotten at our school, " Rost said. "She's the strongest hitter on this team, so when she hit the top of the wall, we all knew we had the momentum up and we got it done."

"We started focusing a lot more on hitting and that's what we accomplished. It was crunch time and we crunched -- that's how it is."

While the focus was on Beasley, who nearly smashed five consecutive home runs over the course of Thursday's 12-0 semifinals demolition of Cathedral Catholic and Saturday's (May 26) licking of the Sultans in the title contest, several other Cougars stepped forward with big contests, too.

"Our team stepped it up when they needed to,"added Bohe of a team which established a CIFSDS record for team homers. "We've got some good hitters and they proved it."

STEELE CANYON HIGH SCHOOL "COUGARS" 2007 CIFSDS FASTPITCH CHAMPIONS

Included was first baseman LORENA KLOPP, who slugged a 2-run single in the 1st inning, giving her 59 RBI for the season -- the second-highest total in San Diego Section history.

"I was kind of under pressure, but when Sam hit the double, we all got pumped up and knew we could hit SHAE (BASS, the Santana pitcher)," said Klopp. "It's really exciting to come through like that and drive in two runs at the beginning of the CIF final."

The East County home run champion failed to go deep over the final month of the season due to injury woes, so the freshman adjusted and batted for average upon her return to continue her RBI count, helping Steele Canyon close the season riding a 14-game winning streak.

"Sam's is amazing, so it was a good opportunity for me to play with her this year," Klopp added. "I heard a lot about her and everything I heard was true, whether it was her hitting or pitching, or her leadership and how she helps everyone out."

Third baseman LISA MONGELLI added a two-run basehit in the 4th for a 4-0 advantage, then JAZMIN DAIGLE knocked runners home in the 5th and 7th, as the Cougars scored twice each time in their second wire-to-wire triumph over Santana (28-4) this season.

"Everyone seems to get big hits for our team," noted Mongelli. "But it all comes down to Sam -- she's an amazing player and all she asks is for you to work hard for us to win."

Along with two shutouts this season, Beasley posted a 6-0 postseason pitching record over the past two seasons.

"Even I was getting a little nervous, but working hard outside of school practice helped, then my team was there to back me up," added Beasley, who plans to major in keniseiology at SDSU.

For Santana, the only players to solve Beasley were centerfielder AMANDA CARPENTER (3-for-4) and left fielder MICHELLE BRAMLAGE (2-for-3) -- all on singles -- plus a basehit by DANIELLE BALOUGH.

"They're just a much more talented ballclub than we are," said first-year Sultans coach MIKE BASS. "We had a great season, but we have to work so much harder than Steele Canyon does. They are easily the better team."

It was the fourth straight Final Four appearance by Santana, which includes winning the 2004 championship, followed by a pair of difficult setbacks in the semifinals the previous two seasons.

Brittany Fenn, the catcher, won the CIF Sportsmanship Award for Santana.

Division IV
Francis Parker 4, Christian 2 -- This championship may have been decided in Thursday's semifinals, when Patriots pitcher JESSIE OWENS hyper-extended her knee on the next-to-last play of a narrow victory over Horizon Christian.

Although not starting as the pitcher, Owens entered in relief for 2 2/3 innings, but more was needed on several fronts by second-seeded Christian.

"We were playing to go with JENNA (ROYCE) and see how long she could last, and if Parker got any hits, I would go it and see how long I could last," noted Owens. "I tried my best, but my knee starting hurting me early on, so I had to be taken out -- I didn't want that, but it had to be done."

"I proud of our team for not giving up. We did come back, which was great."

Meanwhile, the defending champion Lancers stormed from the No. 5 position to close the season with eight straight victories, including decisions over the top two seeded teams -- No. 1 Imperial and the Patriots -- in the Final Four to repeat as section titlists.

Lauren Tomey paced Parker by batting 3-for-4, including a double in the 1st when the Lancers took a 2-0 lead after Christian stranded a pair of runners in the top of the inning.

Owens entered late in the 1st, but Tomey got to her, too, adding a 2-run single in the 2nd for a 4-0 advantage. Tomey also singled and scored in the 6th for an insurance run after Christian trimmed the deficit to 3-2.

"The girls had a great season, fought hard and to keep that victory on Thursday evening," said Patriots coach ROMA DAWSON, who was making her 8th title game appearance. "We just came out and gave it our best."

The Patriots comeback included consecutive basehits by Owens and KRISTINA WYNNS, a sacrifice fly by AMANDA PLUM, then a run-scoring single by first baseman SARAH SEYMOUR, the lone senior on the Christian roster.

"We had so many people sick or injured that couldn't play, but our team never gives up," said Seymour. "I'm very proud of our team and I couldn't have asked for a better season. We played really well and all these girls are amazing and I love them all."

Seymour was the Christian High selection for the CIF Sportsmanship Award, given to one member of each team advancing to the finals in every division.

"Since I was the only senior, no one's won a CIF title except me, there were nerves to deal with, but the team still played very well," added Seymour, who plans to major in biology or Pre-Med while playing both basketball and softball at Dordt College (Iowa).

We're only losing Sarah and getting some good players (Christian) Junior High," Owens added. "So we should again do well in our (CIF) division and we'll be good in league, too -- I think we might even win both.

The decision on whether to fill the pitching void or the one at shortstop didn't occur until minutes before the first pitch.

"We had to wait right up until this morning to see who would be ready to go," Dawson recalled. "Part of it was our shortstop (KARA CARTWRIGHT) came down with a virus or soemthing, so we had to decide which hole to plus."

"Jenna's stepped up big for us all season long, but she didn't get the support that I though she deserved in that 1st inning, maybe 1st-inning jitters, I don't know."

The coaching staff elected to start Owens at shortstop and Royce in the circle, but the backup lan was soon vacated. Nevertheless, the Patriots trimmed a 3-run deficit to a single run, with the potentioal tying and go-ahead runners on base in the 6th and 7th innings.

"They kept fighting back, while Parker had a terrific year and showed what they're made of," added Dawson. "Give them credit."

"And Sarah's a great senior leader. I know she wanted to go out with that title, but I couldn't have asked for anything more from a senior than what she's shown this season. She's ready for the next step."

Parker catcher Kierstie Svatos went 3-for-4, with an RBI double in the 1st, as the Lancers out-hit the Patriots, 10-4.

"We may have been a low seed, but I don't think there were too many Division IV teams that really wanted to draw us early," said Parker coach Jim Tomey. "We played some tough teams throughout the year, but our luck wasn't too good in the middle of the season, but by the end, we were locked in and playing really sharp ball, and I felt real good about our chances."

Parker features four East County products, including three starters: leftfielder Hannah Rapopost of La Mesa, and El Cajon residents Lindsey Gross, the third baseman, and centerfielder Ari Sanders.

Beasley goes homer-homer-homer;
Cougars in position for Div. III repeat

© East County Sports.com
POWAY (5-25-07) -- It's been four years since the graduation of All-American LISA DODD, the 2003 California State Player of the Year, since San Diego has witnessed an effort which combined both outstanding hitting and pitching by a single player.

San Diego State bound pitcher SAM BEASLEY placed her name among exclusive company by equaling a CIF-San Diego Section mark by blasting three home runs while also tossing a 3-hit shutout, allowing defending Division III champion Steele Canyon to steamroll Cathedral Catholic, 12-0, in Thursday's (May 24) section semifinals.

The wipeout propelled the top-seeded Cougars (26-6-1) into position to repeat as champions, only if they can stop Grossmont Conference rival Santana in Saturday's (May 26) championship contest, slated for San Diego State at 12:30 p.m. The second-seeded Sultans overcame a sluggish start to whip Dodd's old team from University City, 11-6.

Still, Beasley holds court with a choice group whom all advanced to NCAA Division I programs. The list features Kristin Goodall (Mission Bay HS; Cal State Fullerton), Jennette Franco (Francis Parker; So. Methodist in volleyball), Megan McAllistar (Carlsbad; Georgia) and Kelsey Quist (Calvin Christian; Princeton), who twice hit three homers in a single ballgame.

"I was just ready to hit when I got up there -- I wasn't thinking about it, even after I hit my third one," added Beasley. "I was just worried about putting the ball in play."

The Cougars' four homers lifted their team total to 36 for the season, eclipsing the section mark of 34 set by McAllistar's Lancers ballclub in 2003.

Beasley dominated a Cathedral (19-10) side which downed Madison then upset 4th-seeded Ramona to advance to the Final Four, only to again fall to the Cougars. Beasley also blanked the Lady Dons in last season's title contest, 6-0, on a 4-hitter.

This time, the senior right-hander more than doubled her strikeout total, escalating from 7 to 15 punchouts, collecting 14 of the Dons' first 16 outs on 'K's.

Cathedral starter Kiara Boccia started strong, too, carrying a no-hitter into the 4th inning. But the sophomore found no answers in the second go-round through the Steele Canyon line-up -- nine of the 10 runs were earned.

An inning later, VANESSA ADAME belted what turned out to be a solo homer to set the section team record.

Her drive hit the top of the temporary outfield fence at Sportsplex USA , then flipped over. However, the field umpires each signaled different rulings. One indicated a homer, but the other called for a ground-rule double.

Following a pow-wow among all three officials, Adame was awarded her second homer of the season, then Beasley followed with back-to-back shots for her third home run to etch her name in the record book.

Adame finished 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, while Randel and LORENA KLOPP added two hits each in an 11-hit attack (11 earned runs).

Meanwhile, the heart of the Cathedral lineup was kept off the board, as No. 9 hitter Brooke Conlon, the designated player, garnered two of the Dons' three basehits.

Steele Canyon (26-6-1) now meets a Sultans ballclub which won the SDCIF crown in 2004, then suffered heartbreak losses in the semifinals during the past two seasons. The teams met on Mar. 26 in the Grossmont Conference Tournament, as the Cougars claimed a 5-1 decision on a 3-hitter by Beasley.

"We played them earlier in the season, and we know they'll be ready to play," noted Beasley."So we have to come to play -- we better be ready."

Balough is now 9-1 this season with three complete-game shutouts.

But Balough, entering with two runners on and no one out, registered a pair of strikeouts and a routine grounder for an out to escape. The momentum swing was apparent and immediate, as the Sultans (28-4) responded with five markers in the 6th to punch their ticket to the final.

Key hits included the go-ahead basehit by MICHELLE BRAMLAGE to score Bass, who utilized her bat to started the game-winning rally when her pitching arm failed her. She opened with a lead walk, followed by a KELSEY McILONIE basehit.

DANIELLE BALOUGH and AMANDA CARPENTER later added consecutive RBI singles for the Grossmont North League titlists. The duo also moved the Sultans in front after trailing 2-0 after one inning. In the 2nd, a Balough basehit tied the contest, then she scored on a Carpenter double for a 3-2 advantage which later climbed to 6-2.

The tandem collected three hits each in the Sultans' 14-hit attack. Now they get ready for Steele Canyon .

"With our defense, we have a lot support, so we shut a lot of teams out," noted Carpenter, a sophomore centerfielder. "It'll help that we've played them already, because we know what to expect and we know what Sam's pitching is like."

Santana is among the section leaders with 16 shutouts. Bass owns nine of them, while sharing four others with Britty Balough. And with such lofty numbers, no one on the Sultans believes Bass will be anything but ready in preparation for the All-East County final.

Some of the players believe Santana may be better prepared to challenge for the title, thus a bounce back will be forthcoming.

"We've been progressing along since we got a new coach (MIKE BASS, Shae's father)," explained Bramlage, a junior leftfielder, who went 2-for-4 and scored twice. "We've been practicing a lot more to get ready for days like this."

After failing to reach the championship game last season following six straight finals appearances (including three Division IV crowns), the Patriots are back -- but at what cost?

Four errors allowed Horizon Christian to score four times in the bottom of the 7th inning to trim a 6-1 deficit down to a single run, but Patriots pitcher JESSIE OWENS thought she was going to catch a short popfly in front of the plate for the final out.

However, catcher ALLIE SCOTT also charged to the ball and the players, both calling for the ball, collided. Owens dropped the ball while injuring her leg, as people realized the season hopes for the Patriots could be dashed.

While Jessie Owens was being tended to with her injury, players and coaches from both ballclubs, including Rachel Ortiz (above) of Horizon Christian, take to their knees in prayer. (Photo by Dan Dangel)

"The trainer said I only hyper-extended my knee," said Owens. "But I'll be in there no matter what."

The determined Owens, who is known "for going at only one speed, and that's at her very best all of the time," according to Dawson , was carried off the field in the arms of an assistant coach. But she was gingerly walking un-aided following the ballgame to the relief of Patriots followers.

She breezed along by spinning a 4-hitter through six innings, then struckout her 9th batter to open the 7th. However, the defense was charged with four errors, capped by Owens' drop on the collision, leaving the Panthers with the potential tying and winning runs on base.

Royce came in and collected two quick strikes, but her third pitch was in the dirt and rolled about 10 feet behind the catcher. However, Scott recovered the ball and fired to third baseman AMANDA PLUM to nail the runner to end the contest and advance Christian to the championship round.

The second-seeded Patriots (20-8) will meet defending champion Francis Parker, which upset top-seeded Imperial, 2-1 in 8 innings. The Lancers seek to become the first team to repeat as Division IV titlists since the divisions were revamped in 1994. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. from SDSU.

Starting pitchers BRENNA SANDBERG of the Wolf Pack and the Grizzlies' Whitney Orellana both carried shutouts into the 6th inning, including a 1-hitter by Sandberg.

However, Mission Hills collected a pair of infield singles, then a line basehit to left field by clean-up hitter Jordan Parsons to score Vanessa Perez and snap the pitchers' duel.

West Hills answered back in the home half of the 6th when BRIANNA LaCHUSA dropped a single over the head of the second baseman, then sophomore CASSIDY BAGGETT drilled an RBI double to the fence in right-centerfield to level the contest.

The Grizzlies also responded immediately, parlaying an error, a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch to score Donna Blackwood.

The final chance for West Hills saw FAITH KORIA reach on a lead infield single, then stealing second base, but Orellana coaxed a popout to shortstop then recorded two of her 12 strikeouts to end it. Sandberg also struck out 12 batters.

"I'm still glad because we were able to come back from a really, really rough beginning to our season," said Baggett of the team's 1-5 start, yet finishing with 24 victories in the final 28 starts. "We were able to come back and kick butt."

"You can not get down, and we learned to stick up for each other and stay up. It's the only thing you can do to be successful."

Baggett, the third baseman, batted 2-for-3, matching Koria's effort.

West Hills was also hampered by the loss of several players during its playoff run.

BRIANNA AUSTIN was lost in the quarterfinals after breaking a finger, STASIA HOLDMAN missed the last 10 days with an ankle, then SHARLANA BURNER came out after the 3rd inning after getting roughed up when caught attempting to steal second base.

Santana's Amanda Carpenter slugged a 2-run homer in the 1st inning, jump-starting the Sultans to a 2-0 lead in besting Monte Vista in Tuesday's CIF Division III softball quarterfinals. (Photo by Sheila Bass)

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (5-23-07) -- The Santana Sultans play the part of the underdog much better than the favorite's role, so when the San Diego CIF Division III fastpitch seedings came out listing them behind defending champion Steele Canyon, it may be all that is needed to propel the Sultans to their first section title since 2004.

Santana took the first step by taking control in what proved to be the decisive opening inning, rolling past Grossmont Conference rival Monte Vista, 6-1, in Tuesday's (May 22) SDCIF quarterfinals.

AMANDA CARPENTER smacked a 2-run homer and MICHELLE BRAMLAGE powered a 2-run triple in the opening frame for a 4-0 cushion after preventing the Monarchs from scoring moments earlier.

Singles by BRITTANY WRIGHT and LYDIA VENIEGAS, plus a stolen base, placed Monte Vista runners at 2nd and 3rd. However, Santana pitcher SHAE BASS escaped the logjam with two of her seven strikeouts, then coaxed a short flyball to prevent the Monarchs from scoring.

Bass, moments after being told she would move to shortstop, then utilized her stick for some insurance. She opened the 5th with a solo homer just to the left of dead-centerfield for a 5-0 lead.

"A lot of people thought we were down on ourselves after losing to West Hills," noted Santana third baseman KELSEY McILONIE. "But we played a solid game, so we weren't feeling bad."

"We came into this game without a big head and stayed focused on what we needed to do."

The Sultans' Britty Balough tossed the final two innings to complete a 6-1 victory over Monte Vista in the CIF Dov. III quarterfinals. (Photos by Sheila Bass) The Usual Suspects

The other Santana run came in the 6th as BRITTANY FENN doubled off the fence in left-center, missing a homer by just over a foot, with Bass collecting her second RBI with a double to the opposite field in right.

Monte Vista , which played solid despite the 1st inning shortcoming, never rolled over and played a solid contest. The Monarchs punched through in the 7th to avert the shutout by an RBI single by pinchhitter SHANNON WRIGHT, scoring pinchrunner MARIZA MALDANADO.

Following the contest, Santana's opening for a berth in the Div. III final grew a touch wider. Instead of meeting third-seeded Brawley, the Sultans will instead meet University City, which traveled to the desert to upset the Wildcats, 2-1.

Steele Canyon 7, Valhalla 1 -- One could appreciate the position Cougars coach JULIE BOHE faced after her side committed three errors in the 1st inning, allowing Valhalla's JODIE SCHMEHR to score for a 1-0 lead.

"I was ready to take a Valium," said Bohe of the tension relief medication. "We were shaking in our boots."

However, the defending SDCIF Division III titlists quickly regrouped, answering three times in the home-half of the 1st en route to an easy triumph in a sloppy contest featuring five errors by both ballclubs.

Steele Canyon's Jazmin Daigle strokes a 2-run double, part of a 4 RBI outing. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

Beasley finished by striking out eight Norsemen without issuing a walk in tossing a 2-hitter to start another playoff run for the Cougars. The senior also delivered with the bat, going 4-for-4 to raise her season average to .580. Meanwhile, third baseman JAZMIN DAIGLE drove in four runs, including a two-run line single in the 1st to claim the lead for keeps.

"Jaz made it another big game," added Bohe. "Every time she comes up with runners on base, she always seems to knock someone in."

Rost and LORENA KLOPP added run-scoring basehits in the 6th to cap the scoring.

"Sam, Jaz and Hannah were our studs," added the coach. "And when Sam pitches like she did today, you can't beat her."

Steele Canyon will get a championship rematch in the semifinals by meeting Cathedral Catholic, which upset fourth-seeded Ramona in a 10-8 slugfest up on the mountain. The Cougars downed the Lady Dons in the 2006 finale, 6-0.

So meeting a team with a gleaming record, but against second-string competition, allowed Christian to clearly demonstrate how fastpitch is really played. Indeed, it's a role the Pats relish year after year to advance deep into the SDCIF Division IV playoffs.

On Tuesday (May 22), sophomore JESSIE OWENS clearly was the superior pitcher, needed for just the first five innings to dominate the supposedly indomitable Lions. And when you throw in Owens' afternoon at the plate -- 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of doubles -- the Patriots punched their ticket to their seventh straight Final Four appearance.

But it was more than just Owens. KARA CARTWRIGHT and ALLIE SCOTT also batted 3-for-4, as Christian accumulated 16 hits --the ballclub's third-highest total of the season.

"We were focused on driving the ball better," noted coach ROMA DAWSON, who's troops rebounded from a 2-hit performance in a victory in Saturday's first round. "We had some hard hit balls all game."

Owens opened the stretch with a two-out double in the 3rd, as the Pats pieced together five consecutive hits to mount a 4-1 lead. Owens scored on a basehit by Cartwright, who came home on a double by AMANDA PLUM. SARAH SEYMOUR and ALLIE SCOTT added to the rally with singles.

Owens, who scored three times, opened the 5th with a solo home run -- her sixth of the season -- then Christian completed the rout with four runs in the 6th. In the frame, ALY GENTRY stroked a two-run single, while Seymour blasted a two-run triple, one of six extra-base hits by the Patriots.

For the contest, Christian pitchers struck out 16 batters, with Owens collecting 10 in her five frames, then JENNA ROYCE garnered all six of her outs on strikes in relief.

Krings tossed four solid innings in a starting assignment, getting tagged for just one unearned run, then BRENNA SANDBERG entered as the change-of-pace pitcher, helping keep visiting Mar Vista off-balance and give the Wolf Pack the opportunity to rally.

West Hills holds recent success over the Mariners, including a 1-hit shutout by Krings at the Hilltop Tournament two seasons ago.

"Our group of seniors beat them as 10th-graders, and against their pitcher who was also a 10th-grader," noted Pack coach STEVE SUTTON. "Take away our error and we win this one easily, too."

Meanwhile, West Hills answered with runs in the 5th and 8th innings to secure the rally.

MOCHERIE KORIA opened the 5th with a single, moved to second on a JAYLEEN BUSH grounder to the right side, then stole third base. MELISSA HILL followed with a potential inning-ending grounder toward second base, but the fielding error allowed Koria to level the contest.

Another error doomed the Mariners in the 8th.

SHARLANA BURNER and FAITH KORIA opened the inning with bunt singles, with a throwing error on the second bunt moving both runners into scoring position. Senior BRIANNA LaCHUSA followed with the walkoff, RBI single to score Burner, advancing West Hills into the semifinals.

The third-seeded Wolf Pack (25-8), winners of 24 of their last 27 outings, will avoid meeting second-seeded Scripps Ranch in one of Thursday's (May 24) final four pairings, instead meeting Mission Hills (18-13), which scored twice in the 7th to upset the Falcons, 2-0.

Mt. Carmel 8, Grossmont 3 -- In the past, the Foothillers has reached Mt. Carmel junior Jessica McDermott, the reigning Palomar League pitcher of the year, who paced the Sundevils to the top of the Division II bracket as the top seed. And Grossmont tagged her again early, answering Mt. Carmel 's 3-run effort in the 1st with three of its own to tie the contest in the 3rd.

But that would be all the runs McDermott (23-3) would allow, despite yielding nine hits to the Hillers in the round-of-8 contest in Rancho Penasquitos.

Since falling in the final of the North County Tournament to Mission Hills back on Mar. 22, the Sundevils have gone exactly two months without a setback in stringing together 19 consecutive victories.

Grossmont's season ends at 15-14-1, yet can take some solace in scoring the most runs off Mt. Carmel since the Devils yielded five markers to Granite Hills in Cougar Classic play way back on Mar. 9.

Kellie Fox smacked a 3-run homer for the quick Mt. Carmel lead. Maggie Doremus (3-for-4) put the Sundevils back in front with a 2-run single in the 4th, followed by an RBI on a fielder's choice by Chelsea Bemis, who later smacked a 2-run homer in the 6th.

Grossmont scoring details were not reported.

Christian freshman Aly Gunter gained the victory in relief. (Photo by Jeanne Royce)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-20-07) -- With the proliferation of small, private schools springing up throughout the county -- many offering high school sports activities -- a full field of 16 teams comprised the San Diego CIF Division IV playoff bracket, unlike pools of 12 schools in the remaining divisions. Thus, there are no longer any byes for the top seeds, including No. 2 Christian, which came out flat against The Bishop's, the next-to-last team to gain a postseason berth.

However, third baseman AMANDA PLUM put on the pressure which finally undid the Knights, helping the Patriots score three times in their final at-bat to secure a 3-2 victory in Saturday's (May 19) opening round of the SDCIF playoffs.

Plum placed a perfect bunt which left The Bishop's defense with no play except a desperate attempt to get KARA CARTWRIGHT at the plate. And when the toss was too late, the game was tied, as the Knights would commit four errors in the inning for all three (unearned) runs to advance Christian to Tuesday's (May 22) round-of-8.

"We just needed to play with more energy," said Plum , who surprised the defense with a rare bunt by the ballclub's No. 3 hitter. "I don't bunt very often, but we needed to do something to get the run in, then Kara did a great job running from third."

For five innings, The Bishop's sailed along on a 1-hit shutout by Natalie Carmarda, who struck out 11 in her six innings of work.

Christian High's Amanda Plum (3) is ruled safe after taking the extra base following her game-tying bunt single in the 6th inning. The No. 2 Patriots downed The Bishop's School, 3-2, in Saturday's CIF opener. (Photo by Jeanne Royce)

JESSIE OWENS opened the inning with a short popfly to shortstop, but the ball was dropped and the hustling Owens raced to second base. Cartwright followed with a bunt to sacrifice Owens, but the throw went to right field and Christian halved the deficit to 2-1.

Plum's bunt left her at second base, moving to third on a dropped third strike for The Bishop's' third error, then a fly ball by catcher ALLIE SCOTT was dropped to score the go-ahead run.

Meanwhile, freshman ALY GUNTER gained the pitching victory in relief.

Gunter entered a 1-0 game with the bases loaded and no one out in the 5th. However, she walked in a run on a series of tight pitches which didn't go her way.

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