LJ softball 3, Mission Vista 2

Viking pitcher

Kyra Ferenczy

(Photo Ed Piper, Jr.)

By Ed Piper, Jr.

There is joy in Mudville.

La Jolla's softball team, which started out the season 0-6, won a nail-biter come-from-behind first-round CIF game at Mission Vista, 3-2, Thurs., May 18.

The Vikings were keyed by sophomore Kyra Ferenczy's pair of RBI doubles and gutsy pitching performance to induce a game-ending groundball in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and second.

Asked what she focused on in nervous time in the last inning, with her team holding onto a slim one-run lead over the host third-seed Timberwolves, the freckled Ferenczy said, "Focus on the last batter and get her out."

With La Jolla trailing 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Kyra doubled off the fence in right-center to bring Josie Sinkeldam around to score from second base. That tied the score, 1-1.

Linda Brown then knocked Ferenczy in with a base hit to right-center that added another run. That made the score 2-1.

Likewise in the top of the fifth, after Mission Vista coach Dan Worley replaced starting pitcher Ayden Brown with 5'11" freshman India Caldwell, Ferenczy again stepped to the plate with Sinkeldam aboard. She smashed a two-batter that bounded to the fence in right-center to score Josie. That put the Vikings ahead, 3-1.

In both innings, senior Ava Verbrugghen moved Sinkeldam ahead on the basepaths. In the fourth, the lefty laid down a sacrifice bunt to get the runner to second. In the fifth, Verbruggen grounded out to short to move Josie to third.

Both pitchers for Mission Vista, which was seeded higher than the sixth-seed Vikings, were hard-throwing. Yet La Jolla found a way.

Coach Andrea Denham's squad, in the double-elimination Division 4 playoffs after winning a 6-3 do-or-die victory in the play-in round Tuesday over Tri-City Christian, now plays its next game at 10 a.m. Sat., May 20, at Mar Vista, the second seed in the division.

La Jolla is now 11-15 overall. Without the winless start to the season of six games, part of which the Vikings were missing some players, the Vikings would now be a respectable 11-9.