From all reports, the Point Loma softball team wanted to make up for losing to the new upstart La Jolla team in the first round.
"It was ugly," said pitcher Katja Sarain, who I ran into in the hallway outside the theater where my wife and I were going to watch "Avengers." Katja was just coming out of having seen a different movie--"The Age of Adaline."
To bring you up to speed, in the first round of Western League play a couple of weeks ago Point Loma showed up at the LJHS field not listing its top pitcher and the same for at least one position player in the starting lineup.
Point Loma had not lost to La Jolla in softball in recent memory. I've been to some killer games. Spirit-killing, that is. I recall one game at Point Loma was the final regular season game for the Pointers' shortstop, who had accepted an athletic scholarship to a well-known university whose name I forget. It was almost like the Vikings weren't there. Many fans, all cheering for the super player and her team, and La Jolla getting drubbed badly as usual.
There have been games--in previous years--in which the 10-run rule was invoked because Point Loma (and other opposing teams) led by so many runs, the game was called early. Ouch. It's embarrassing.
So, not starting their top pitcher, the Pointers went down early. I arrived from other duties midway through the game. Point Loma's bench was silent. The players looked like they were in shock. I think their coaches were really giving it to them. Ticked, mad, scolding. The PLHS coaches were undoubtedly upset themselves at finding their team trailing formerly lowly La Jolla.
But Point Loma, in this first round game last month, battled to come back and lead 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Vikings, with ability, power, and growing confidence, loaded the bases with one out. Who steps to the plate but Stephanie Alvarez, senior and catcher and co-captain with Katja. She drills the first pitch (from the now more skilled pitcher of the Pointers who was substituted in midway through the game) narrowly inside the foul line and over the fence down the right field line.
Walkoff grand slam homer. The Vikings win, 7-6. The La Jolla players exulted but, advised by their coaches not to show up the other team, keeping their celebration under control.
A look at the Point Loma players: blank expressions of shock. A morgue. Point Loma losing to La Jolla in softball! Unheard of.
So, fast-forward to Thursday, April 30. Point Loma started its best players, I'm sure, at all positions, and positively scorched the Vikings. Payback. 10-0.
You know what's going to be fun to watch? Next year's games against PLHS. Stephanie and Katja will be graduated. But Linda Brown, the sophomore third baseman, will be a year older. Shortstop Josie Sinkeldam, a freshman, will have a year of high school softball under her belt. Emily Alvarez, a freshman and sister of Stephanie who starts at first base, likewise. Plus there's more coming in. It's gonna be fun. Some real competition.
The good part of the Vikings' blanking? At least the game didn't get called early. Like I talked about earlier, in the old days the game would have been called prematurely due to the Vikings being drubbed so badly.
A little note is that Katja mentioned she got a home run in the Vikings' 3-2 loss to Clairemont Tues., April 28. She was pretty happy about that. Of the four hits against Point Loma Thursday, she had one of them and it was a double.
Copyright 2015 Ed Piper
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