LJ softball 4, Bishop's 2

Viking hurler Kyra Ferenczy
pacifies rival Bishop's
in 4-2 win.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
 

By Ed Piper

On an afternoon when a gas leak in Mission Valley clogged up area traffic arteries, La Jolla's softball team clogged up the delivery lines of rival host Bishop's Wed., March 7, holding the Lady Knights to two runs and a few hits.

In fact, Viking pitcher Kyra Ferenczy set all the Bishop's batters down in order over the first three innings, and only snapped her streak of 10 straight outs by walking third baseman Hallee Coleman with one out in the bottom of the fourth.

La Jolla (2-3), powered by RBI's by Emily Alvarez in the first and seventh innings, and Josie Sinkeldam in the fourth--the latter with a two-run single--took away a 4-2 win in the battle for La Jolla.

"We run LJ," said centerfielder Vanessa Shaffer good-naturedly after the victory, completed on an increasingly-chilly afternoon as traffic in the greater area backed up with Highway 163 shut down in both directions shortly after noon.

Second-year coach Andrea Denham's team continued to benefit in the early season from the addition of three experienced freshmen, Jackie Farias at third, Kendall Dooley at second, and Abby Espinoza in left field. Dooley, a three-sport athlete with volleyball and basketball, made a good stop of a smashed grounder by Lady Knight Jaya Travis to end a rally in the bottom of the sixth.

La Jolla right fielder Sina Anae (center, in red
uniform) exchanges high five's with
Lady Knights players after game.

Meanwhile, in the other dugout, the hosts were a little down-in-the-mouth with the reality that star pitcher/hitter Shelby Maier is out for the season, having torn her right ACL in an informal game of "Razzle Dazzle" (look it up) with a group of boys and undergone surgery three months ago. (She said she's looking at a total of six months of rehabilitation.)

"I got a little too competitive" in the game with the boys, said the smiling Maier, who never looks this relaxed on days she's pitching. But ACL surgery is a common procedure among athletes now, and her prognosis for returning should be good. She made a commitment to play at the University of Georgia last year in her sophomore year of high school.

Ferenczy, who last year with the entire team that went on to the CIF title suffered early-season struggles after not touching a softball since the end of her freshman season, looked sharp from the pitching circle. Her command was good, keeping the ball low to opposing batters. Her curve proved difficult for the handcuffed Bishop's hitters to solve.

Her natural position is in the outfield, but as a junior with two outstanding seasons under her belt doing double duty for La Jolla pitching and hitting in the third slot in the order, she is already embarking on a third strong year.

Sinkeldam helped manufacture the Vikings' first run in the top of the first by drawing a walk from Bishop's pitcher Danielle Straus, stealing second, then with two outs scoring on Alvarez's single.

In the top of the fourth, Sinkeldam, after singling in two runs to make the score 3-0 in favor of La Jolla, added another steal of second base. The commit to Cal State Dominguez Hills next year was her usual intent self, serving as one of the Vikings' three captains with Shaffer and Alvarez.

The insurance run for the Vikings in the top of the seventh, as they led only 3-1 going into the final stanza, came on Ferenczy's one-out single, stolen base, then after advancing to third coming around to score on Alvarez's sacrifice fly.

The home team came back to score a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the threat fell short as Ferenczy and the improved defense held tight.

Farias, one of the three talented freshmen, replaces third baseman Linda Brown, who graduated last June after a stellar four-year career for the Vikings. Dooley at second base and Espinoza in left field are upgrades from last year's CIF Division 4 champions.