By Ed Piper
La Jolla's softball team (8-0 in the Central League, 13-11 overall) enters the Division 5 playoffs Wed., May 20 at home, carrying a 10-game winning streak.
Starting pitcher Jacey Taylor, in the pitching circle because Coach Anthony Sarain doesn't have anyone else--except shortstop Ella Pearl, who usually takes over for Taylor in later innings as another member of the team playing out of position--will have another chance to break La Jolla's school record for home runs in a career.
Jacey (playing for the Vikings 2023-2026) hit three home runs Thurs., May 14, in LJHS's final regular season game against High Tech. That puts her at 27 for her quadrennium at the coastal school, tying Emmy Cardenas (2020-2023).
Taylor, with her third home run in a shortened five-inning game, broke Emmy's single-season record, 12 home runs, with her 13th shot in 2026.
After her first home run on the day, a line drive to center-right, which this reporter witnessed, she came back to the Vikings' dugout and declared, "I didn't think it was going to be a home run."
"We go as far as our pitching takes us," was Sarain's basic statement as his team increased their league-winning advantage over Kearny (4-4), Hoover (4-4), High Tech (3-5), and Crawford (1-7).
Sarain's 2016 team won the CIF Division 4 title, and finished as runner-up the next year.
La Jolla's last league title was 2021, when Cardenas was a sophomore. "They just walked her the next year," said her dad, Rich, of the 2022 season, when the Vikings' cupboard was more bare of talent at multiple positions.
This team has anchors at catcher (junior Aviv Laska), third base (freshman Ellie Thomson), shortstop (Pearl, a sophomore), and centerfield (senior Savannah Putnam). Putnam was named to the all-league team last year.
Taylor and Pearl appear to be in consideration for league Player of the Year, determined the coaches, usually the pennant-winner. They could be named co-Players of the Year, or one solo. It would be unthinkable that Jacey would not be named to at least share that honor. She is the only player in the Viking dugout with more than one home run, and her RBI total (66) more than doubles the next closest player (Aviv, with 31).
Pearl has 12 doubles, Taylor 15.
La Jolla's opponent Wednesday is Orange Glen, who is seeded eighth. (The Vikes are seeded first.) LJHS has homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, since they go in with the top seed.
Southwest (SD) is seeded second and is playing in the lower bracket, to split up the favored teams across the brackets. To show you how fast the team quality falls off, no respect meant for the other squads, Hoover is seeded fourth. La Jolla demolished the Cardinals in league, 24-12 and 26-6.
No comments:
Post a Comment