The Vikes' Melanie Smith (22)
was fabulous from the pitcher's
circle, allowing four hits and
only four walks in the
16-3 win over Franklin.
(Photos by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Tuesday's (June 2) regional playoff game featured some elements you don't see so often in a garden-variety high school softball game, as the surprising Vikings swamped visiting Franklin (Highland Park, Los Angeles), 16-3, to move on to a semifinal today, June 3.
In the fourth inning, pitcher Melanie Smith swung away on an illegal pitch called by the plate umpire and bounced an RBI double over the center-right field fence. La Jolla coach Anthony Sarain then got to choose "result of play"--the run scoring--or a penalty for the illegal pitch by the Panthers' Laura Duarte, and of course, he chose the RBI. The Vikings scored five runs in the inning, after a nine-run explosion in the third, and led 16-3 after four to threaten to shorten the game (via the 10-run mercy rule, which they did).
The "result of play" rule doesn't exist in baseball.
In the same inning, with La Jolla running around the bases and piling up runs, Emily Hernandez batted after Smith in the sixth spot, instead of Lily Fernandes hitting. By then, Maddie Quach, lower in the order, had seen one pitch from Duarte. Franklin coach Maribel Cortez talked to the umpires, and after a long delay, Emily was called out for batting out of order and her basehit disallowed.
Finally, not quite so unusual, involved all-league catcher Aviv Laska's flyball to short right field in the third inning. Kaela Remias, Franklin's second baseman, drifted back and caught the ball in her glove. But she and rightfielder Hailey Aguilar bumped into each other, and the ball popped out. Ella Pearl scored all the way from first base as the big inning continued--further sealing the Panthers' fate.
Players from the two teams exchange high-five's
after the game.
Outside of all that, very unusual, the visitors had failed to win a single game in the Northern League (0-10) in the Southern Section, yet here they were in the exclusive Division 5 playoffs. Cortez explained: "Our league is tough (including Eagle Rock, 9-1, and Bravo, 7-3). Every team went to the playoffs. One went to Division 1 (playoffs). One went to Division 2."
More importantly, the Panthers were seeded fourth, the Vikings fifth. Franklin traveled 117 miles one way to La Jolla, yet was the home team.
Smith, in the pitcher's circle, hurled an outstanding game, walking only four and giving up three runs. At the plate, she had three hits, including the double. Melanie had three of her team's four hits. The rest of the runs came on walks, errors, or fielder's choices, not uncommon at this level in softball. The starter only gave up four hits, and the defense limited the Panthers by committing only one error.
The 16-3 win was a celebration point after Saturday's (May 30) disappointment, losing 17-9 to Monte Vista in the D5 championship game for the San Diego Section.
This afternoon, La Jolla travels two hours-plus to San Gorgonio High School in San Bernardino to face number-one seed Arroyo Valley (3-5 in the San Andreas League, 11-14 overall) in a 4 p.m. semifinal. The Hawks are a Division 7 team in the Southern Section.
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