Softball: Spartans Inch Closer to Wrapping up League Title

It wasn’t its most impressive showing of the season, but the La Canada softball team got the job done anyway Wednesday with a number of big hits against Michelle Floyd and San Marino. Shirley Drange and Anna Edwards each had key RBIs, helping the Spartans take down San Marino 7-4.

“However you look at it, anytime you come out and face a pitcher like Michelle Floyd and come out with a win, it’s a good day,” Spartans coach KC Mathews said. “We didn’t play our best game, yes, and these girls are fatigued. We have been playing a lot of softball lately, but overall a win is a win.”

A combined total of nine errors were committed by both teams, and San Marino’s gaffes proved to be costly as only three of the seven runs scored by the Spartans were earned.

The errors put Floyd in a bind throughout the game. She finished the game allowing seven hits but struck out 13.

“You can’t expect to make six errors and win the game,” Titans coach Hilda Valencia said. “We understand that some girls weren’t playing their normal positions, but it’s no excuse to not expect them to do their job.”

Spartans starter Lauren O’Leary also suffered through a number of Spartan errors and was charged with two unearned runs. She still had a solid outing nonetheless, throwing a complete game with eight Ks and four hits.

The Titans had to overcome the loss of two key offensive pieces. Alexis Watanabe, the team’s leading hitter, was out due to illness. Jacqueline Martinez also had to sit out the game as she was ejected from Tuesday’s game against Monrovia.

“Alexis and Jacquie are a huge part of our team,” Valencia said. “Alexis is our leadoff hitter, and even though she stands at just five feet, she carries the load of the team. It shouldn’t have had a huge effect, but it really showed today.”

Trouble mounted early for the Titans, starting with a fielding error to start the game. Floyd struck out the next two batters, but Aubri Thompson reached first on a dropped third strike. Shirley Drange made sure those two errors would cost San Marino, belting a double to deep right center to plate two runs.

The trend of poor fielding continued in the second for San Marino (11-6, 5-3 in the Rio Hondo League). After a Kayla McCue single, Edwards reached third base on another error of a fly ball to centerfield and later scored on a passed ball.

After the Spartans scored their fifth run of the game, the error bug spread to the La Canada defense.

With a runner on first, O’Leary misfielded a bunt by Larissa Phillips. Erin Stenwall then reached on a throwing error that also allowed a run to score.

Emily Stenwall then hit a double over centerfield, and reached third on another throwing error. O’Leary eventually got out of the inning, stranding Stenwall at third.

Edwards in the fifth led the inning off with a solo home run to left to extend La Canada’s lead to 6-3 .

La Canada (17-3, 8-0) can wrap up the Rio Hondo league title with a win over Temple City and a San Marino loss to South Pasadena on Friday. Currently the Spartans are three games ahead of San Marino, and own the tiebreaker over each team in the league. San Marino will now be battling for second and third with Monrovia and Temple City with four games to play.

“In these last four games, nothing really needs to change except needing to execute,” Mathews said. “We have some very talented softball players, and each game I will always take my chances.”

“We have to get better at everything we do,” Valencia said. “We didn’t execute today, so our practice before South Pasadena is to fix every mistake and just focus on getting better.”