Providence softball loses first-place battle with Archer
BURBANK — It was errors by visiting Archer High that contributed to the Providence softball team scoring six runs in a battle for first place in the Liberty League on Monday.
Unfortunately for the Pioneers, a costly error of their own in the sixth inning allowed the Panthers to push across the winning run in a 7-6 result at Olive Park.
The loss is the first in league play for Providence (5-3, 4-1 in league), as it fell to second place behind Archer (8-7, 6-0 in league). The teams, which will meet in the final game of the regular season May 9 at Archer, shared the league title last season with Pacifica Christian.
With Pacifica Christian out of the title picture, the Pioneers still have a shot at winning a share of the league championship.
“We have two more games this week, Wednesday against Pacifica Christian and then we play Oakwood on Friday,” Providence Coach Joel Curtis said. “If we can win those two games this week, we will go into next Tuesday with a chance to win a share of the league title and hopefully hang another banner.
“But I think Archer was missing a couple of their players today and we just didn’t hit the ball well and we had too many strikeouts. We need to play them better the next time around.”
The Pioneers struck out nine times against Panthers starter Kamryn Ballamy.
Prior to the game, Curtis said he was concerned about Archer’s top three hitters - Ali Kiley, Ballamy and Morgan Dennis. The first time through the order, Providence pitcher Sophia Jimenez kept the trio in check, yielding just a walk, and that runner was thrown out trying to steal second.
However, the next two times through the lineup, the trio accounted for a single, double, home run, walk, hit batter, five runs scored and four runs batter in.
“We didn’t want to get too excited for this game. We just wanted to go out and play,” said Providence’s Francesca Marvilla, who was four for four with a triple, a run scored and two RBI. “We just wanted to try as hard as we could and just play it out.
“I think we did pretty good overall, but we did have some problems.”
Providence took an early lead and enjoyed a 6-4 advantage going into the sixth. In the top of the frame, Ballamy led off and was hit by a pitch and Dennis and Rachel Pike walked to load the bases. Jimenez was removed and Cielo Monzon took over. The reliever struck out the next two batters she faced and then induced a slow roller down the third-base line. The throw to first was high, allowing the Panthers to score three runs to take a 7-6 lead.
The Pioneers looked to get even in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners at first and third following base hits from Marvilla and Carla Galvez. But Ballamy ended the game with a strikeout and a comebacker.
“If our pitcher pitches and hits her spot we’re OK,” Curtis said. “But if our pitcher makes a mistake, their hitters can make us pay for that. But the bottom line is that we should have hit better and my top three in the lineup struggled and they hit too many pop flies.”
The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Rachel Camonayan singled and scored on a double by Emily Mai (two for four). Mai was plated on an RBI single by Marvilla.
Providence went ahead, 4-0, with two runs in the second inning, aided by two Panthers errors. Archer committed nine errors overall.
Archer tied it at 4 with four runs in the third, spearheaded by a two-run inside-the-park home run by Dennis.
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports