Softball: Los Amigos stuns Westminster
WESTMINSTER – Students are taught that there are six basic ways to formulate a question.
The ‘Five Ws’ (who, what, when, where, why) were far easier to answer than the last.
How Los Amigos High’s softball team stole victory from the jaws of certain defeat on Thursday afternoon seemed to go beyond comprehension.
If there was a lesson to be learned from a game that started out as fundamentally sloppy as it could get, it was this: As long as outs remain to be recorded, there is still a game to be played.
The Lobos committed four errors in the first inning in falling behind big early. They eventually found themselves down, 11-3, after four innings.
Los Amigos had nine outs to play with. It seemed more likely that the game would be shortened by the mercy rule.
Instead, the Lobos rattled off 16 unanswered runs to come away with a 19-14 victory over host Westminster in a nonleague game.
The tables were turned after the Lions (2-7) rallied past the Lobos (4-7) for an 8-7 win on March 16 in the Aztec Challenge.
Christina Rodriguez went four for five with four runs batted in and a steal of home to lead the Lobos.
Brittany Fraser had three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Arlene Penaloza drove in three runs off the bench, and Viviana Flores also had two hits.
“That was tough,” Lobos assistant coach Andy Fraser said. “We came out lackadaisical. We stayed our course, came back, and we made a game of it.”
“Being patient at home plate was a big key.”
Despite the early deficit, the Lobos knew that they would have chances to chip away if they could keep Westminster off the scoreboard. Los Amigos worked at least one walk in every inning.
Lions freshman starter Dalilah Mercado (2-4) issued 12 walks, and it was largely her undoing in the fifth.
Two-run singles by Gabby Frias and Bri Greene had opened the Westminster lead to 11-3 in the bottom of the fourth, forcing Fraser (4-7), the Lobos’ starter, from the game with two outs in the inning.
In the next half inning, the Lobos required just two hits to push eight runs across. Penaloza played a big role as a pinch hitter. The senior doubled to the opposite field in right to score two.
“This was one of my first good games,” Penaloza said. “I haven’t played on varsity before. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel proud that I did something to help my team out for once.”
Los Amigos had the bases loaded with two outs in the inning. Brittney Trujillo took a big secondary lead off of first. Lions catcher Alyssa Williams threw behind her, and the resulting run-down allowed Alyssa Ledezma and Annelle Guillen to come home with the tying runs.
Fraser returned to throw scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth.
That enabled the Lobos to ride their momentum for three runs in the sixth and five runs in the seventh. Rodriguez’s two-run double to left-center made it 18-11, and she scored her team’s final run on an error.
“To be honest, it influences me,” Rodriguez said of having runners on base. “I want to get them in. I want to get more RBIs.”
Sariyah Triplett went three for five with four RBIs to lead Westminster. Brittany Anella also had three hits. Katie Kamikubo, Kayly Vang, and Frias each had two hits.
It was the third straight victory for Los Amigos. The win will maintain the smiles in what was otherwise a game to review on the tape. The Lobos committed seven errors as a team.
Los Amigos plays host to Santa Ana on Friday before resuming Costa Mesa Tournament play with a game against Laguna Beach on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Tewinkle Park.
Nonleague
Los Amigos 19, Westminster 14
SCORE BY INNINGS
LA 002 183 5 – 19 14 7
Wes 600 500 3 – 14 15 5
Fraser (re-entered 5th), Guillen (4) and Moreno; Mercado and Williams. W – Fraser, 4-6. L – Mercado, 2-4. 2B – Penaloza (LA), Rodriguez (LA); Frias (Wes). 3B – Triplett (Wes).
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
