Edison softball suffers third straight setback in loss to Los Alamitos

Edison High’s softball team once seemed like a safe bet to make the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

Injuries have contributed to the struggles of the Chargers, who have experienced a power outage offensively over their last three games.

The Chargers were shut out in back-to-back games by Huntington Beach and Marina. Although Edison finally got back on the board on Thursday, it would not be enough to end the Chargers’ skid.

Los Alamitos scored nine runs to pull away in the seventh inning, routing host Edison 12-4 in a Sunset League game.

The Griffins sent one catcher, Sunset League MVP Mary Iakopo, to Oregon after last season. Los Alamitos (23-1, 7-0 in league), ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, has another phenomenal catcher in freshman Sophia Nugent.

Nugent hit a grand slam that opened the Griffins’ lead to 7-1 in the seventh. Nugent, who had five runs batted in, also had a run-scoring double that opened the scoring in the first.

“I don’t even think she knows how good she is,” Griffins coach Rob Weil said of Nugent. “She is a very talented kid. She understands the game to a point where she doesn’t understand the game. She just sees a pitch and she hits it.”

Nugent seemed to confirm Weil’s suspicions that the talented young player acts on instinct. When asked to describe her grand slam, she said, “I think the pitch was up. It looked like a good pitch. I thought it was going to be a strike, so I swung at it.”

Within the nine-run seventh inning, the Griffins also got a two-run double from Laura Henriksen and a two-run home run from Elizabeth Keller.

It was in the first meeting between the teams that the Chargers (11-9, 3-4) lost Alex Loomis to a finger injury. The incident brought back an unfortunate case of déjà vu for Edison, as the Chargers also lost a critical cog in their lineup last year when Danielle Votendahl sustained a similar injury covering second base.

“To say that there is not an impact wouldn’t be the truth,” Chargers coach Melissa Roth said. “What it does allow is for some of the younger kids to come in and get that experience, whether it helps them now or it helps them next year.”

Los Alamitos starter Sarah Ladd retired 16 of the first 17 batters she faced.

After being held scoreless in their previous two contests, the Chargers finally broke through in the sixth on a solo home run by No. 9 hitter Mikaila Pancino.

“I was just really hoping to start something,” Pancino said. “I know that we can all do it. I just happened to be the one that put the ball in play.”

At the time, Edison cut the deficit to 3-1, but then the Griffins’ offensive outburst took place.

Edison has lost three in a row. The Chargers have two road games remaining against Newport Harbor and Huntington Beach. They have a home game in between with Fountain Valley.

The Oilers are in second place in league at 6-1, three games ahead of the second-place Chargers. Marina is fourth at 2-4.

Edison might have a recurring third-place playoff game with Marina. It happened last year when the two played for the league’s final automatic playoff berth. The teams have already split their meetings this year.

“I hope that everything works out, but Marina could surprise some people,” Roth said. “To have to count on other people to lose, that’s just not the best-case scenario.

“They’re playing really, really well. We’ve got to take care of our games first and worry about our team first before I can hope for anything right now.”

Roth added that Chargers ace Jenna Bloom will most likely be unavailable to pitch for the remainder of the season because of an undisclosed injury.

Edison is moving forward with Talia Hannappel as its primary starter, with Jenna Gorden serving as another option. Hannappel struck out seven against the Griffins before being lifted after six-plus innings.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner