La Cañada softball stymied in second round by Santa Monica
It appeared as though the La Cañada High softball team had turned the corner and gained momentum.
Competing in a CIF Southern Section Division IV second-round road playoff game against Santa Monica on Tuesday, La Cañada rallied to tie Santa Monica in the sixth inning.
The momentum proved to be short-lived, as Santa Monica received a home run in the bottom of the sixth en route to a 2-1 victory at Memorial Park.
“We had a couple of base-running errors,” La Cañada first-year Coach Chuck Gunter said. “We thought we could go ahead and we just couldn’t capitalize.
“Then they get the home run in the sixth and it just deflated us. I thought the teams were evenly matched. We were just a little sloppy at times.”
La Cañada, which won the Rio Hondo League championship before posting a first-round victory against Rialto, finished 19-7. Santa Monica, which took second in the Ocean League, improved to 14-8.
The Spartans gave up a first-inning unearned run by virtue of a couple of errors.
La Cañada bounced back to tie the game when Megan Reilly singled home Emily Tinkham.
The Spartans had four hits in the sixth, but couldn’t pull ahead.
The Spartans finished with eight hits, including two from Sammy Jedrey.
La Cañada starting pitcher Holly Stoner went the distance. The right-hander struck out six and walked two.
Gunter said the Spartans made progress, following a first-round playoff loss last season.
“We made some big strides,” Gunter said. “It’s going to bode well for our team moving forward and they gained some great [playoff] experience.”
Santa Monica began the playoffs with a 1-0 win against third-seeded Buena.
