Flintridge Prep softball goes down swinging against Vasquez

It had been a while since the Flintridge Prep softball team had been in the playoffs.

And the Rebels certainly didn’t let their first postseason trip since 2011 end without a fight.

Flintridge Prep rallied for four seventh-inning runs before finally succumbing to host Vasquez, 9-6, in Wednesday’s CIF Southern Section Division VI first-round playoff game at Antelope Valley College.

”We fought really well,” Rebels Coach Julie Mejia said. “We scored four runs in that last inning.

“They showed just great heart in fighting back.”

Flintridge Prep fell behind, 2-0, after two innings, relinquishing singles runs in each of the first two innings before tying the game with two runs in the top of the third.

However, Vasquez scored twice in the bottom of the third, thrice in the fourth and twice more in the sixth for a 9-2 advantage before the Rebels’ four-run curtain call.

Flintridge Prep, which finished third in the Prep League, concluded its turnaround season at 10-9, which matches the number of wins the Rebels combined for over their three previous seasons.

On Wednesday, Prep and Vasquez (19-3), the Desert Mountain League champion, made the most of their hits. Vasquez scored nine runs on nine hits, while the Rebels scored six runs on just four hits. Vasquez also capitalized on four Prep errors.

“They were a quality team, but we just had too many errors,” Mejia said. “Offensively, in that final inning, we finally started stringing hits together.”

Alex Tutwiler led the charge for the Rebels with two hits and four runs batted in, while Therese Oshiro and Maia Cohen also drove in runs. Oshiro and Erin Price (two walks) had two runs each, while Cohen and Dominique Wright also had runs.

Maddy Maker, the lone senior on the team, was one of four Rebels starters absent from the game for reason ranging from injuries to family commitments. Thus, the experience gained on a team expected to have eight starters returning was a boon for Mejia.

“It was exciting,” Mejia said. “This was a brand new experience for us, which was great. I’m really happy that we got to playoffs and we got to have that experience and we only lose one senior.

“The fact that we went out there and competed and put them on their heels a little bit is an accomplishment.”