Glendale High softball sees momentum, playoff hopes fade

ARCADIA — For all the momentum carried into Thursday by the Glendale High softball team, it was quelled in quick fashion.

And, as the Nitros’ momentum went, so too might well have gone their postseason aspirations.

In what was very much a must-have game for Glendale, it was stymied on the road by Arcadia, 6-2, in Pacific League action Thursday.

“After a great emotional win, it appears we had a big letdown,” Nitros Coach Greg Martin said.

The emotional win Martin spoke of was a 7-2 victory Tuesday against Crescenta Valley that put Glendale in position to win out and grab fourth place in league and the final automatic postseason spot.

Now, the Nitros (10-11, 5-7 in league) trail third-place Arcadia (12-4, 8-4) by three games and fourth-place Crescenta Valley (7-5) by two with two games to play.

“Win two games and apply for a wild card, hopefully,” said Martin of where his team is hoping to go moving forward.

On Thursday, Arcadia surged ahead with three runs in the first inning and really never looked back, outhitting the Nitros, 10-7, taking advantage of four Glendale errors and using a solid pitching performance by Isabelle Mejia to win the day.

“We failed to make adjustments to their pitcher,” Martin said. “A few times I thought we were forced to swing at some bad pitches.”

While Martin’s umbrage with the umpiring was rather transparent, no matter the cause, Glendale batters struck out eight times. Mejia went six innings, allowing six hits, striking out seven and allowing two runs.

Glendale leadoff hitter Sammy Fabian extended her high school career-long hitting streak to 43 games as she went three for four with two stolen bases and a run.

The Nitros got off to a good enough start at the plate with Esme Piedra and Tiffany Bartamian drawing walks and Piedra scoring for a 1-0 lead after a Jordan Lousararian single.

But, keyed by a two-run triple from Katelyn Morreale (three for three, two runs), the Apaches took a 3-1 lead after one inning.

Another run scored in the bottom of the third, which saw two Glendale errors and a Morreale ground-rule double on a ball that might have been catchable.

Fabian had a bunt single to begin the top of the fifth, she stole second and was plated by a Bartamian sacrifice fly.

But the 4-2 score was as close as the Nitros got as the Apaches followed with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Three one-out singles in a row loaded the bases before an error against a drawn-in infield ushered in two runs for the final score.