Softball: Santiago’s second upset loss might not mean a thing

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There were some big games Tuesday, but what turned out to be one of the biggest wasn’t expected to cause as much as a blip on the radar in the Inland Empire.

Instead, Corona defeated Corona Santiago, 8-2, in a Mountain View League game as Christine Montez hit a three-run homer and Katrina Pinkowksi limited the Sharks to five hits. Santiago is the No. 1 team in the The Times’ ranking and No. 2 in the Southern Section Division I coaches poll. It is No. 4 in the state.

Playoff ramifications? It would seem likely, but to what extent is a huge question because the section rankings are so messed up -- but that’s another blog. Mountain View League rivals Santiago and Norco are ranked second and fourth in the division, and first-place Santiago must be seeded ahead of Norco for playoff purposes.

Barring other surprises, my guess is that Santiago will flip-flop with Hart and drop to No. 3, with virtually no penalty for the loss to Corona.

Back to the loss, I was surprised by the outcome on two fronts: Santiago gave up so many runs (eight) and that it scored so few (two).

‘So was I,’ Santiago Coach John Perez said. ‘They played well and we didn’t.’

It’s the second loss in 16 days for Santiago (23-3, 9-2) to a nondescript opponent, Corona Centennial (12-15, 2-9) being more nondescript than Corona (21-9, 6-5).

That makes two losses in the Sharks’ final four games heading into the playoffs. But Santiago has been down this road before. In 2006, it lost three of its last five, then won the Division I title.

‘The only ranking that counts,’ Perez said, ‘is the one at the end of the year.’

-- Martin Henderson