Southern Section 1-A Softball : Miraleste Defeats Paraclete, 3-2

Senior Rysa Ferdon’s ground-rule double in the bottom of the seventh innning scored pitcher Jennifer Chew and lifted Miraleste to the Southern Section 1-A softball championship with a 3-2 victory over Paraclete Saturday night at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

“I wanted to win this since I was six-years old,” Ferdon said. “I hadn’t hit a ball hard all day so I just went back to my normal swing and it worked.”

Paraclete, the Desert-Inyo Large league champion, led, 2-1, going into the fourth when Miraleste loaded the bases. Raqual Edwards hit into a fielder’s choice, sending Andra Stockert home and tying the score, 2-2.

Chew, a senior, allowed only two hits and had 12 strikeouts as she kept the Spirits off balance with her off-speed pitches in improving her record to 25-1.

“Our goal at the start of the year was to win CIF,” Miraleste Coach John Matull said. “ With our kids hitting the ball hard all game long I knew we would come back.”

Miraleste finishes the season 25-1-1. Tami Logan (17-3) took the loss for Paraclete, which finished 22-3.