Roundup : Cypress Takes Advantage of Mater Dei

Championships are hard to repeat. You need a lot of luck.

The Cypress High School softball team got just that, along with some solid pitching and defense, as it began its quest for its second consecutive Southern Section 4-A title.

Cypress beat Mater Dei, 4-1, at Cypress Park in the first round of the 4-A playoffs.

Cypress’ first three runs were a result of Mater Dei errors.

“I’ll take them any way they come,” said Cypress Coach Tom Farr, whose team won the Empire League championship last week.

Cypress scored in the bottom of the first inning. Diane Pohl’s single hopped past third base, and Mater Dei left fielder Wendy Robinson misplayed the ball, allowing Heidi Helm to score from first.

Mater Dei tied the score, 1-1, in the fifth, but in the bottom of the inning, Karen Kuypers scored from third when Robinson dropped Sandy Buckner’s popup.

Mater Dei Coach Cathy Quesnell said Robinson’s game was unusual.

“She’s nails,” Quesnell said. “She’s played left field on varsity for four years. I can’t tell you what happened.”

Cypress broke the game open in the sixth. Erin Alsop opened the inning by popping the ball up over the pitcher’s mound, but sophomore pitcher Sundy Mosqueda dropped the ball. Tanya Smith followed with a double and freshman Ingrid Swick drove Alsop in with a single. Kuypers walked to load the bases and Cindy Powers bunted, pushing Smith across to score Cypress’ fourth and final run.

Cypress’ Beth Howard, who has shared time on the mound with Swick this season, relieved Swick last Thursday against Los Alamitos and shut the Griffins down to give Cypress the league title.

Howard (6-5), a sophomore, continued her roll Thursday. She gave up just three hits, all in the fifth inning, and walked three.

Mosqueda (6-5) gave up seven hits. She has split the starting job with junior Beth Lomeli, who had a sore arm Thursday.

“It kind of takes the wind out of a pitcher’s sails when kids are making errors,” Quesnell said. “But I’m very pleased with her. I’m looking for good things in the future.”

Mater Dei, which took third place in the Angelus League, finishes 15-9. It is the second consecutive year the Monarchs have been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.

Cypress (16-10) will face Fountain Valley in the second round Tuesday, but the site is undetermined.

In another 4-A division game:

Fountain Valley 14, North Torrance 1--Rae Rice went 3 for 3 with a home run and 4 RBIs to lead host Fountain Valley (22-6-1). Rice (17-5) also threw a four-hitter, striking out nine. Sami Sawyer had three hits and one RBI and Shannon Harrison had two hits and two RBIs.

In the 2-A division:

Mission Viejo 2, Alemany 0--Jenny Heidt (10-1) threw a two-hitter, striking out five, to lead host Mission Viejo (19-7). Chris Howard threw a three-hitter for Alemany (12-8) but gave up two unearned runs and took the loss.

In the 1-A division:

Elsinore 8, Rosary 3--Rosary led, 4-0, after four innings, but Elsinore scored eight runs in the last three innings, including five in the seventh, at Lions Park in Fullerton.