Southern Section Softball Playoffs : Laguna Hills Ousts Saugus With 6-0 Win

In the dugout after the Saugus softball team’s second-round 2-A Division playoff game Wednesday, Centurion pitcher Cathy Lewis picked up a videotape cassette and asked, “What is this?”

Saugus Coach Ron Hilton answered, “It’s a tape of today’s game. You can take a look at it if you want.”

Lewis, however, grimaced and quickly discarded the tape. The junior left-hander didn’t need to see a replay of Saugus’ 6-0 season-ending loss to Laguna Hills to know what happened.

Lewis (9-5) gave up a season-high 11 hits and Laguna Hills scored four runs in the seventh inning to run away with the game and advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round. The Centurions managed only two hits against Laguna Hills right-hander Margo Melendrez and finished the season 13-10.

Laguna Hills (18-9), which tied Woodbridge, 0-0, in the Southern Section 2-A title game for the co-championship last year, jumped on Lewis in the second inning when she allowed a bases-loaded walk to force in the Hawks’ first run.

“That wasn’t the way I would have picked to start off,” Lewis said. “But it was only one run and I felt we were in it up until the end.”

Laguna Hills scored again in the sixth for a 2-0 lead, then Melendrez ripped her first home run of the season to spark the four-run seventh for the Hawks.

“I guess I just got it up a little too high,” Lewis said. “They were just making good contact.”

Saugus, on the other hand, was not.

The only Centurion hits were a bunt single by junior Westie Gray in the second inning and a base hit to short by senior Chris Arambula in the sixth.