Southern Section Playoff Roundup : Longeway Has Three-Hitter for Kennedy to Beat Covina, 7-0

Cheryl Longeway pitched a three-hitter as Kennedy High School defeated Covina, 7-0, Friday in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 3-A softball playoffs at Covina.

Longeway (21-3) struck out 12. Becca Montes, who was 2 for 3, singled in the fourth to break up the no-hitter.

“Cheryl had a really good game, but she always gets up for the big ones,” Kennedy Coach Sue Hall said.

Kennedy took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Kris Vucurevic singled home one run and Lori Graper tripled home two more. Graper was had 2 hits and 4 RBIs.

In the fifth, Charlotte Wahlsteen led off with a triple and scored on a squeeze bunt single by Susie Berdis, who had 2 hits and 2 runs scored. After Vucurevic reached on a fielder’s choice, putting runners on first and second, Graper hit her second triple of the game.

Longeway hit a solo home run in the sixth for Kennedy’s final run.

“I expected a much tougher game, after all I had heard about Covina,” Hall said. “But, with two triples and a home run, we didn’t have any problems.”

Kennedy will play Charter Oak in the semifinals Tuesday at a site to be determined.

In another 3-A game:

Charter Oak 3, Western 0--Caryn Askey (14-2) threw a two-hitter to lead host Charter Oak (25-3). Askey struck out one and walked two. Charter Oak scored two unearned runs in the second inning on two errors. Charter Oak added another run in the sixth, as Kelly Hunt singled home Askey. Western got both its hits in the third inning, as Tanya Sykes and Cindy Brown singled. The Pioneers loaded the bases with two outs in the inning, but could not score. Wendy McDermott started for Western (16-11), but left the game after giving up back-to-back singles to start the second. Ivy Pinkerton pitched 3 innings, giving up three hits and striking out 1, and Dena Petersen got the last out in the sixth. McDermott (2-1) took the loss.

In 2-A:

Corona 2, San Clemente 1--Corona (22-4) scored two runs in the sixth to break a scoreless tie at Corona. Maryann Sekel led off the inning with a single and Kari Pucci reached on an error. After a sacrifice fly, Francine Watson doubled to center to score both runs. Pucci (16-0) went the distance. She struck out 3 and scattered 8 hits. Tara Roush (11-4) also struck out 3 and gave up 8 hits, but took the loss for San Clemente (21-7). Amy Henderson had a solo home run for San Clemente in the seventh. Corona will play Laguna Hills Tuesday in the semifinals at a site to be determined.

Woodbridge 2, La Serna 0--After shutting out La Serna at home, Woodbridge (23-6) will play Arroyo at a site to be determined.

Arroyo 4, Mission Viejo 3--Host Arroyo (21-0-1) broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the fifth inning. Arroyo took a 3-0 lead in the first. Mission Viejo scored in the third when Jennifer Ward tripled and scored on a throwing error. The Diablos (20-8) tied the score in the fifth on a two-run single by Leanne Davis.