SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Canyon Finally Wins Its Tournament by Beating No.3 Garden Grove

Canyon High School upset Garden Grove, 1-0, to win the 4-A Division championship of the Canyon Tournament of Champions Friday night at Peralta Canyon Park.

Canyon, ranked fourth in the Orange County Softball Coaches’ Poll, had been to the quarterfinals of its tournament three times but never beyond. But Friday, the Comanches got solid pitching from Sara Roberts and savvy baserunning from Dalynne Large to defeat third-ranked Garden Grove (13-3).

Large scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. She singled to left, the first hit allowed by Stephanie Smith. Large advanced to second on a passed ball.

With Traci Hymes at the plate and the count 3-1, Large decided to steal third. Garden Grove third baseman Brandie Novack bobbled the throw from catcher Becky Eggers. Large scored on the error. “She’s my best baserunner,” Canyon Coach Lance Eddy said of Large. “She is not my fastest, but she knew she could pull it. She just makes it happen. She decided to go on her own. Besides, if she’s out, she leads off on second base for the tiebreaker.’

Large, who plays second base, got Canyon’s only hit off Smith.

“I thought (Smith) was pitching a lot of balls, so I thought she was going to walk (Hymes), so I just went,” Large said.

“Then I noticed no one was covering third and they threw the ball anyway and the third baseman wasn’t even ready for it. Then Lance sent me home.”

and walked two.

Roberts (8-1) had nine strikeouts, one walk and gave up two hits.

Canyon (12-1) has lost only to Buena Park.

In other Canyon tournament games:

El Toro 1, San Clemente 0 (eight innings, tiebreaker)--Karie Yoshioka singled to right to score Jenny Melville from second base in the tiebreaker in the ninth-place 4-A game. Paige Lauby then struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth.

In the Academy League:

Liberty Christian 10, St. Margaret’s 3--Lisa Gray pitched a one-hitter, striking out nine and walking seven to lead Liberty Christian (5-3, 1-0) at Davis Field in Costa Mesa. In nonleague games:

Mission Viejo 2, Trabuco Hills 1 (8 innings)--Mission Viejo (8-3) scored in the top of the eighth. Kerin Dull (8-2) pitched a three-hitter, striking out five and walking three for the victory.

Capistrano Valley 2, Santa Ana Valley 0--The first Santa Ana Valley batter reached on an error by pitcher Jennifer Smith, but Smith then retired 21 consecutive batters for her second no-hitter of the season. Smith (6-2) struck out 12. Visiting Capistrano Valley is 8-2.

Garden Grove Claremont 18, Calvary Baptist 4--Amy Miller had four hits, including a two-run home run in the second inning, and had four RBIs to lead Claremont (4-5) at Garden Grove Park. In the Olympic League:

Whittier Christian 19, Whitney 7--Duque Isela went three for five, drove five runs and scored two and for visiting Whittier Christian (7-4, 2-2).