GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Kennedy Wins in 11, Clinches Tie for Title

Kennedy High School defeated Garden Grove, 1-0, in 11 innings Tuesday in a matchup of two of the top softball teams in the Southern Section 4-A.

Kennedy, ranked third in the Orange County Coaches’ poll, clinched at least a tie for first place in the league race with the victory over Garden Grove, ranked fifth in the county. Even if Kennedy loses its final game of the season, at Pacifica on Thursday, it will win the league title over Garden Grove because of the advantage and head-to-head play. The teams played to a 1-1, 20-inning tie this season.

Kennedy won with the help of three Garden Grove errors in the 11th inning, including one that let the winning run score.

With two outs, Garden Grove pitcher Stephanie Smith threw a wild pitch that caught the front of home plate. But Kennedy’s Jackie Duncan swung at it and reached base on the dropped third strike.

With freshman Lana Jimenez at bat, Duncan stole second when shortstop Michelle Cash dropped the throw from the catcher.

Then Jimenez knocked a high ball to left field, and outfielder Stephanie Mareina lost the ball in the sun. Duncan scored on the error to end the game.

Jimenez’s batting average is .408, best on the team, and she has scored a team-high 20 runs for Kennedy (21-2-1, 12-0-1).

“I think she is an outstanding player,” Kennedy Coach Sue Hall said. “At the beginning of the year I put her name in as an all-county candidate after I saw her for only one week.

“You know how some players just don’t have the inner desire to win? She’s got it. She’s the quickest player I’ve ever coached.”

Jimenez handled the pressure like a senior.

“I had struck out the three times before and I just thought this is it. I’ve got to come out of it and I just relaxed,” Jimenez said.

Cheryl Longeway pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts to get her 17th victory in 20 games.

“To tell you the truth, I would have been happy with second place,” Longeway said. “I know it sounds bad, but they’re a good team.”

Smith (20-4-1), the county leader in strikeouts with 269, also pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts and walked one. She is two strikeouts away from the school record.

“Three errors in a row,” Garden Grove Coach Paula Cervantes said. “The girl who scored struck out. Secondly, she should have been out at second but the shortstop made the error. And the girl should have been out (on the fly ball). Any ballpark is going to have sun. She should have caught it. It was an easy pop fly.

“I’m not disappointed, and I’m not upset. We haven’t been getting the lucky breaks, but hopefully we will in (the tournament).”

In other league games:

La Quinta 9, Los Amigos 1--Robin Weaver had two hits and an RBI and Diane Boston hit a three-run homer in the fifth to lead host La Quinta (12-9, 9-4).

Pacifica 8, Rancho Alamitos 0--Jennifer Surface pitched a two-hitter, striking out 10, for visiting Pacifica (10-9, 7-6). Dena Villasenor and Susan Denny each had two hits and two RBIs for Pacifica.