SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Garden Grove Beats Kennedy for Second Consecutive Title

A sinking line drive that turned into a game-ending double play helped Garden Grove hold off Kennedy, 5-4, Thursday at Mark Twain Elementary School, giving the Argonauts their second consecutive Garden Grove League championship.

Garden Grove (19-5, 14-0 in league) shared the title with Kennedy (23-3, 12-2) last season, but the Argonauts’ outright title this year ended Kennedy’s three-year reign.

With one out in the top of the seventh, and the tying run on third, Kennedy’s Debbie Lite, who was on second base, misjudged teammate Lana Jimenez’s sinking line drive into center field.

“I thought it was a hit, too,” Garden Grove Coach Paula Cervantes said.

But Garden Grove center fielder Stephanie Mareina made a running catch in shallow center field, and Lite was caught midway between second and third. Mareina lobbed the ball to second baseman Kelly White to end the game.

Garden Grove roughed up Kennedy ace Cheryl Longeway, who had allowed only two earned runs before Thursday and boasted an earned-run average of 0.09.

Garden Grove’s big outburst came in the fourth inning, using four singles and an error to score four runs.