HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL / CITY SECTION 4-A DIVISION SEMIFINALS : El Camino Real Fails to Reach Final

A decade of dominance came to an end for the El Camino Real High softball team Wednesday at the hands of an avenging foe.

For the first time since 1981, El Camino Real will not be involved in the City Section 4-A Division championship game. San Pedro landed the knockout punch with a three-run ninth inning to beat El Camino Real, 6-3, in a playoff semifinal at South Gate Park.

It was the first preliminary-round loss for Coach Neils Ludlow, who came to El Camino Real in 1985. The Conquistadores were the four-time defending City champions this season.

“It’s hard to be on this end,” Ludlow said, “because we’ve been on the other end so long.”

Too long, according to San Pedro Coach Tony Dobra. El Camino Real has ended San Pedro’s season with playoff shutouts in four of the past five years.

Dobra is thankful that only two of his players have been around long enough to know that.

“We were very careful not to bring that stuff up,” he said.

San Pedro (19-5), the Pacific League champion, will face league rival Banning in the final next week. Banning edged Granada Hills, 3-2, in the other semifinal at South Gate Park.

After El Camino Real and San Pedro traded punches for eight innings, the Pirates put the game away with a big ninth. With the score tied, 3-3, Kris Jurat singled to start the winning rally.

Amie Roberts’ sacrifice bunt advanced Jurat to second, setting up what proved to be the pivotal play. Diana Barile grounded to second baseman Lori Siff, who tried to cut down Jurat at third. But the throw was late, leaving runners at first and third with one out.

On the next pitch, Diane Marshall laid down a squeeze bunt and Jurat slid under the tag of catcher Carrie Reulbach with the go-ahead run. After Mike Ahumada grounded out, Melissa Elgin broke the game open with a two-run triple.

The Pirates’ other big inning was the first, when they scored twice.

“This is the first time (in five years) we’ve scored on them,” Dobra said. “When we scored early, I said, ‘We got this monkey off our back, we might as well beat ‘em now.’ ”

San Pedro extended its lead to 3-1 in the sixth on a triple by Michelle Harper.

But El Camino Real (13-9) answered with two runs in the bottom of the sixth on four singles, including Heidi Crocker’s two-run single that tied the score, 3-3.

The Conquistadores were not without chances to win, stranding 12 baserunners.

Ludlow said he will continue to coach the softball team even though he was named El Camino Real boys’ basketball coach in April.

In the other semifinal, Banning scored all of its runs in the second inning, including the third on a squeeze bunt.

Granada Hills (15-3) scored both of its runs on throwing errors. Bobbie Dushane scored the first run in the opening inning and Kasey Miller scored the other in the seventh.