Linfield Silences Eagles, 9-0 : Softball: Cornerstone Christian musters only two hits against nemesis in Division VI title game.

For the second consecutive season, the Cornerstone Christian High softball team came up flat in a playoff game against Linfield.

The Eagles committed six errors and were routed, 9-0, in the Southern Section Division VI final Saturday at Mayfair Park.

The defeat made for a disappointing finish to a season in which Cornerstone Christian (21-1-1) rolled up big numbers. The Eagles managed only two hits against Linfield sophomore Janelle Gonzales (23-1).

Linfield (24-1) collected six hits off pitcher Karen Breshears (12-1) in winning a second consecutive section championship, the Lions’ fourth since 1985.

Linfield, champion of the Christian League, jumped to a 5-0 lead after two innings, then scored three runs in the fifth--thanks largely to four Cornerstone Christian errors.

Last season, the Lions defeated Cornerstone Christian, 18-1, in the quarterfinals. In that game, Cornerstone Christian committed four errors during an eight-run fourth inning by Linfield.

“We’re a much better team than we were last year,” Cornerstone Christian Coach Ted Erdmann said before the game. “We play excellent defense and we have good pitching. The girls kind of like being the underdog.”

Against Gonzales, the Eagles never had a chance. She struck out nine and walked two.

Gonzales, who entered the game with 241 strikeouts and an 0.28 earned-run average in 152 innings, notched her 12th shutout and nearly pitched her third no-hitter against a team that boasted a .456 team batting average despite having only one senior.

Freshman shortstop Julia Tamai (.635, five home runs, 51 runs batted in) and Breshears (.605, five home runs, 41 RBIs) were among four players who entered the game batting better than .500 for Cornerstone Christian.

A double by Julie Siefert was the Eagles’ only extra-base hit.

But Gonzales silenced the Eagles’ bats.

Breshears, who entered the game with an 0.57 ERA, struck out four and walked three.