Pieces of Puzzle Fit for Kennedy

Monique Acedo got a big piece of the ball and a little piece of home plate.

Pieced together, they gave Kennedy High a 1-0 eight-inning victory over El Camino Real in a Northwest Valley Conference softball game Tuesday at El Camino Real.

Acedo, a freshman, sent a 2-and-2 pitch from Ashley Redlin over the head of center fielder Jessica Riddle for her second home run of the season.

Like the rest of the game, however, the play at the plate was close, with Acedo crossing the plate barely ahead of a one-hop relay from shortstop Cara Blumfield to catcher Ramona Shelburne.

“The catcher was blocking the plate really well and I just got it,” Acedo said. “I touched it, barely, but I touched it. That’s all that counts.”

Shelburne saw the play a little differently.

“Personally, I thought she was out,” she said. “But it was close. It was a close game all the way around.”

Indeed, and the final result was much different than the 6-0 drubbing Kennedy endured at the hands of the Conquistadores in last year’s City Section 4-A Division championship game.

Senior right-hander Sandra Durazo, who took the loss in that game, pitched a two-hitter for Kennedy.

Durazo (9-1), who has committed to San Diego State, struck out 11 and walked two. She retired the first 12 batters, striking out five in a row in one stretch, before issuing a walk to Shelburne to open the fifth inning.

The only hits for El Camino Real (7-3) were a one-out double to center by Redlin in the seventh and a one-out single by Andrea Cohen in the eighth.

Redlin (3-3) limited Kennedy (9-1) to four hits, struck out 11 and walked one.

Other than the home run, the sophomore right-hander allowed only a double to Stacey Fields following Acedo’s homer, a first-inning triple by Durazo and a third-inning bunt single by Cynthia Barraza.

It was enough for the Golden Cougars, who have won seven consecutive games.

“This is a very big win for us,” said Kennedy Coach Eric Moorman. “This here proved a lot.

“I told the girls before the game that El Camino was a very good team, and this shows that we can hang with these guys, that we can stay in a tough game, and then come through at the end.”