Division III Final: Glendora St. Lucy’s vs. Pacifica

When--1 today

Where--Mayfair Park, Lakewood

St. Lucy’s (25-6-1)--When the Regents beat Hacienda Heights Wilson, 2-1, in the semifinals, players were actually hoping Pacifica had won so they could get another shot at the Mariners. “They want that chance to see what they can do,” Coach Dave Confair said. “Amanda [Freed] is the best pitcher around.” There are 13 players back from last year’s title game, and if St. Lucy’s competes as it did a year ago, it should be a terrific game; there was only one hit through 5 1/2 innings, and then Pacifica scored three in the sixth for a 3-0 victory. Shannon Walsh is 23-5 with a 0.48 ERA. A solid defensive team, the Regents have 14 shutouts and are 14-1 in extra-inning games. St. Lucy’s has won 14 of its last 15, its last loss to Upland, 3-2, in the final game of the regular season. Natalie Anter, who had the only line drive against Freed, is batting .324 with 22 RBIs. Libby Ramos is batting .329, and Christine Quesada .308.

PROBABLE LINEUP

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No. Name Yr. Pos 5 Christine Quesada So. SS 28 Libby Ramos Jr. CF 27 Shannon Walsh Sr. P 31 Natalie Anter Sr. C 13 Jacque Vaca So. 1B 1 Lora McBay Jr. RF 34 Roni Rivera Jr. 3B 51 Sarah Elia Fr. 2B 10 Brooke Norton Sr. LF

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Pacifica (28-3)--Freed pitched a no-hitter and struck out 11 against St. Lucy’s in last year’s title game; it remains the only time St. Lucy’s has been no-hit in the last five years. Freed has pitched three consecutive no-hitters, and given up one hit in four playoff games. The Regents have one player with more than 12 RBIs, but the Mariners have five: Freed (26), Diana Barreras (21), Toria Auelua (21), Nicole Pickett (16) and Tiffany Wallace (13). Pacifica is batting .298 as a team, with a .476 on-base average and .400 slugging average. The Mariners have ironed out some offensive problems that plagued them earlier this season.

PROBABLE LINEUP

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No. Name Yr. Pos 9 Dara Webb Jr. 2B 3 Shawna Goessling So. RF 7 Amanda Freed Sr. P 23 Toria Auelua Jr. C 18 Nicole Pickett Jr. 1B 42 Tiffany Wallace Jr. CF 34 Jessica Soto Jr. 3B 21 D. Mastergeorge Jr. LF 10 Diana Barreras So. SS

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Key to the game--Freed is the game’s central figure, and if her teammates play defense behind her, the outcome should be a foregone conclusion. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this game go beyond seven innings or even push the two-hour time limit.