Kollen Has Key Hit as Mater Dei Wins

The Southern Section’s all-time hit leader came to bat in Saturday’s Division I softball final with a runner at second, two outs and first base open in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Walk her, right?

In hindsight, yes.

But Mater Dei’s Kelsey Kollen added to her career total with a run-scoring double, opening the way for a 4-1 victory over Chino Hills Ayala that gave the top-seeded Monarchs a division title.

Mater Dei is 30-3. Ayala is 25-4.

Kollen, a left-handed hitting senior headed to Michigan, lined the first pitch from Kim Balkan down the right-field line for her ninth RBI of the season. It pushed across a fifth-inning run that Monarch players and coaches said led to their three-run outburst an inning later.

“Once you have the one-run lead, the pressure’s off,” said Marissa Young, who played left field for the first time in her high school career. ‘It’s on the other team.”

Young, normally a pitcher, had a run-scoring triple in the sixth inning, which was followed by Jamie Bagnall’s RBI single to center field.

“It was a good time to come out of my slump,” said Young, who was batting .262.

After an error and an out, Bagnall scored on a line single by the No. 9 hitter, Courtney Ryan.

“In the sixth inning, we were going for broke,” Ayala Coach Joe Ameluxen said. “We felt if we gave them one more run, that would be it.”

A one-out error on Monica Lucatero’s grounder, then a stolen base, brought Young to the plate. On a 3-1 pitch, catcher Kerri Snyder faked the intentional walk, then jumped into the crouch. Young went the opposite way, her triple hitting the chalk on the right-field line.

Mater Dei’s 4-0 lead was too much for the Bulldogs. Dorene Cerda homered with one out in the seventh off winning pitcher Tia Bollinger (17-1).

Bollinger, a sophomore, gave up four hits and struck out 10.

Snyder had a leadoff double in the top of the fifth inning, but Ameluxen waved her to third base. Perfect relay throws from right fielder Jessica Young and Kollen, the second baseman, cut her down.

“You could feel the momentum shift after that,” Ameluxen said. “We let them have a little opening, and they came through.”

Kollen entered the dugout afterward and told her teammates the opening was there.

“I ran in and told them, ‘The momentum just changed,’ ” said Kollen, batting .518. “I heard them shut up.”

Kollen may have heard Ayala grow quiet, but the bottom of the order made noise immediately.

Mater Dei’s Jessica Young, batting seventh, began the bottom of the fifth inning with a grounder past the second baseman that was ruled a hit. Pinch runner Brianna Lemos took second as pinch-hitter Courtney Betley laid down a sacrifice bunt. After Courtney Ryan lined a shot back at Balkan for the second out, Lemos did a good job to get back to second so that she wasn’t doubled off the bag.

Then Kollen stepped into the spotlight.

It was her 241st career hit, and helped this group of Mater Dei seniors improve to 115-15. They reached the section finals as freshmen and won as sophomores.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Kollen said. “Playing here my freshman and sophomore years really helped. I wasn’t nervous at all.’