La Reina Uses All Its Talents in Victory

La Reina High has won four Southern Section softball championships, but Coach Don Hyatt thinks this may be the Regents’ best team yet.

“Top to bottom, it just may be,” he said Saturday after La Reina defeated Highland, 5-1, for the championship of the Paraclete tournament at Lancaster City Park.

To be sure, the Regents (20-2), ranked fourth in the region by The Times, received contributions from just about everyone on their roster against seventh-ranked Highland.

Seven players had hits. Pitcher Danielle Field (9-1) allowed only seven singles against a Bulldog lineup that featured seven players with averages of .355 or better.

“They’ve got some very good talent on that team,” Highland Coach Glenda Potts said.

Monica Thompson singled home Lindsey Mettam in the second for a 1-0 La Reina lead. Aimee Thompson’s squeeze bunt later in the inning provided a 2-0 margin.

Aimee Thompson finished with three hits and two runs batted in. Mettam and catcher Mackenzie Vandergeest each added two hits. Vandergeest hit a home run in the third.

Jennifer Smith and Jennifer Durost each had two singles for Highland (19-4).

The game was delayed for several minutes in the fourth inning, when Highland assistant coach Gail Ford was hit in the head by an errant pitch from the Bulldog bullpen. She was treated and stayed at the game.

It was the 12th consecutive victory for the Regents, who won section titles in 1980, ‘81, ’91 and ’92.

“Today was a real good measure of where we’re at,” Hyatt said. “I’m pleased.”

In other tournament games:

Paraclete 6, Santa Paula 0--Lisa Ament was three for three and Lauren McDonald (7-2) threw a three-hitter for Paraclete (14-5-2) in the third-place game.

Highland 8, Santa Paula 3--Melissa Rawson had a home run and three runs batted in, Smith was three for three and Durost added two hits for Highland in a semifinal.

La Reina 5, Paraclete 0--Stephanie Hall and Mettam each hit two-run home runs in the Regents’ four-run third inning.

Palmdale 14, Antelope Valley 0--Kristi DiMarco was three for five and drove in four runs, Tina Carrillo was three for three and Cheri Smith had three RBIs for the Falcons (16-7) in a consolation championship game shortened to five innings because of the 10-run rule.

Palmdale 2, Serrano 0--DiMarco singled in her first at-bat of the consolation semifinal, giving her 30 hits this season and making her the region’s first member of the 30-30 club. She began the day with 32 stolen bases.

Mikki Goldwater (14-4) struck out 10 in a three-hitter and also went two for three.

Antelope Valley 9, Crossroads 2--April Dioro had a double and two RBIs for the Antelopes (4-16) in a consolation quarterfinal victory.

Notre Dame 5, L.A. Baptist 2--Notre Dame scored two runs on a dropped third strike in the seventh to break a 2-2 tie in a fifth-place game. Karen Tobin had three hits for Notre Dame (12-10-1).

Amanda De La Cerda (6-6) pitched a four-hitter with two unearned runs and nine strikeouts for the victory.

De La Cerda and Tobin were selected to the all-tournament team.

L.A. Baptist 14, Carpinteria 3--Jillian Rice, Kelly Feirfeil and Stephanie Thuotte each hit home runs for the Knights (13-5) in a consolation game.

Notre Dame 6, Oak Park 1--Notre Dame’s Cindy McGee had three hits and three RBIs and teammates Veronica Arredondo and De La Cerda and Oak Park’s Cindy Verity and Julie Jensen each had two hits in the consolation game.

Oak Park 17, Carpinteria 2--Rachel Colson was three for three for the Eagles (8-10) in a consolation game.

Montclair Prep 6, Nordhoff 1--Thena Buonarti, Dalia Perez and Stacy Greene each had two hits for the Mounties (9-6) in a consolation game.

San Fernando 7, Montclair Prep 2--Michelle Raigoza had three hits and pitched a four-hitter for San Fernando (15-9) in a consolation game.