Carson Catches Kennedy by Surprise

Nicole Sander doubled to score Rachel Zacarias with one out in the eighth inning to give Carson High a 2-1 upset over Kennedy in a quarterfinal game of the City Section 4-A Division softball playoffs Monday at Brand Park in San Fernando.

Kennedy (17-6), the No. 3-seeded team and a 4-A finalist in 1996 and ‘97, was held to two hits by Zacarias, who struck out five and walked one.

The Golden Cougars tied the score, 1-1, in the fourth when Patty Del Real doubled in Cynthia Barraza with two out.

Del Real (12-6) scattered six hits, struck out five and hit one batter.

In other 4-A quarterfinals:

El Camino Real 2, Granada Hills 0--Cara Blumfield drove in both runs for the top-seeded Conquistadores (18-2) at El Camino Real.

Blumfield singled in the first to score Jacqui Goodchild and in the fourth to score Christina Enea.

Ashley Redlin (3-0) pitched five innings, allowing one hit, striking out one and walking one.

Amber Dattilo got the only hit for eighth-seeded Granada Hills (11-12-1), a single in the first inning.

El Camino Real will play Banning in a semifinal game at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at South Gate Park.

Banning 1, Sylmar 0--Ester Martinez scored from third base on a throwing error in the sixth inning to lift fifth-seeded Banning (17-7) at Sylmar.

Martinez reached base on another throwing error, advanced to second on a walk and was sacrificed to third before scoring.

Banning’s Ninette Martinez (13-6) threw a no-hitter with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Nadine Traba (7-4) took the loss for fourth-seeded Sylmar (14-6). Traba struck out two and walked two.

San Pedro 6, Monroe 0--Natalie Tam (13-1) threw a five-hitter, struck out 10 and hit a batter for the Pirates (21-4) at San Pedro.

Jessica Patapoff had a two-run double with two out in the fifth to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead. She also had a sacrifice fly in the first to give second-seeded San Pedro its first run.

Vanessa Sorrentino was two for three and scored two runs for the Pirates.

Xochitl Velasquez had two hits for seventh-seeded Monroe (11-9).

3-A DIVISION

Verdugo Hills 5, Eagle Rock 1--Nikki Shaw and Sarah Girard each had two hits for the third-seeded Dons (21-5) in a quarterfinal victory over sixth-seeded Eagle Rock at Verdugo Hills.

Elizabeth Llewellyn hit a run-scoring double for Verdugo Hills in a four-run first inning. Two of the Dons’ runs in the inning were walked in.

Verdugo Hills pitcher Kim Wood (20-4) threw a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and two walks.

The Dons will play South Gate in a semifinal game at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at South Gate Park.