Redlin’s Strong Start Fades With Fatigue

Ashley Redlin of El Camino Real High had been here before. And last time, she went home as the winning pitcher of the 1997 City Section 4-A Division championship softball game.

But that was before nine months of pregnancy and 29 hours of labor slowed her fastball and diminished her arm strength.

“I’m a lot slower pitching-wise,” said Redlin, a junior right-hander. “It’s like I’m out of shape.”

Spectators certainly wouldn’t have guessed it judging by Redlin’s first inning against San Pedro in the Conquistadores’ 5-0 loss in the City 4-A final at UCLA’s Easton Stadium Wednesday.

Redlin (4-1), in only her fourth start since giving birth to daughter Maddisyn on April 10, struck out the side in the first inning and was flying high.

“Oh yeah,” she said. “I was out there thinking I hope I can keep this up.”

But the first was as good as it got.

Redlin worked herself into trouble in the second only to escape. But in the fourth, San Pedro bunched two hits, two errors and a walk to score twice for all the offense it would need.

Redlin, who threw a three-hitter and struck out 11 in the final against Kennedy last year, allowed three hits and struck out seven against San Pedro (23-4) before being relieved to start the sixth.

Still, both runs were unearned.

“She basically did a good job,” Coach Neils Ludlow said. “She keeps the ball down and I can’t fault what she did.”

Redlin vows to return stronger next year for a third consecutive championship appearance.

“After this summer, I’ll be back, stronger,” Redlin said. “Hopefully, we’ll get back here next year and I’ll be a senior, I’ll be stronger and we’ll win it.”

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It wasn’t like he broke the Conquistadores’ concentration. Heck, the way they were making errors, any comic relief was welcome.

In the seventh, a streaker raced across the outfield in nothing but shoes and a ball cap before scaling an eight-foot fence and disappearing into the trees that surround Easton Stadium.

“It looked like he had white shorts on,” said Redlin, mistaking tan lines for clothing.

Cara Blumfield, who was at shortstop and didn’t notice the streaker until the crowd began to hoot and holler, found the experience rather memorable.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this doesn’t happen at a high school softball game,’ ” Blumfield said.

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Barbara Hornak, Shirley Cole and Beverly Myers made City Section history as the first all-female crew to officiate a softball final.

But the crew came under scrutiny when interference was not called in the bottom of the first inning. El Camino Real’s Jacqui Goodchild was trying to advance to third on a grounder to San Pedro shortstop Julia Carlin, but collided with Carlin while she was attempting to make the play.

Carlin recovered and fielded the grounder, but her throw to first was late.

To add insult to injury, Carlin was pinned with an error--the lone error made by the Pirates.