La Reina Sews Up Two Wins in Desert

When your team needs mending, a couple of patches can prove quite handy.

With his team off to a sluggish 8-5 start, Coach Don Hyatt of La Reina High decided last week to pin up two shoulder patches in his team’s dugout, representing the Regents’ 1991 Southern Section softball championship and ’95 runners-up finish.

“The girls needed to be reminded of their goals and expectations,” said Hyatt, whose team also won a section title in 1992.

La Reina defeated Palmdale, 4-1, and L.A. Baptist, 5-3, on Saturday in the opening rounds of the Desert Diamond Classic at Lancaster City Park, and have won four of five since Hyatt began posting the patches.

La Reina, the defending tournament champion, will play San Fernando in the semifinals next Saturday.

Paraclete will play Notre Dame in the other semifinal.

La Reina (12-6), ranked No. 2 in Division V, has struggled offensively since All-Ventura County catcher and catalyst Mackenzie Vandergeest suffered a back injury in an automobile accident early in the season.

Center fielder Stephanie Hall has picked up much of the slack, and was five for five with five runs batted in on Saturday.

Against Palmdale, she hit her 10th and 11th doubles to support pitcher Danielle Field, who struck out nine.

Hall tripled in the second game, when Kristen Ward struck out six and survived a two-run rally by L.A. Baptist in the sixth inning.

Nicki Girard and Anni Iverson doubled for L.A. Baptist (8-8).

In other Desert Diamond Classic games:

Paraclete 3, St. Bonaventure 0--Freshman Sara Gonzales (5-4) struck out 13 and pitched a three-hitter for the Spirits in a quarterfinal game.

Latisha Hernandez’s two-run single in the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie.

Tami Ortiz added two hits for Paraclete (12-8).

Paraclete earned a rematch with Notre Dame, which swept a nonleague doubleheader from the Spirits, 1-0 and 4-3, on April 9.

San Fernando 3, Oak Park 0--Michelle Molina (6-2) pitched a four-hitter and Sunshine Gallardo hit two doubles in a victory by the Tigers (15-4).

Notre Dame 10, Montclair Prep 1--Patricia Wetzel and Cheryl Acosta each had three hits for the Knights (14-4), which won a quarterfinal game to record their eighth victory in eight days.

Wetzel finished the week 12 for 23 with a home run, 10 RBIs and 10 runs.

Wetzel (2-0) pitched the first four innings of an 11-1 victory over Antelope Valley in the first round.

First baseman Karen Tobin had two hits.

San Fernando 2, Crosroads 1--Lori Pompa capped a two-run seventh-inning rally with an RBI-single for the Tigers in a first-round game.

Gabriela Barragan (2-0) struck out four in a two-hitter for San Fernando.

Oak Park 11, Littlerock 1--Jannel Buckley had three hits and Cindy Verity added two hits and four runs for the Eagles in a first-round victory.

Littlerock (3-14) lost to Crosroads, 13-2, in a consolation game.

L.A. Baptist 4, Immaculate Heart 2--Anni Iverson, Cyndi Shaw, Michelle deRoche and Breanne Mateko each had two hits for the Knights (8-8) in a first-round victory.

Paraclete 5, La Salle 0--Latisha Hernandez and Brie Benanti each singled twice, and Lauren McDonald (5-2) struck out seven for the Spirits in a first-round victory.

St. Bonaventure 11, Victor Valley Christian 1--Debra Garvin, Jeana Scarlett, Dani Baca and Lyndsi Wilder each had two hits for the Seraphs (8-8) in a first-round victory.

Montclair Prep 10, Santa Paula 0--Jenny Cohen hit a two-run triple, and Monique Lovell (5-8) pitched a three-hitter for the Mounties (6-8) in a first-round game.

Antelope Valley 1, Santa Paula 0--Amanda Mathias’ RBI grounder scored Traci Nolte in the first inning of a consolation game.

Kelly Bleyl (8-6) struck out eight and pitched a four-hitter.

Crossroads 13, Littlerock 2--Amber Roberts hit a run-scoring double for the Lobos (3-14), who fell in a consolation game called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.