San Pedro Enjoys Yet Another Title

In didn’t take quite as long this time, but San Pedro High again defeated Carson, 3-0, Tuesday at UCLA to capture its second consecutive City Section softball championship.

A year ago, it took the Pirates two days and 20 innings to pull out a 1-0 victory. But the rematch between the Marine League co-champions was all San Pedro, which won its eighth City title, second only to the 12 won by El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

Each team committed two errors, but only the second-seeded Pirates (27-3) took advantage of their opponent’s miscues. San Pedro scored its first run in the third inning when pitcher Nicole Sander’s throw was dropped by third baseman Adrienne Alo and the ball rolled into left field, allowing Stephanie Spychaj to score.

San Pedro added to its lead in the sixth. Ashley Esparza led off with a walk and advanced to second on Jessica Robles’ sacrifice bunt. Alo threw wide of first, Esparza was awarded home and Nicole Castagnola doubled on the next pitch to score Robles.

Marine League player of the year Natalie Tam (12-3) allowed only two hits and struck out four for San Pedro. Sander (13-3) was almost as good, giving up five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Alo had the Colts’ only two hits, a bunt single in the third and a base hit to left field in the sixth.

Carson’s best chance to score was in the fourth, when Shaterra Davis reached on a leadoff error and was sacrificed to second by Alo. But after Sander popped out, Davis and Alo were both forced at third. The top-seeded Colts (24-6) were retired in order in the seventh.

The teams split their two games in league play. The win was San Pedro’s eighth in its last nine games against Carson.

In the City Invitational championship, Valeria Figuereo had three hits and scored the final run for top-seeded Birmingham (22-10) in a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Narbonne (16-10).