Loara Takes a Tough One
Top-seeded Foothill dominated Loara in the quarterfinals, but Loara pulled off its greatest victory, 2-1, Thursday when second baseman Alicia Owen hit a two-run double in the top of the ninth inning, then caught the last out of the game with the tying run at third base and the winning run at first.
“I know no one thought we could beat them,” said Owen.
The reason the Saxons are in the playoffs is because, after finishing in a four-way tie for first place in the Empire League, their name was pulled out of a hat. Cypress, one of the four, missed the playoffs.
“We got lucky there,” said Loara pitcher Katie Joosten, who admitted luck “was on our side a little bit” against Foothill, which out-hit Loara, 12-4, stranded 12 runners, had two thrown out at second and another at home.
Foothill, which finished 30-3, didn’t think Loara was the better team, but was quick to tip its hat.
“You have to play good defense, and if you can play good defense, you can stay in the game,” said Foothill Coach Joe Gonzalez, whose team won last year’s Division I title. “That’s what Loara did. They played good defense until they got their chance. We didn’t score because they didn’t let us score. We had all the opportunities in the world and didn’t capitalize, and they had one, and did.”
That didn’t make it any easier for losing pitcher Courtney Fossatti. “It’s so hard to come up so short when you’re so good,” she said. “It was hard to watch [the innings pass] because we were playing so good, we were making great plays, but we couldn’t get the one key hit. It was really difficult.”
Loara can advance to the final with a victory today at Whittier California.
Tough Finish
Foothill’s Kristen Mann, twice an all-county first baseman and three times a first-team all-county basketball player, accepted her award as the county’s female athlete of the year from the Orange County Athletic Directors Assn. a few hours after Foothill’s loss.
She was impressed when she saw her name alongside those of Michelle Granger, Amanda Freed and swimmer Janet Evans on the perpetual trophy that will be displayed at school.
Still . . .
“I’d trade this for a softball win,” said Mann, who will attend UC Santa Barbara on a basketball scholarship. “Aside from all-star games, it’s the last time I’m playing softball.”
Lucky Bounce
As bounces go, Sonora got a doozy in its 3-2 upset Tuesday of second-seeded Laguna Hills in the second round.
The Raiders scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a play that demonstrated the value of protective equipment.
Leadoff batter Michelle Miller, at first base with two outs after a walk, stole second. Catcher Katie Schorling threw to second. The ball hit Miller’s helmet, then ricocheted well past the center fielder charging to back up the play. Miller scored easily.
“It went further than it would if we had asked our catcher to throw it to center field,” lamented Cary Crouch, Laguna Hills’ coach.
Sonora, the Freeway League champion, plays at home today against El Modena.
Worn Out
Valencia won once and lost once last week in the playoffs, but the Tigers clearly made an impact. Pitcher Michelle Whiteman shut out Pacifica for 14 innings in a 1-0 victory Tuesday, and 48 hours later followed up with a similar performance against Kennedy before losing in 23 innings, 1-0.
“The cuticle on my finger was cut open and bleeding pretty badly, and my arm felt like rubber,” said Whiteman, a senior who said she will probably play at a community college next year. “I had all that adrenaline, and when the [Kennedy] game was over, all of a sudden I crashed. After it hit me, I just slumped down and said, ‘Man, I’m tired.’ ”
Whiteman said she didn’t pick up a ball after the 14-inning game against Pacifica. .
“I knew it was a weird week after Pacifica,” Whiteman said. “When you get two upsets [over Temecula Chaparral and Pacifica] and you’re not even ranked, people are going to turn their heads like, ‘Whoa, where did they come from?’ ”
Valencia, Orange League co-champion with Brea Olinda, was the underdog in each of its playoff games. Chaparral was ranked ninth in Division III, Pacifica fifth and Kennedy fourth.
Looking Ahead
Nine county teams in five divisions are still alive in the playoffs. Championship games are Friday and Saturday at Barber Park. The section semifinals continue today with Capistrano Valley at Esperanza, Loara at Whittier California, Thousand Oaks at Canyon, Whittier La Serna at Kennedy, El Modena at Sonora, Rancho Alamitos at San Dimas, and Sun Valley Village Christian at Orange Lutheran.
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