El Camino Real Stops San Pedro Run

Before its Los Angeles City Section title game Wednesday at UCLA, Woodland Hills El Camino Real Coach Lori Chandler delivered a prediction.

“She said someone was going to get a big hit to right field,” recalled Daryn Rose, a senior outfielder. “I told her, it’s going to be me.”

Eight innings later, Rose delivered on her promise, tripling deep to right field to drive in the first run as the second-seeded Conquistadors defeated top-seeded San Pedro, 2-0, and ended the Pirates’ run of five consecutive championships.

The victory gave El Camino Real (28-6) its 13th title, one more than San Pedro (29-3).

Rose scored on a fly ball to left field by Sarah Bass, and the two runs were enough for junior pitcher Megan Miller, who stopped the Pirates on a one-hitter with five strikeouts.

Miller (20-3) outdueled freshman Taylor Petty (19-3), who gave up six hits, two in the seventh: a one-out flare by Brittany Goodchild, and then the opposite-field rocket by Rose.

“I always pull the ball, which is the weirdest thing,” Rose said. “I practiced last week on going with the pitch.”

It turned what had been a forgettable performance into the memory of a lifetime. She had struck out and bunted ineffectively in three previous at-bats in her final softball game; she will not play next year at San Francisco State.

“It meant everything to me,” Rose said.

San Pedro had only a one-out single by Joi Allen in the third inning. Only two runners reached second base.

“We never had any big chances,” said Tony Dobra, who has coached San Pedro to nine of its titles. “But that gets back to the pitcher.”

Miller and Petty return next season, and with El Camino Real losing only two seniors, and San Pedro losing three, it prompted Miller to make her own postgame prediction: “We’ll see them again next year.”

Venice 9, Eagle Rock 7 (9 innings, tiebreaker) -- Sarena Dominguez had three hits and three runs batted in, and Angela Huerta drove in the decisive two runs in the top of the ninth for Venice (21-7) in the Invitational division title game at UCLA.