Redondo’s best softball season in more than two decades finished in dramatic fashion Friday but not the way the Sea Hawks had hoped for.
Trailing top-seeded Grand Terrace 5-1 in the seventh inning, Redondo’s rally was unexpectedly cut short giving the Titans a 5-2 victory in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 championship game at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine’s Bill Barber Park.
Redondo’s McKenna Villiagrana-Zayas was hit by a pitch to lead off the top seventh inning, then an error on Kate Cunningham;s bunt gave the Sea Hawks runners on first and second.
Redondo loaded the bases with one out with its power hitters coming up. It seemed like a perfect scenario for another come-from-behind win similar to the Sea Hawk’s quarterfinal victory when they scored four wins in the final inning to eliminate third-seeded Gahr.
A wild pitch scored Cunningham but the play essentially took the bat out of Allison Betty’s hands as the slugger given nothing to hit and drew a walk.
Samantha Pech, whose three-run home run defeated Gahr, walked to the plate with hopes of more late-game heroics. She hit a sinking line drive to right-center field when Grand Terrace centerfielder Marissa Jauregui made a diving attempt to catch the ball. The second-base umpire gave the safe sign indicating the ball had first hit the ground.
Jumping to her feet, Jauregui made a quick throw to second base to narrowly force out Betty. Then the confusion began.
Thinking the fly ball had been caught, the runner on third stopped just short of home plate and returned to third base during which time the runner from second base slid into home on a close play with what appeared to be Redondo’s fourth run.
Unfortunately, she had passed the runner from third base and, after the umpires met with coaches from both teams, the out was called and Grand Terrace began its celebration.
“When we had bases loaded with our best hitters coming up, I felt we were in a really good position and were wearing down their pitcher,” Redondo coach Jennifer Dessert said. “I feel like it is an unfinished game. But the top two teams played and that’s you expect in a championship game.”
Redondo (23-10) shot itself in the foot with mental and physical mistakes but battled Grand Terrace (28-1) to the end giving the Titans, winners of their last 26 games, their toughest fight in the playoffs.
Grand Terrace had outscored playoff opponents 32-0 and jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Morgan Parsons and a two-run home run by Danielle Rico.
Redondo closed to gap to 3-1 in the top of the fourth inning when Betty doubled off the left-field fence and was driven home by Gayle Wilson single.
The Titans answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning without the aid of a hit.
While it was the final game for Redondo’s six seniors, Dessert hopes the experience will benefit the eight sophomores and three freshmen on her roster.
“Our seniors were so strong this year. It was heart that got us to the championship game,” said Dessert, who felt the Sea Hawks had the toughest road in the playoffs of any team. “I hope this (loss) makes the younger girls hungry. We never gave up and I’m so proud of this team.”
Betty went 2 for 3 with one run scored and Kat Ung, who had tossed three shutouts during the postseason, kept Grand Terrace in check holding the Titans scoreless in the final two innings while limiting the potent offense to six hits in the game.
“I definitely have not been in a game with such a strange and abrupt ending,” said Ung, a four-year varsity starter and All-CIF pitcher. “It was really disappointing that one moment I was part of a hitting rally then the next I was walking into the dugout and setting my Redondo helmet down for the last time.”
Ung said the final play was an honest mistake and the game was not lost by that play knowing Redondo had chances on offense and defense to change the outcome of the contest.
“No one expected us to make it this far,” Ung added. “I am extremely thankful for all the hard work that the players that weren’t always on the field put in. Whenever someone got hurt or was sick, there was always a teammate who was ready to step up and play their position. This is by far the most amazing group of girls I’ve had the pleasure to play with under our amazing coaching staff.”
