SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: Escarcega on Preps: Under the Blazing Sun, Rio Hondo’s Cinderella Run Melts Away
University captures a CIFSS D6 Softball title with a 4-1 win over Rio Hondo Prep
Rio Hondo Prep softball players in their pregame lineup before their Div.6 final against University. (Escarcega)
IRVINE – When you are the coach of a team where most of your players have not played softball, days like Friday are a coach's worst nightmare come true.
Rio Hondo Prep’s first appearance in the CIF Southern Section Softball final in over five decades was not to be remembered for years to come. University High defeated the Kares, 4-1, in a Division 6 final at Deanna Manning Stadium on a day in which the temperatures reached the high 80s.
With the sweltering heat baking everyone in attendance, the Kares resembled a team of rookies playing on a big stage. When the Kares needed a big play, they chose to play “hot potato” with the softball. When they required a hit to keep a rally alive, RHP hitters closed out three innings by striking out.
It was not the stuff in which dreams were made of.
“The mental part of it with the girls and their swings makes it difficult,” Rio Hondo Prep coach Joe Parker said. “Walks and other stuff have been a problem all year for us.”
As games like Division 6 go, this one was among the more entertaining matches for a lower division contest. University pitcher Carson Cruz was solid throughout the game, allowing one run on six hits and striking out nine. She wasn’t an overpowering pitcher compared to others in Orange County, with her fastball peaking at 53 MPH, which is respectable for a lower division pitcher.
“She was hitting her spots,” Parker said.
She received significant support from both the Rio Hondo Prep batters and her defense. RHP had a runner on third base with one out, but Ryen Covey flied out to right, and Madison Burl struck out. The Kares found themselves in a promising situation in the bottom of the third with runners on second and third, but the duo of Covey and Burl failed to deliver once more. Both hitters ended up going 1-8 in Friday’s 10 am final.
Cruz’s teammates also helped her out with clutch plays, such as Maiko Shiraiwa’s catch in right field off the bat of Samantha Montez to end the sixth inning and Sophia Weinberg’s sensational catch in the seventh inning to retire Burl and help lift the Trojans to a Division 6 championship.
While Rio Hondo Prep failed to capitalize on their opportunities, University did just the opposite. Gidget Smith ignited the hit parade with a hard-hit triple (60 MPH off the bat for exit velo) against Kares starter Allie Scott, scoring Alexandra McBridge and giving the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
The fifth inning turned into a horror show for the large group of Rio Hondo Prep fans who navigated the 405 freeway southbound to reach Irvine. This inning included a poorly timed error by starting pitcher Allie Scott, two base hits, a hit by the pitcher, and several walks. By the end of it, the Trojans had scored three runs and led 4-0, and it could have been worse.
It felt like it was 14-0.
The Kares took advantage of an error by the University’s McBride at third base, with leadoff hitter Tara Riley scoring on a Janna Talfinger single to make it 4-1. However, the rally ended when Covey was tagged out at third by a great throw from Weinberg to McBride.
Make no mistake, the University was the superior team that day, but Rio Hondo Prep was its own worst enemy. Although the season will continue next week with the CIF State Southern California Regional, Friday’s loss will weigh heavily on Parker and his players' minds.
“We made mistakes, we didn’t execute very well,” Carson said. “We didn’t lay down bunts like we have, we missed some signals that hurt us. Those are the things that I’ll be thinking about over the weekend.”
Rio Hondo Prep pitcher Allie Scott. (Escarcega)
Despite the Kares returning home with a “Finalists” plaque to cap off a remarkable year that saw the football team win a sectional title and come within one play of winning a state title, Carson recognized the positives amid the blizzard of mistakes and plays he’d prefer to forget.
“I’m really proud of what they accomplished, and we have a lot of players coming back,” Parker said. “The more games you play, the more opportunities you have to learn the game and understand it.”
The lesson from Friday’s game is clear. As La Salle coach Andy Nieto likes to say, “Nothing good comes out of giving teams more outs.”
The Kares discovered that on a searing hot mid-morning game on Friday in Irvine.