IRVINE, CA – Camarillo got two runs in the top of the first inning and that was more than enough for freshman pitcher Eryka Gonzales as the Scorpions posted a 4-0 victory over Poly-Riverside in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game last Saturday at Bill Barber Park.
Gonzales pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts as she handcuffed Poly all game. At one point she retired 11-straight before finishing by setting down 17 of the last 18 batters she faced.
It was the third CIF-SS championship for Camarillo in five appearances and the first title since 2011. The other championship for the Scorpions was in 1991.
“Last night I was so nervous and it wasn’t because I doubted myself but I was scared,” Gonzales said. “But I knew my teammates would come out and get the win.”
Camarillo (27-3) certainly did come out strong.
Junior third baseman Rachel Hurtado led off the game with a single and Sarah Urea then struck out. Senior catcher Savanna Salyer-Kovacs followed with a single and freshman Lindsey Shaver came in for her as a courtesy runner. Sophomore left-fielder Bianca Gutierrez then singled but Hurtado was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a perfect throw by Poly centerfielder Megan Delgadillo.
Senior Nautika Diaz walked to load the bases and then junior Lauren Cowans delivered a single down the third base line that was just fair and drove in Shaver and Gutierrez for a 2-0 lead the Scorpions never relinquished.
Camarillo added a run in the sixth on a fielder’s choice by Urrea that drove in senior Daley McGhee who had reached base on an error. The final run came in the seventh on an RBI single by McGhee that plated Cowans.
From there Gonzales got a popup to short, a groundout, and a strikeout to end the game.
“That was not even the best game she pitched this season but she showed a lot of composure,” said Camarillo Coach Nichole Pinedo.
Poly (28-7) got a two-out bunt single from Delgadillo in the bottom of the sixth after Gonzales was called for an illegal pitch, but the Scorpions ace got a grounder to third to end the threat.
“Once I started approaching the final innings I told myself slow down and make good pitches. We have two more innings and we’re champions,” said Gonzales, who doesn’t have any offers but trusts the recruiting process and hopes things change.
“We didn’t have a returning varsity pitcher, continued Pinedo. “But “E” stepped in and we haven’t had to shuffle much around.”
Diaz and Salyer-Kovacs and a couple of other seniors graduate but more underclass players return than graduate, and that obviously includes Gonzales. Plus, Camarillo has always been a softball haven and new faces will likely be emerging.
“We have a really strong tradition of softball at Camarillo, and a great feeder system and great alumni,” Pinedo said.
Look for the Scorpions to be contending for a CIF-SS title again next season.
