ANAHEIM, Calif. – After a two year hiatus the Michelle Carew Classic is back, and the top girls softball tournament in the Golden State, and arguably the nation, is rolling along in its second day on Thursday at Peralta Park with its 32-team field one of the top ones in its recent history.
Both Cal-Hi Sports No. 1 Villa Park and No. 2 St. Francis-Mountain View are gracing this year’s Carew field, and both made it through to the championship Gold Bracket but their paths were significantly different.
Action in the Carew Classic began on Wednesday and Villa Park won its opener 9-3 over Cypress to set up a match-up of undefeated teams with Beaumont in the second game of Upper Division play. Beaumont was a 3-2 winner over Marina-Huntington Beach in its Wednesday opener.
Like a couple of the other out of area teams St. Francis came in on Thursday and played back to back games in the afternoon.
The Lancers first game was a 3 p.m. match-up with Millikan-Long Beach and because of that St. Francis head coach Mike Oakland went with sophomore Kate Munnerlyn, his No. 2, and she pitched well.
After Munnerlyn gave up a two out single in the first before retiring the side, the powerful offense of St. Francis out a six-spot on the board and coasted from there to an 8-0 victory that was called after five innings per tournament rules.
The first inning hit and a third inning walk that was wiped out on the base paths was all Munnerlyn would allow as she retired the next 13 straight batters including three strikeouts to close out the game.
Lancers junior leadoff hitter Lexi O’Gorman was on base all three times with two singles, a walk, and RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Minnesota-bound two-sport senior star Jessica Oakland (basketball) had two hits including a two RBI double in the fourth that closed out the scoring, plus she scored a run. Junior Chloe Cummings had an RBI double and she scored a run. Senior Claire Turner had two singles, a stolen base and scored a run. Washington-bound senior two-sport standout Sydney Stewart (Basketball) had an RBI and scored a run, and senior Jaz Hsiao had an RBI and scored a run.
The second game at 5:30 p.m. was a match-up with the local girls from Esperanza-Anaheim and it was much of the same as St. Francis rolled to a 10-0 victory that was called at the end of four innings.
Oakland went with his top pitcher and sophomore Shannon Keighran pitched very well against a solid Aztecs team. She tossed a three-hitter with two strikeouts.
Stewart had the big hit in this game after blasting a grand slam home run in the bottom of the third that soared very high and landed at least 75 feet past the 210-foot left field fence. Steward came up in the bottom of the fourth with the bases leaded once again and the fans were buzzing. Could she do it again in the same game? This time she walked to drive in a run and later scores the run that ended the game when she was plated on a walk by sophomore Rebecca Quinn. Stewart was on base all three times and finished with four RBI and two runs scored.
Oakland doubled home Carly Cummins in the bottom of the first inning and ended up walking twice and scoring both times. Senior Brooke Deppiesse had a two RBI double and a single and scored a run. Cummins had two singles and reached on a fielders choice and scored all three times.
St. Francis (7-0) now faces perennial Southern California power and Cal-Hi Sports No. 12 ranked Los Alamitos (14-4) after the Griffins won their two games, 4-2 over Gahr-Cerritos and 10-4 over El Camino-Woodland Hills.
“It’s a challenge definitely,” said Oakland of playing in the Michelle Carew Classis. “Last year we didn’t get an opportunity to play outside of our little bubble, so what I wanted to do was challenge the girls and come down here and face the best competition and everyone knows the best competition is in LA.
“From here we go to the Livermore Stampede and that’s pretty good competition as well,” Oakland continued. “The goal is to get battle tested for the playoffs.”
On the other side of the Gold Bracket is Villa Park. After a 9-3 victory over Cypress to open the Carew Classic the Spartans faced Cal-Hi Sports No. 15 Beaumont in a battle of unbeaten teams and a classic pitcher’s duel between Villa Park senior Sydney Somnerdike and Beaumont blossoming sophomore Cambria Salmon.
Villa Park (16-0) held on for a timed-out, six-inning 1-0 victory but it came at a cost.
Somnerdike was looking very solid and with two outs in the bottom of the fifth she had given up one hit, two walks and struck out 12, but she became uncomfortable in the circle. All game she was having trouble planting after her pitch as Salmon kept digging out in front of the rubber when she was pitching.
Somnerdike complained but didn’t ask for it to be repaired. She slipped on a pitch and hit a batter. On the next pitch she twisted her ankle and collapsed in the circle and had to be helped off the field. Freshman Auddrey Lima came in to get the third out in the fifth. She gave up a single to lead off the sixth but got the next three batters on a strikeout, groundout, and a strikeout that ended the game.
Salmon pitched well for Beaumont (13-1) and finished tossing a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts, but her undoing came in the third inning. Villa Park sophomore Kalia Espere led off the inning with a double. She moved to third on a groundout and then came home on an RBI bloop double by junior Jordyn Lawhon.
“Losing Sydney like that is hard, it really hurts,” Williams remarked.
“Auddrey has a lot of talent and to come into that situation, a big game, the last game of the day, and on the other side they’re a vocal group, she pitched phenomenal,” Williams continued.
Villa Park will now meet Orange Lutheran-Orange in the Gold Bracket on Friday afternoon with Williams now having to depend on Lima to pitch his team to the Carew title.
“I love this tournament and I’d loved to win it,” Williams said. “But we have league coming up and even if she says she’s good she’s too valuable a piece to risk, so my guess is she’s done for the weekend.”
In another game covered Norco (12-4) was a 9-1 winner over Grand Terrace behind the big bat and pitching of reigning Cal-Hi Sports State Sophomore of the Year and Cougars junior sensation Mya Perez. Grand Terrace got Perez out in her first at-bat and then intentionally walked her. They intentionally walked her in her final at-bat but prior to that they pitched to her and she made Grand Terrace pay by launching a two-run home run, her 10th round-tripper of the season. The muscular Perez didn’t even get a full swing on the home run ball but even when she pops one up it can get out with her strength.
“I thought it was a pop fly,” said Perez with a huge grin. “I didn’t think I got it all and as I ran to first base I said to myself ‘dang I just missed that’ but it still went out.”
With the victory Norco has won 12 straight games after an 0-4 start this season.
“We were trying to find our identity,” said Norco head coach Rick Robinson whose team moves into the Gold Bracket. “In the beginning wed dint react well to having one bad inning and we had to change that. We’re starting to roll now.”
