The Lakeside Lady Lancers had no trouble rolling to a 14-0 victory over St. Monica Catholic in the CIF Southern Section Division 7 championship game Saturday, June 19, at Barber Park in Irvine.
With a familiar face in the coaches’ box, Austen Urness, who was once a standout catcher at Lakeside High School, the Lady Lancers’ winning culture is something to be expected.
Things got off to a booming start when sophomore Jayden Galindo launched a triple to bring in Ava Camarena, and then Lakeside (14-6) ended up batting around and scoring four runs out of the gate. Rowan Howell, Brooklyn Kemmerer and Mia Belcher also drove in runs in the inning to help the Lancers get that big lead.
That was just the beginning of a big offensive performance for the Lancers, who finished the game with 20 hits. The 14 runs are tied for third most in a CIF Southern Section softball final. Eight starters had at least two hits, and seven players knocked in a run for the Lancers.
Galindo, who also pitched every inning this season, was outstanding at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs. She was equally strong in the circle, tossing a five-hit shutout while striking out six in her first shutout since mid-April. The Lancers also made no errors in the field. St. Monica (14-2), on the other hand, committed seven errors, which led to eight unearned runs. Howell, Kemmerer, and Jayden Bauer each had two hits and two RBIs for the Lancers in their win as well.
The other local team to advance to the final game in their bracket was the Orange Vista softball team, who also played Saturday, but at Deanna Manning Stadium. A couple of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning meant the difference as top-seeded St. Bonaventure escaped with a 4-2 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship. It was the first title-game appearance for any girls’ team from Orange Vista.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
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