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Cerritos 14-Under All-Stars unable to hold lead in semifinals

NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRESS ROW

By Loren Kopff

HUNTINGTON BEACH-Less than a week after winning the Orange Canyon Memorial Day Classic, the Cerritos Girls Softball Association 14-Under All-Stars were a strike away from advancing to the championship game of the South Huntington Beach Surf City Classic. But West Grove’s Alyssa Canales laced a bases clearing double down the left field line and rallied for a 4-3 win last Sunday afternoon at Edison High.

The game was scoreless through the first five innings as pitcher Cassie Perryman was throwing a no-hitter until Sydnee Burns singled off of Perryman’s glove with one out in the fifth inning. Before that, she had struck out eight batters and walked four. A defining moment came in the second inning when Burns fouled off 12 balls and forced Perryman to throw 16 pitches before she fouled out to first baseman Caitlyn Azevedo on the 17th pitch.

Still, West Grove had only one runner reach third base through the first five innings while Cerritos had a chance to score early. With two outs in the first, shortstop Kara Spoolstra singled and went to third when catcher Makayla Garcia was safe on an error. But center fielder Julia Enzmann popped up to second to end the threat. In the fifth, Samantha Monroe was stranded at third after she was walked, went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a one out groundout.

Playing under the international tiebreaker rules in the sixth with third baseman Dalia Morones at second, Perryman singled to put runners on the corners. Two batters later, Garcia reached on an error which allowed Morones and Perryman to come home. Following a groundout, Azevedo singled to bring in Garcia.

In the bottom half of the inning and with one out after Sydney Tengan reached on a fielder’s choice, Perryman walked Ashley Siordia. Two batters later, Erica Lat was safe on an infield hit with Tengan scoring. Perryman then walked Chloe Gilbert to load the bases before Canales came through with the hit that found enough space between Morones and the left field line.

Cerritos had previously defeated Temecula Valley 10-3 before losing to Santa Monica 3-2 in pool play action last Saturday before knocking off Mission Viejo 8-2 in the quarterfinals last Saturday night.

Also in the tournament, the 8-Under All-Stars blanked Penasquitos 3-0 and tied Temecula Valley 1-1 in pool play action while the 10-Under All-Stars remained winless in two summer tournaments after falling to Torrance 10-0, Temecula valley 6-1 and Palos Verdes 12-9 last Saturday.

TRAVEL BALL SOFTBALL

The first major showcase tournament of the summer takes place this weekend when a plethora of teams will participate in the Triple Crown Sports Zoom Into June tournament, to be played at various sites in the Inland Empire. The Artesia Punishers 18-Under Gold team managed by Bob Medina will have one game tonight, two on Saturday and two more on Sunday, all at Diamond Valley Park in Hemet.

Dave Lindsay’s Artesia Punishers 18-Under team will play three games on Saturday and two more on Sunday at Big League Dreams Park in Cathedral City while the 16-Under team under the tutelage of Armando Canizales will also have three games on Saturday and two on Sunday at Big League Dreams Park in Riverside while Danny Guerrero’s Artesia Punishers 14-Under team will play tonight, then two more the next two days at Big League Dreams Park in Perris.

Several other area players from Cerritos, Gahr, Norwalk and Valley Christian who play for the Cal A’s and Downey Nemesis Elite Gold teams will also be in the tournament.

The Punishers 14 and 16-Under teams competed in the Premier Girls Fastpitch Las Vegas National Qualifier last weekend and had short stays. The 14-Under team lost two of its three games it played while the 16-Under squad went two and out.