IRVINE — Averaging 11 runs per game throughout its run to a first CIF-Southern Section final, hitting had been the carrying tool for the Grace School softball team.
“That’s what our mentality is,” Grace coach Heidi Bird said. “We know they’re going to score runs. We’re just need to continue hitting with them.”
Until the Lancers mustered just two hits against freshman Olivia Chen in a 11-1 loss to Irvine-Northwood in the Division 5 championship game at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on Saturday, May 30.
“Unfortunately,” Bird said, “the bats weren’t there today.”
Haley Barstad and Grace Maguire had the lone hits, Eden Tuso drew two walks and Izzy Cocca was hit by a pitch for the Lancers (17-11), who hadn’t been held to a single run in their previous 23 games.
Chen’s array of breaking pitches only earned three strikeouts, but it kept Grace off balance enough to limit it to just five baserunners.
“Hats off to their pitcher,” Bird said. “She wasn’t overpowering, but she had the movement. It dropped off. It tailed off on you.”
Eleven of the 21 outs Chen induced were in the air.
“Her landing foot was stepping over,” Maguire said. “It was deceiving. Where you thought the ball was going, it wasn’t going there. I don’t think we’ve seen that.”
The final score was as deceiving as Chen. Grace scored first and was within 2-1 when Northwood seized the game with an eight-run bottom of the fifth inning.
“You just tip your hat to her,” Bird said. “Obviously, we wished it had ended differently. But — like I told my girls — at the end of the day, two hits won’t do it.”
Grace starting pitcher Rosy Salazar allowed just five hits and two earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.
Grace took the lead in the top of the third.
Hayley Barstad ripped a single to centerfield for the first hit of the morning. She was bunted to second by Cocca and scored on Maguire’s line-drive single to right-center field.
“The pitcher kind of had a weird release,” Maguire said. “I was going to swing at something higher in the zone. That’s what I got. I was trying to hit a line drive and that’s what happened.”
Salazar was nearly perfect the first time through the Northwood lineup.
The senior retired the first eight batters, until Kaylee Jones — the No. 9 hitter — bunted her way on with two outs in the bottom of the third. Catcher Ava DePew then threw her out stealing.
Northwood broke through in the bottom of the fourth, when Skyler Bajorek singled with one out and scored on Natalie Keith’s double to the wall in right-center field.
Kiana Park singled off the pitcher with two outs to drive in Keith and give Northwood a 2-1 lead.
With Salazar out of the circle, Northwood seized control in the bottom of the fifth, bringing 13 batters to the plate, scoring eight runs on seven hits, two hit by pitches and a walk to build a 10-1 lead.
Canadian youth international Kat Rizo provided the big moment with a three-run double to left field.
Northwood puts six straight runners on to score seven runs with two outs, which brought Salazar back into the game as a reliever.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Maguire said. “It’s obviously not how we wanted it to end. But just getting here for the first time in school history, I’ll definitely remember it forever.”
As a sectional finalist, Grace has earned a berth in CIF-State competition. It will begin regional competition Tuesday.
Joe Curley covers softball for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter/X, Instagram/Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and TikTok.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Grace bats go quiet in first CIF-Southern Section softball final
Reporting by Joe Curley, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
