Softball: La Cañada, San Marino ready for round II. Spartans got the best in first meeting, 3-0.

La Cañada and San Marino meet again. The Spartans (16-3, 7-0) got the upper hand in the first meeting a few weeks ago when they beat the Titans (11-5, 5-2) under the lights at La Cañada High. I told a few people that I thought this rivalry lost a little bit of its luster when San Marino got beat by Monrovia 2-0 earlier in the Rio Hondo League season. That all but gave La Cañada a cushion in the league standings without having to yet play San Marino. San Marino and La Cañada, I think, are the top two teams in the West San Gabriel Valley, albeit the Spartans hold a considerable gap between them and the rest. While San Marino suffers with lack of depth, the Spartans seem to flourish with depth from top to bottom. Add to that the fact that La Cañada standout Lauren Cox is back in the circle throwing a bit, and you have a Spartans team that arguably has the best power hitter (Anna Edwards) and a powerful 1-2 punch in the circle with Cox and Lauren O'Leary, who has been outstanding all season. San Marino is led by Michelle Floyd who is 11-4 with 178 strikeouts with a 0.61 ERA and six shutouts this season. Alexis Watanabe (.500, 10 RBIs, five doubles) leads the team in batting. Floyd is just as dangerous with a bat in her hand (.476, 11 RBIs, two home runs) but with little else coming elsewhere, the Titans become vulnerable.That's what leads me to believe La Cañada will likely sweep the series today when they meet at San Marino.