BREAKING NEWS: Lauren O'Leary throws perfect game in Spartans' 9-0 win over Ramona Convent; Alhambra upsets Duarte in softball. Arcadia baseball wins first playoff game in six years; La Salle baseball advances; Temple City, Monrovia baseball ousted.
STORY: A perfect game was all that was missing in Lauren O'Leary's already unrivaled resume.
Three times this season, perfection eluded the La Ca ada High School senior, the most recent occasion in last week's regular-season finale against Rio Hondo League foe South Pasadena.
O'Leary's thought process Thursday was there was no thought process at all. It was only after striking out the last batter that the crowd's celebration reminded her of the elusive feat.
O'Leary struck out 12 in recording her first career perfect game and earned her 21st victory to lead the Spartans to a 9-0 win over Ramona Convent in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.
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CIF-SS PLAYOFFS
BASEBALL
FIRST ROUND SCORES
DIVISION 2
Arcadia 4, La Sierra 3
DIVISION 4
La Salle 3, Covina 2
El Segundo 2, Monrovia 0
Torrance 4, South Pasadena 3
St. Bonaventure 4, Temple City 2
DIVISION 5
Gabrielino at Long Beach Cabrillo, 3:30
DIVISION 6
Flintridge Prep at Vasquez
SOFTBALL
FIRST ROUND SCORES
DIVISION 5
La Canada 9, Ramona Convent 0
Keppel 11, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 1
Barstow 5, Temple City 4
Alhambra 3, Duarte 2
San Marino 3, Nipomo 1
Calvary Chapel/Santa Ana 7, Monrovia 5
DIVISION 6
Flintridge Prep 2, Santa Paula 1
San Gabriel Mission 3, Boron 0
Rio Hondo Prep 14, Capistrano Valley Chr. 4
Mayfield 7, Riverside Christian 5
Making the feat even more sweet was she accomplished perfection the day her father Dan celebrated his birthday.
"That works out pretty nicely," La Canada coach KC Mathews said. "I don't know if there's a pitcher around that deserves one of those (a perfect game), and to do it in the playoffs makes it a little more special."
O'Leary didn't hesitate when asked if she was aware of flirting with another perfect game heading into the seventh inning.
"I wasn't thinking about it," she said, "because against South Pasadena I started to think about it and it got away."
Kelsey Drange went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Spartans' bats. Aubri Thompson, Jessica Ogden and Catherine Horner each had doubles.
La Canada led 3-0 heading into the third inning when Thompson doubled to right field. Lauren Cox, playing for an ailing Shirley Drange, blooped a single and advanced to second on the throw to the infield. Drange then scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0 and move Cox to third.
Selina Mohr kept the rally going with an RBI single, followed by an Ogden walk and an Anna Edwards single. That made it 6-0 and all but sealed the victory.
"I said it all year long," Mathews said. "Pick a game and I'll show you a different girl that comes up big and got a clutch hit. These girls are about getting the job done and they take a lot of pride in that, hitting behind runners and getting bunts."
Ramona Convent (12-8) coach Valerie Green said the third inning proved crucial but she was proud the girls kept fighting, including on a fifth-inning double play when Natalie Pe a caught a flyball and threw out Horner at second.
"We let one thing happen and some of the girls got their heads down," Green said. "We came back in the end, made some incredible plays. I don't want to say (that play) was a domino effect because we were still in the game.
"The kids saw the (La Canada) girls were getting on base and moving around, but we never gave up."
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
@ riohondoleaguefan - Just to make clear to you. "IF" you indeed do have a copies you might want to think about deleted them. Probably thinking that isn't something that you are allowed to "copy" without the person who took that's permission.
Terrific job, Lauren! Never mind the sour anonymous grapes.
If you are looking for the youtube video showing the three illegal pitches at the end of the perfect game it was quickly removed after the hopping was pointed out. Copies are available if anyone wants the chance to see and judge for themselves.
The video of her facing the last pitcher on Youtube is trouble in the making. All three pitches are illegal. The back foot leaves the ground on all three pitches. It is commonly known as hopping. I wonder what Hemet will think when they see this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACsBJFvPGhI
Riohondoleaguefan
Prep got their first playoff win in six years, against an unexpectedly tough Santa Paula. Rachel Simon had the walk-off hit in the bottom of the 7th, scoring Ashley Kim. Maya Okamoto scored in the 5th when a ball ricocheted off her while stealing 2nd. Denise Van der Goot struck out 16, including the first 9 batters.
935 PM and still no score from LC boys baseball game .... glad to see you are STILL DOING YOUR JOB Miggy.....
M- why can the trib get things up and we still see...(crickets)/Arcadia 4 La Sierra 3? Way to get after it boys
Bishop Amat 10-1. Bottom of 6th
San Gabriel Mission beats Boron 3-0