Kaylea Snaer on pace to have a historical season, but will teams keep pitching to her?

I love this quote from Rowland coach Craig Snyder. With Kaylea Snaer hitting .571 with 24 RBIs and eight home runs, he’s challenging the Hacienda League to pitch to her. “I don’t know, but I don’t think people in our league are going to pitch to her a whole lot,” Snyder said. “Not unless some other girls start hitting behind her. It takes more than one person.”

CIF SOFTBALL RECORD FOR HOME RUNS IN A SEASON
With eight home runs, Snaer needs six more to get her name in ink in the CIF record books. At the pace she’s going, she’ll get there soon.

18 – Bailie Kirker, Crescenta Valley (2008)
17 – Lauren Chamberlain, El Toro (2010)
16 – Lisa Estill, Grace Brethren (1998), Baile Kirker, Crescenta Valley (2009).
15 – Baile Kirker, Crescenta valley (2007), Brittany Spaulding, Los Alamitos (2008), Taylor Edwards, Vista Murrieta (2009), Lauren Sweet, Corona Santiago (2011).
14 — Sheri Ramsay, Hesperia (1990), Crystal Roberts, Grace Brethren (1998), Anissa Young, Bloomington, (2008), Shawna Wright, Lancaster (2007 and ’09), Alena Murgatroid, Quartz Hill (2009)

STORY: If teams in her league decide to actually pitch to her, Rowland High School catcher Kaylea Snaer could be headed toward an unforgettable season.

Snaer, a junior, leads the Valley with eight home runs. The next closest person has four. She has nearly double the RBIs (24) of any other hitter and is hitting a whopping .571.

But will it last? The Raiders open Hacienda League play on Thursday against Los Altos. Hitting well during tournaments is one thing, but getting pitches to hit in league where everybody knows what you’re capable of is another

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Bishop Amat is taking care of business in the Del Rey, beats St. Paul 4-2 to go 2-0 in league

“Anybody following our program the last five years knows our body of work has been pretty special. We’ve set the bar high for our program and what we feel we want to become is a program to be reckoned with. But for us, with three or four sophomores, three or four juniors, we’ve been slapped with a learning curve and forced to grow up fast. The learning curve has hit us.” –Bishop Amat coach Andy Nieto on his 3-5 start.

Bishop Amat takes care of St. Paul, 4-2

Hey Amat, where’s your stats and roster? Since I’ve been here Amat has always posted its roster and updated its stats on a game-by-game basis on Maxpreps. I know they’re not off to a good start, but if you’re going to post when the going’s good, you should post during the tough times too.

By Keith Lair SGVN twitter.com/KeithLLair
It has been an unconventional season for the Bishop Amat High School baseball team. So it only makes sense the Lancers used unconventional strategies Tuesday.

Catcher Bryan Menendez broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with a two-out drag bunt that scored Scott Hurst from third base to carry visiting Bishop Amat to a 4-2 victory over

St. Paul in a Del Rey League game.

“Anybody following our program the last five years knows our body of work has been pretty special,” Bishop Amat coach Andy Nieto said. “We’ve set the bar high for our program and what we feel we want to become is a program to be reckoned with.

“But for us, with three or four sophomores, three or four juniors, we’ve been slapped with a learning curve and forced to grow up fast. The learning curve has hit us.”

How unconventional has the Lancers’ season been? The reigning CIF-Southern Section Division 4 champions started only one senior with varsity experience, designated hitter Rio Ruiz. They are 3-5 on the season, already with more losses than last season.

Unconventional? The Lancers’ first five hitters had only one of Bishop Amat’s six hits Tuesday.

“It’s very important,” Menendez said of the bottom of the order getting hits. “If nobody gets hits, the game ain’t going to go our way.”

But it was the drag bunt, which was more like a squeeze play, that seemed the most unconventional.

“That turned out to be huge,” Nieto said. “We happened to be fortunate enough that for that particular hitter they were not playing up. It’s kind of a cat and mouse game and fortunately it played out in our favor.”

The Lancers were trailing, 2-1, in the sixth when Andrew De La Cruz had the top of the lineup’s lone hit, an infield single. Clean-up hitter Adam Alcantara drew a walk and St. Paul anticipated Hurst’s sacrifice bunt and caught De La Cruz at third base.

Pitcher Jonah Jimenez got a strikeout and Moya singled through the first-second base gap to tie the game at 2-2. Menendez got a 2-0 count and St. Paul coach Casey Morales decided to send Aaron Pinto to the mound.

Menendez bunted the next pitch down the third-base line for his second bunt single of the game.

“How often does that work?” Morales said. “Not very often. We had positioned ourselves for it, but we didn’t make the play.”

Third baseman Jordan Valdez threw wide to first base, although Menendez already had the throw beaten. The ball sailed past first baseman and Luis Moya also scored to make it 4-2.

“I was thinking to just get the bunt down,” Menendez said. “That is what (coach) wants us to work on a lot. I have been bunting a lot, even with two strikes.”

The Swordsmen (4-7) took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when leadoff hitter Kevin Romo sent a 2-1 Eric Vega fastball over the left-field fence.

All the Swordsmen had to do was to keep the Lancers off the bases in the last two innings.

“The pressure got to us,” Romo said. “We felt we were going good in the last two innings. It just unfolded there and we didn’t make the plays we should have.”

keith.lair@sgvn.com

626-962-8811, ext. 2242

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Prep Roundup: Covina baseball is on its way back with a 6-0 win over Pasadena; Amat, Bonita, Charter Oak, La Puente, San Dimas and Northview win in softball

Covina on its way back: Covina’s Joe Wills pitched a three-hitter as the Colts shut out visiting Pasadena 6-0 on Tuesday. “Wills has been our rock all season so far,” Covina coach Scott Root said.
Wills went the distance for Covina (4-3), allowed three singles and struck out eight. The junior, backed by solid defense, did not allow a Bulldogs baserunner past second.

TUESDAY’S BASEBALL/SOFTBALL RESULTS

BASEBALL
HACIENDA LEAGUE
Bonita 6, Diamond Ranch 1

Justin Garcia (3-1) won his third game of the year for Bonita (7-1, 1-0) on the mound. He also had three hits at the plate including a triple.
Tyler Heslop went 3-3 with a double. Woody Reyes and had two hits and two RBI’s to assist with the win.

Los Altos 4, Walnut 1
Recording the win Celeste Wood (2-1) with five strikeouts for the Conquerers (7-3, 1-0). Jenn Solis relieved her in the fifth. Jaime Bejerano had four RBI’s. Hitting a grand slam for Los Altos.
Walnut records their first league game at 0-1.

SOFTBALL
DEL REY LEAGUE
Bishop Amat 8, St. Paul 4

Coming in to relieve Sabrina Anguiano in the fourth inning was winning pitcher Flanny Garcia (1-0) for Bishop Amat (7-3, 2-0). Katlyn Gutierrez had one homerun for St. Paul (1-1 league).
Alexis Gonzalez had two RBI’s and one double for the Lancers.

HACIENDA LEAGUE
Bonita 12, Diamond Ranch 2

Winning pitcher Anissa Sanchez (4-1) carried the win for Bonita (5-4, 1-0). Michelle Whitt of the Bearcats had 1 homerun and had five RBI’s.

MONTVIEW LEAGUE
La Puente 9, Workman 4

Linda Camacho and Reina Barba provided strong pitching allowing four earned runs as the Warriors got off to a fast start in league play. Leading La Puente (2-3, 1-0) at the plate was Elisa Valenzuela with two doubles, a triple and two RBI’s. Nadine Sanchez chipped in with a triple and Samantha Rodriguez had a double. Rehnna DeGrate contributed with two stolen bases.

VALLE VISTA
San Dimas 9, Wilson 1

Bethie Celaya and Kaili Now combined for a three hitter as Celaya earned the win for the Saints.
San Dimas (6-4, 1-0) got plenty of offense with 15 hits. Leading the way for San Dimas was Briana Quintana going two for three with two RBI’s, Ashley Vinsonhaler went three for five at the plate with two RBI’s and chipping in going three for four was Janell Wheaton. With the loss Wilson dropped to 3-3 and 0-1 in league action.

Northview 4, Baldwin Park 0
Anna Mejia (5-4) recorded her fifth win for the Vikings (5-4, 1-0) with three strikeouts and one double. Erinn Jarmillo of Northview had two doubles. Susie Ortega also had a double. Baldwin Park is now at 4-5 overall and 0-1 in league.
“Anna really pitched a good game. She had a key hit in the 6th inning to drive in the first run” stated Jeff Butler coach of Northview.

NONLEAGUE
Charter Oak 12, Alemany 3
Annissa Gallegos, Kaile Chavez and Brooke Clemetson combined for a 10 hitter with Gallegos (1-0) getting the decision for the Chargers.
Charter Oak (6-4) got all the offense they needed from Nicki Sprague going two for two with a homerun and one RBI, Samantha Valadez two for two with a homerun and two RBI’s and Raeleen Tellez going three for three with three runs scored.
Alemany got offense from Kim Fontaine two for three with a homerun and 1 RBI and Bri Holland went two for four.

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Baseball Rankings: Charter Oak takes over top spot, South Hills slips to No. 2

Tribune Top Ten Baseball Poll
1. Charter Oak (6-1) — With all the talk surrounding Bonita, Bishop Amat, Damien and South Hills at the beginning of the season, who would have thought Charter Oak would take over the top spot? They deserve it after a sweep over South Hills, but now the pressure is on because they won’t sneak up on anyone anymore.

2. South Hills (5-2) –– Being No. 1 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, just ask Bishop Amat. Just when it looked like the Huskies might have one of its best teams in years, they’re suddenly fighting for their playoff lives after getting swept by Charter Oak and going to Damien on Wednesday. It’s still early in league to panic, but if they don’t win on Wednesday, it’s time to panic. 0-3 is 0-3.

3. Bonita (6-1) — Recovered from 2-0 loss to South Hills in the championship of the Dicks Sporting Goods tournament with back-to-back wins over San Dimas and Alta Loma and open the Hacienda today against Diamond Ranch. When Garza pitches it’s an automatic W, the key is how they do on days he doesn’t pitch.

4. Damien (4-2) –– Spartans open the Sierra with a 4-2 win over Claremont and will host South Hills on Wednesday. Can you imagine the Huskies starting 0-3 after a 5-0 start and beating Bonita in the championship of the Dicks Sporting Goods tournament? At home, you have to like Damien’s chances.

5. Diamond Bar (5-1) — After beating Keppel they suffer a 3-0 loss to Chino and open league today against West Covina. Like Bonita, the Brahmas have an ace in Henry Omana. Like Bonita, the rest of their staff is still a work in progress.

6. Northview (4-1-1) — The nameless Vikings (no roster anywhere) opened the Valle Vista with a 9-5 win over Pomona and will face Baldwin Park twice this week. Wish I could tell you more about them, but all we know is their record.

7. San Dimas (5-3) — The Saints have played a decent schedule with losses to Bonita, Temple City and West Torrance, and wins over Arcadia, Pasadena and Tahquitz. My guess is they’re going to compete for the VVL title along with Covina and Northview.

8. Chino Hills (5-3) –– Solid back-to-back wins over Etiwanda and rival Ayala, beating the Bulldogs 13-3 to open the Sierra. The Huskies are another dangerous, free-swinging team in the Sierra than can beat any team on any given day.

9. Bishop Amat (2-5) — Their record is so ugly I’m going to take heat for leaving them in the top ten. But Bishop Amat deserves to be here, and won their biggest game of the season, the Del Rey League opener, 3-0 over Bishop Montgomery. The Lancers losing to top Orange County teams is one thing, but if they start losing in league, then you know they’re in trouble.

10. Covina (3-3) — They continue to be the biggest disappointment because we had such high expectations for them. Look, this team is too good to hover at .500, and by the end of the Valle Vista, they should be the team on top.

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Softball Rankings: Chino Hills has a firm grip on No. 1; St. Lucy’s and Bishop Amat playing well too

Tribune Top Ten Softball Rankings

1. Chino Hills (11-3) –– Looking more like the No. 1 team each week. Since becoming No. 1, they rolled off three straight shutouts over El Dorado, Diamond Ranch and Colton while also scoring a combined 19 runs.

2. St. Lucy’s (7-1) — The Regents are swinging a lot better than last year. Danielle Mavridis is hitting .577 with 12 runs scored and Brandi Harkness is bringing the power with four home runs and 14 RBIs. They just finished a sweep over La Mirada and will play Sonora and Ontario in the Diamond Bar tourney later this week.

3. Bishop Amat (7-3) — The Lancers made it look easy in an 8-1 win over Charter Oak in the Chargers’ own tournament semifinals at Big League Dreams. The Lancers are solid all the way around and will play La Serna for the championship on Friday.

4. South Hills (6-3) –– After losing to Schurr in the Charter Oak tournament the Huskies routed San Dimas and Alhambra. I love the bloggers who think they’re over-rated. They’ve said that the last two years and come playoff time the Huskies are the only area team to advance to a CIF final two straight years. Go ahead, keep doubting them.

5. Ayala (6-3 ) — This is what makes the Sierra League so difficult. You already have Chino Hills, St. Lucy’s and South Hills playing well. Even Claremont is capapble of knocking off teams so there is never an easy one in the Sierra.

6. Glendora (5-4) — The Tartans lost a tough one-run game to Upland, 4-3, and like last year will have a difficult time in the Baseline League. They’re good, but they don’t have the depth they had in past years.

7. Los Altos (6-3) –After a great start they suffer back-to-back losses to Charter Oak and La Habra. I thought they might be the frontrunners to win the Hacienda, but not so sure now.

8. Duarte (4-1) — In their four wins they’ve only allowed two runs. The difficult part of ranking Duarte is they won’t play anyone in our top ten the rest of the year and will finish with a mighty good record. But that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of playing with the area’s better teams.

9. Bonita (4-4) — Bonita has experimented with different pitching, but the fact remains that when soph Anissa Sanchez is in the circle, they can play with almost anyone. They still make silly errors on defense, but when they’re on, they’re dangerous. They face South Hills at South Hills on Thursday, which will be a big measuring stick game.

10. San Dimas (5-4) –– The Saints might be the best in the Valle Vista, but that doesn’t carry a lot of pull. This is the weakest Valle Vista League I’ve seen since taking over as Trib prep editor. There was a time when Northview, Covina and San Dimas were among the top five teams in the area. Now, I’m struggling to rank one of them.

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Breaking News: South Hills pitcher Sydney La Follette leaves team to concentrate on volleyball

South Hills senior pitcher Sydney La Follette, as clutch as anyone the past two years in leading the Huskies softball team to back-to-back CIF-SS Divisional championship games, has left the the Huskies’ softball team to focus on volleyball, where she intends to continue her career at San Jose State, sources have confirmed. La Follette, who is also an imposing hitter, leaves a big void on the Huskies softball team, who started the season ranked No. 1 in the Tribune. Senior Sarah Macias and freshman Caitlyn Van Hemelryck will be asked to fill the void. Please be careful with your comments, if this becomes an attack on players or coaches, I will not allow commenting on this thread.

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Charter Oak breezing, South Hills could be staring at 0-3 with a loss to Damien on Wednesday

Charter Oak’s sweep over South Hills leaves the Chargers baseball team in good shape in the Sierra League. South Hills in crucial game against Damien on Wednesday

By Aram Tolegian, SGVN twitter.com/ChemicalAT

After one week of action, these are not the Sierra League baseball standings most fans would have expected.

Much of it has to do with the strong showing by Charter Oak and the disappointing performance of South Hills, which just a week ago looked headed toward a dream season after beating Bonita and ace pitcher Justin Garza to win the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament.

Charter Oak (6-1, 2-0) swept the Huskies (5-2, 0-2) last week, which has the Chargers sitting pretty in the standings and has the Huskies facing heavy pressure when they visit Damien (4-2, 1-0) on Wednesday in a key league showdown.

“I have a lot of confidence in our kids that we’re going to bounce back,” South Hills coach Kevin Smith said. “We were 1-2 (in league) at one time last year and tied for the league (championship).

“We’re going to be OK. We’re just going to need to right the ship right away. If knew what it was, I would fix it right away. We’re not timely hitting. We’re having a major defensive breakdown at the wrong time. It’s just baseball.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone on the street willing to bet the Chargers are going to run away with the league title. But the way the Chargers have been pitching, that might happen.

Starters Oscar Montenegro and Mac Lupton own ERAs below one. Because of that, Charter Oak will be heavily favored this week against Ayala and Claremont.

That’s why Wednesday’s game between South Hills and Damien is so critical.

“It’s huge,” Smith said of Wednesday’s visit to Damien. “We’re going to have to play a perfect ballgame. We can’t throw the ball away or commit the errors or not get the timely hitting that we haven’t. Friday’s ballgame (against Charter Oak) they scored two runs and the ball didn’t leave the infield. It’s just stuff like that. Those were the things we were not doing when we the tournament. We were making those plays.

“The good thing about is that our pitching has been really solid. We don’t want to be 0-3. It’s going to be a huge ballgame for us, there’s no doubt.

“They’ll be well-prepared and we’re going to have to play well.”

aram.tolegian@sgvn.com

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