Rosary won a total of three Trinity League games in 2013 and finished in the middle of the always-competitive five-team league race.
This season, the Royals look like they’re peaking at the right time to make a run at their first league championship since the 2008 season.
With wins over JSerra and Mater Dei last week, Rosary (13-4, 3-0) has already equaled the amount of league wins from a year ago, and a win over Orange Lutheran on Wednesday afternoon would give the Royals sole possession of first place with four league games to play.
“I think the best thing for us was opening up with a win against Santa Margarita,” said Rosary coach Tom Tice. “Then last week we added Kolby (Romaine) into the mix, and got those big wins over JSerra and Mater Dei.”
Romaine, a transfer from Chino Hills High, was forced to sit out the first 30 days of the softball season under CIF rules. The junior shortstop became eligible April 7, just in time for Rosary’s hectic five-game week.
Romaine, who has committed to Missouri, made her presence felt immediately. In her Rosary debut against JSerra, Romaine went 3 for 4 with three doubles and two RBI.
“She’s been champing at the bit to make her debut,” Tice added. “Thankfully, everybody played really well when Kolby wasn’t able to suit up. With her in our lineup now, I think that just puts an exclamation point on everything.”
Rosary ended the week with a 5-0 mark, scoring 36 runs. Even more impressive is the fact the Royals started three pitchers in the circle in that stretch (Annika Seedborg, Alex Casanas and Amelia Wiercioch).
Seedborg, who is 3-0 against league opponents, will likely get the start against Orange Lutheran (15-8, 3-0) on Wednesday.
Maddy Dwyer, one of the top freshman in the county, figures to be starting in the circle for the Lancers. Like Seedborg, Dwyer is 3-0 against Trinity League opponents.
NOTES
• Cypress (13-7, 4-1) busted out of its five-game losing streak last week with back-to-back Empire League wins over No. 3 Pacifica and Valencia. Centurions senior Madi Dove out-dueled Mariners ace Kaylee Carlson in a 2-0 win to start the week, while junior Ashley Ross no-hit the Tigers in a 10-0 victory to cap it off. Cypress sits atop the Empire League standings and next plays April 22 against Western.
• Garden Grove’s Jenavee Peres is one of the hottest hitters in the county. The San Diego State-bound senior belted three home runs in wins over Bolsa Grande and La Quinta last week. Peres has nine home runs this season, and she is tied with Mission Viejo’s Alyssa Palomino for the county lead. The Argos (10-5) won their two Garden Grove league games by a combined score of 28-0.
• Freeway League play opens today with the marquee match pitting La Habra (11-7) against Fullerton (9-9). The Highlanders have one of the more potent lineups in the area, boasting four players hitting over .400 (Racquel Manzo, Nikki Butler, Amanda Akles, and Janelle Rodriguez). The key for La Habra moving forward is the consistency in the circle. Rodriguez has split time with senior Taylor Pierce. Both pitchers have 50-plus innings in the books, and both have ERAs over 3.25.
• • No. 2 Esperanza (16-3, 4-0) hosts El Modena (13-7, 3-1) on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. The Vanguards are the last team to win the Century League title since Esperanza became a member in the 2011 season. El Modena is 0-6 against the Aztecs in the past three years.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
