When Mater Dei loaded the bases in the ninth inning of its Trinity League game against Santa Margarita on Thursday, Kelli Godin knew what she needed to do: Hit the ball on the ground and give her teammates a chance to score.
The sophomore third baseman did better than that, slapping a line drive single down the left-field line to drive in the winning run for No. 4 Mater Dei in a 3-2 victory at Carl Thornton Park.
“It feels pretty great,” Godin said minutes after knocking in the game-winner. “I was pretty nervous going in, but I knew my team was behind me … I basically had to get the ball on the ground, through the infield in any way.
“We had lots of speed on the bases, and if I just got the ball on the ground we would’ve been safe.”
The Monarchs (18-3, 2-0) needed Godin’s timely hit after the Eagles (13-7, 1-1) scored twice in the seventh to tie it, 2-2, and force extra innings. The win kept the Monarchs in first place leading into a matchup with No. 5 Orange Lutheran on Tuesday.
“We need to find ways to win,” Mater Dei coach Tia Meza said. “And that’s what we did today, we found a way to win.”
Mater Dei took the lead, 1-0, with a run in the second, and extended it to 2-0 with Donna Friedman’s RBI triple in the sixth inning.
In the seventh, the Eagles loaded the bases with a dropped pop fly, a single and a hit batsman. The Eagles’ No. 3 hitter, Jenna Cone, punched a two-run single into left field to even the score at 2-2.
“I thought today they really competed,” Santa Margarita coach John Fitzpatrick said of his team’s players. “We didn’t quit for nine innings. It was a fantastic game.”
In the ninth for Mater Dei, Friedman was hit by a pitch, Amanda Esquivel walked and Emma Clark legged out her second infield single of the afternoon. After the Eagles recorded a forceout at the plate, Godin drilled a shot down the line.
In the Empire League:
Cypress 11, Western 0: Maddy Byrd tossed a perfect game and struck out out 11 of the 15 batters she faced in a game stopped after five inning because of the run differential. Cypress scored five runs in the first.
In the Orange Coast League:
Estancia 7, Calvary Chapel 5: Senior shortstop Felicia Rios had three hits and drove in a pair of runs as the Eagles (6-8, 2-0) snapped Calvary Chapel’s 66-game league winning streak. Maya VanDenHeever and Kalena Shepherd also had multiple base hits for Estancia.
In the Sunset League:
No. 2 Los Alamitos 8, Fountain Valley 3: Mary Iakopo, Andrea Gonzalez and Allisha Martinez each homered, Jenna Holcomb finished 3 for 3 with a pair of runs and Brianna Jewett earned the victory in the circle for the Griffins.
No. 6 Huntington Beach 14, Newport Harbor 1: The Oilers continued to stay hot, winning their 12th game in a row with a 16-hit performance against the Sailors.
In the South Coast League:
No. 9 Capistrano Valley 13, El Toro 2: Sophomore Jasmine SIevers went 4 for 4 with a home run and a double as the Cougars racked up 13 hits at home against the Chargers. Kennedy Hira also homered and doubled for Capo Valley, driving in three runs and scoring another.
In the Orange League:
Savanna 14, Katella 0: Six players finished with multiple base hits for the Rebels, including Sam Kennedy who drove in a team-high four runs. Marisa Meza and Jezabelle Quintana each homered on the afternoon, and Shyanne Fennel pitched four and two-thirds innings of two-hit ball.
In nonleague:
Brea Olinda 4, Yorba Linda 1: Home runs from Alyssa Chacon and Hailey Jensen highlighted a late offensive surge that lifted the Wildcats over the host Mustangs. After surrendering a run in the first, Nina Del Rio pitched six shutout innings for Brea, allowing only two hits.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
