She knew full well what the opposition could do if she left the ball over the heart of the plate, so Los Alamitos’ Katya Duvall channeled her inner technician Tuesday afternoon.
The senior ace silenced a loaded Orange Lutheran lineup, limiting the Lancers to just five hits in leading the Griffins to a 7-1 victory in a CIF-SS Division 1 second-round contest at Los Alamitos High.
The Griffins (25-6) will travel to Canyon on Thursday afternoon to take on the Comanches (22-7) in a quarterfinal showdown between two of the county’s top programs.
“You got to give a lot of credit to Kat today,” Los Alamitos coach Rob Weil said. “She hit her spots, she was on and she came up with some big pitches in some big situations. (Orange Lutheran) is a team that can produce runs in a hurry, but she hit spots and got out of a couple jams.”
Against a lineup with six batters hitting at least .425, Duvall pounded the low outside corner, consistently forcing routine outs for her defense. Four of Orange Lutheran’s five hits were singles. Desiree Buboi’s solo shot in the seventh was the Lancers’ lone run.
“We wanted to keep the ball low so they couldn’t get a hold of something,” Duvall explained. “One of their batters did, and you see what they can do. She put it over the fence.”
Orange Lutheran only had one runner in scoring position over the first six frames. The Lancers’ one through four hitters struggled, going a combined 1-for-12.
Los Al senior Alexa Schultz accounted for both of the Griffins first two runs, walking with the bases loaded in the first before doubling in Mary Iakopo in the third.
Leading 2-0 in the sixth inning, the Griffins tacked on five insurance runs with five base hits, taking a commanding 7-0 lead into the seventh.
Orange Lutheran concluded its season with a 25-4 record. Tuesday’s loss was its first of the season decided by more than a run.
In Division 2:
Mission Viejo 10, Arroyo Grande 0 (5 innings): Diablos ace Taylor McQuillin set the CIF-SS record for career victories (101) while striking out 14 in five innings. McQuillin also set a new mark for consecutive decisions, winning her 33rd straight start dating back to last season. The senior star also belted a three-run homer.
Foothill 10, Valley View 7: Trailing by four runs the bottom of the fifth, the Knights scored seven runs to edge the Eagles. Anissa Amarillas tossed four innings in relief, scattering three hits.
Sunny Hills 4, Camarillo 3 (10 innings): Amber Elliot’s hit with the bases loaded scored Lauren Huerta with the winning run in the 10th.
KENNY CONNOLLY
In Division 3:
San Clemente 10, Warren of Downey 3: Senior Lauren Kane hit a grand slam and a two-run home run in her first two at-bats, leading the Tritons to a lopsided victory.
Laguna Hills 4, Burroughs of Burbank 3: Freshman Erika Morris ripped a single to drive in the winning run in the seventh, completing a come-from-behind triumph at home.
Morris’ hit capped off a three-run inning which saw the Hawks (16-11) score all of their runs after two were out.
“That was a nice win,” said Hawks coach Cary Crouch. “These girls can be a little goofy at times, but they put it together at the end.”
Laguna Hills will face Gahr of Cerritos on Thursday at a site to be determined today.
In the seventh, sophomore shortstop Katherine Larson blooped a single over the shortstop and hustled to second base, barely beating the throw. With runners on second and third, junior first baseman Courtney Kim tied the score with a single to center field that eluded the Burroughs center fielder, allowing Kim to race to third.
One pitch later, the game was over when Morris’ shot just cleared the reach of left fielder Dominique Santos.
“I saw a fastball inside and I pulled it,” Morris said. “As soon as I saw it tip off that girl’s glove, I said ‘thank you.’”
MARK GARCIA
