ANAHEIM – After back-to-back, come-from-behind victories to begin the Michelle Carew Classic, Capistrano Valley’s softball team had its tournament run derailed.
Anya Gonzalez had the go-ahead double in the decisive sixth inning, as Canyon del Oro of Tucson, Ariz., defeated the Cougars, 12-9, Friday in the quarterfinals at Peralta Canyon Park.
The script was flipped on the Cougars (10-5), who saw their 9-5 lead evaporate when the rain arrived.
Amanda Gjertsen relieved Jordan Quinn in the fifth. Three batters into her outing, she surrendered a two-run homer to Gonzalez . A two-RBI single by Jenna Martinez tied it, 9-9.
With the game nearing its time limit, the Cougars put two in scoring position with one out in the bottom half of the inning. Jasmine Sievers popped out to second, and Hayley Hensley flew out to left, leaving the potential winning run at third base.
A brief rain delay followed. When play resumed, tiebreak protocol was implemented.
It took one inning to declare a winner, as the Dorados (21-1-1) scored three runs in the sixth. Gonzalez’s double broke the tie, and Ellessa Bonstrom worked a bases-loaded walk.
“We had lots of opportunities to put them away,” Cougars coach Ashley Evans said. “Their offense did a great job of scoring runs, but we let the other team have an inch, and they went with it.”
Not long after the game ended, tournament organizers suspended play in the two remaining quarterfinals Friday. They also postponed Saturday’s games and made tentative plans to complete the tournament next week. As an out-of-state competitor, Canyon del Oro opted to forfeit its semifinal spot.
“I was really excited, and I knew that we were going to win this game,” Gonzalez said of her late hits. “We knew that we were going to play some good games against these teams. We were prepared for it.”
Capistrano Valley held a pair of four-run leads. The Cougars led, 4-0, in the first, with McKenna Boyle and Alyssa Lazatin delivering run-scoring singles.
With the score tied, 5-5, in the fourth, the Cougars posted their second four-run inning. Ally Taylor had an RBI single. On the next pitch, Kennedy Hira drilled a three-run homer to make it 9-5.
