Softball: Tologs Drop Key Game to Alemany

A sloppy fifth and sixth inning proved to be too much for the Flintridge Sacred Heart softball team Thursday, as the Tologs fell short 6-3 to Alemany to drop to fourth place in the Mission League.

“Today it was just a matter of taking advantage of the game,” Tologs coach Kirk Nishiyama said. “Both teams played well, and we knew it was going to be a battle. But give credit to Alemany.”

Last time these two faced off, the Tologs had a five run rally in the fifth inning and managed to escape with a 6-3 victory early in Mission League play. Since that win, they have dropped six of their last eight.

Clutch hitting has been a key issue for the Tologs, and it reared its head against the Warriors. Four times the Tologs had runners at third base but failed to bring them in during three of the four innings. Mackenzie Lyng tried to keep her team alive in the circle, but a rough patch in the fifth and sixth innings led to five runs, four earned, on nine hits in five plus innings.

“We left a ton of runners in scoring position,” Nishiyama said. “On our side we couldn’t bring them in, Alemany was able to late in the game. It was the only thing that really separated us from the game.”

Alemany got on the board quickly when Lyng allowed back-to-back singles and a walk to start the fifth inning. After Monique Jefferson scored on a passed ball, Danielle Pitpit then cleared the bases with a single.

Jenna Menriquez led the sixth off with a single, and was brought in by Jessica Gallo with a double, ending Lyng’s day in the circle. Alex Eaton came into relief, allowing one more run in the frame off a Jefferson base hit.

Life was brought to the Tolog bats in the bottom of the sixth. With two runners on, Lauren Torres launched a deep fly ball to left field for a three-run homer, cutting the Warrior lead to 5-3.

“I honestly didn’t think anything of it really,” Torres said. “I just knew that I hit the ball far while I was running as fast as I could. When I looked up rounding first, that’s when I knew.”

Torres finished the afternoon perfect with a 3-for-3 outing with three RBIs.

The Tologs (8-13, 3-5 in the ML) have a tough stretch heading into the final week of the regular season. With two games to go, they need to win both games and hope Alemany drops one in order to secure third place and have a shot at a postseason berth.

On Tuesday the Tologs face Harvard-Westlake, who is tied with the Tologs for fourth place in league.

“We need to take better chances all around,” Torres said. “We know we can beat Harvard-Westlake, and Notre Dame will be a very big challenge. We just need to stay confident.”

“This past week has been very tough for us,” Nishiyama said. “These girls have been fighting through AP exams, and most of our time has been in the books. When we come back next week we just need to refocus. I’m not disappointed in our play, because they earned the win.”