San Pedro softball makes its mark on defense to beat rival Banning in L.A. City Section playoffs

SAN PEDRO– In a playoff battle where two explosive offenses were contained by strong pitching, San Pedro made plays on defense and capitalized at the plate when its foe struggled to do the same en-route to an 8-1 victory over Banning.

Wednesday's first round CIFLACS Open Division playoff matchup was the rubber match on the season between the Marine League rivals, who had finished in a three-way tie with Carson atop the conference for the first time in league history. 

The home team won all six league meetings between the three teams, making playoff seeding particularly important. And the Pirates were very nearly on the outside looking in when it came to seeding. They opened league play with a 9-5 victory against Banning on March 31, but fell to the Pilots by the same score on April 21 immediately after losing to Carson in extra innings in their prior game. The Pirates being awarded the top playoff seed among Marine League teams looked highly unlikely at that point, but after Carson defeated Banning 3-2 on April 28, San Pedro defeated the Colts 4-1 in their regular season finale.

Pedro was awarded the top seed after all, and recent history repeated itself when the No. 4 Pirates hosted No. 5 Banning. San Pedro opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when Lulu De Leon scored from second on a bunt single by Madison Fao. Fao appeared to be out at first glance, but was ruled safe as the first baseman had  bobbled what was a tough catch. In a display of heads-up base running, De Leon took an extra base amidst the confusion of the call, and even most of the fans in attendance initially missed the fact that she came around to score.

Whereas Banning allowed a run on a makable play, the next frame was the first of a few where standout defense by Pedro kept the Pilots from getting similar opportunities. With one out, Destiny Garcia hit a single and made it to second on a wild pitch, and Madelyn Cordova drew a walk. But Fao put an end to the inning nearly singlehandedly, snagging a sharp grounder hit by Angela Zepeda and tagging second before throwing a strike to first base to end the inning.

In the Pilots' next at-bat with the score still 1-0, Carmen Baca opened the inning with a walk. But Pedro's middle infield again produced what Jamaal Street of the San Pedro Pilot would refer to as a "twin killer", as Kaitlyn Borges quieted Banning by turning a double-play.

The bottom of the third was when the Pirates broke the game open. Borges reached on an error and made it to second, and De Leon hit a base knock and then stole second before the Pilots registered what was their best play of the night defensively. Shortstop Xiomei Geluz threw Borges out at home on a fielder's choice hit by Addison Patapoff, but Fao followed it up with an RBI single and advanced to second on an error, Marissa Markel hit an RBI single as well, and Bella Chavez drove in a run on a two-base ROE. The Pilots ended the inning without further harm, but not before trailing 4-0 through three innings.

The defensive contrast remained firm in the top of the fourth. Geluz opened the inning with a single, and Emily Angulo smoked the ball to centerfield for what could've been extra bases had Sicily James not pulled off a nice running catch. Pedro's defense immediately followed it up with another highlight when Borges threw out Tyler Lewis at first on a hard chopper that deflected off the pitcher.

Banning was able to get on the board in the top of the sixth and put an end to what looked like a promising complete game shutout bid by pitcher Lily Gonzalez. Kali Sue led off with a single and made it to second on a bunt single by Alina Argueta. They both advanced on a wild pitch, and Gonzalez' stellar outing was abruptly over in the middle of an at-bat. Hard-throwing Layla Jelenic took over with a 1-1 count and quickly gave up a one-run single to Geluz that was stretched to double on a throw to the plate.

But that was all the Pilots would get. Borges made another defensive highlight to snag a liner hit by Angulo, and Jelenic struck out two of the next three batters (separated by a walk) to protect Pedro from further harm.

Heading into the bottom of the sixth, Banning starting pitcher Mary Jane Zendejas was still going strong and pitching well despite having given up four runs that were primarily unearned. That was when the Pirates finally got to her for some insurance runs. Brianna Ventura led off with a single, Brianna Rodela drilled a one-out double, Borges hit an RBI single and stole second, Patapoff walked, and with two outs, Fao drove in two runs with an oppo check-swing single. Rayliene Sanchez relieved Zendejas and gave up a one-run base hit to Markel before getting Banning out of the inning. But the score was 8-1, and the task was too tall for the Pilots to get much going against Jelenic in the top of the seventh. Despite a two-out double by Kali Sue, 8-1 was the final score.

After Gonzalez was very effective all game throwing fastballs with moderate velo and a decent amount of off-speed, Jelenic was the perfect complement, throwing nothing but inside heat. And timely hitting from their offense spoiled what could've been an impressive start from Zendejas.

How much did home field advantage really make a difference? It's nearly impossible to say. But with hitters facing a strong headwind and the few hard-hit balls by Banning hanging up to be perfectly played by Pirate outfielders, one might posit that Pedro's late push in league play to earn the home game made a difference. What's for sure is, the home team has now won all seven games among the three Marine League powers this season.

What's also for sure is, history will be on the line when Pedro heads to top-seeded reigning champion El Camino Real for the semifinals. Both programs have 17 softball championships to their name, and whoever wins on Tuesday will be one more win away from breaking that tie. The Pirates will be the clear underdog in that match, but with both momentum and a healthy pitching staff for the first time all season, expect a close game.

While the timing was poor for Banning to have a rough game defensively, the Pilots have a very young and talented team with the ability to tighten up in pressure situations in the coming years. Don't be surprised to see these Marine League powers match up again in the playoffs in the coming seasons – perhaps a round or two later next time.

Fao finished 3-4 with four RBIs, and Gonzalez was credited with the win on five innings of work with just one run allowed. Markel, Borges, and De Leon all finished 2-4 as well.