SOFTBALL: Spirits rally late to beat Edgewood
May 21, 2014
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor
LANCASTER — Trailing late during Tuesday's CIF-Southern Section first round game against Edgewood, Paraclete's Kailla Searcy knew she could be barreling her way around the bases for the last time in 2014.
Her heart said go. Her brain and a screaming Margaret Neill said stop. At third base.
"I was close (to going)," Searcy said. "It was a hard stop, too."
With Taylor Roberts following Searcy's triple to deep center with an inside-the-park homer to push the Spirits past the Lions in a 4-3 win, Paraclete's 21st in a row, one could argue Searcy's decision was a wise one.
Credit Neill, too. The Paraclete coach seemed ready to tackle Searcy as she approached third to give the Spirits a chance to prolong a winning streak that dates back to March 15.
"She's fast enough," Neill said. "But with no outs and (Roberts) coming to bat ... if she gets thrown out at home, then what happens?"
No one will ever know. As a result, the Spirits get a chance to go for win No. 22 in a row against Anaheim in the second round of the playoffs on Thursday.
For one inning, it looked as if Tuesday would be the end for Paraclete (25-2).
After going hitless against Searcy in innings two through five, the Lions (16-4) got to the ace in the top of the sixth to turn a two-run deficit into a 3-2 lead.
It started with a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Brianna Tafolla. Two hits and a walk later, the bases were loaded with one out and the Spirits clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Sammy Alvarado then got a clutch hit through the right gap to drive in two Lions and end Searcy's afternoon in the circle.
"I'd been painting the outside corner (of the strike zone) the whole time and (the umpire) was giving me the call," Searcy said. "Then (the Lions) made their adjustments."
Just as she would in the bottom of the inning, Roberts came in and backed up Searcy, retiring the next two batters and stranding Lions at second and third to avoid further damage.
Roberts was 0-for-2 going into the sixth. To her, that only meant she was due for a hit.
"I knew once we got out of that (sixth) inning that we were going to come back and win," Roberts said.
Playing at Lancaster City Park, where the walls are far beyond high school softball regulations, Roberts ripped a pitch to center so deep that Neill never thought about stopping her as she rounded third.
"That ball just exploded off the bat," Neill said.
Three outs away from the second round, Roberts got a flyout before spotting Tafolla her second walk of the game. That would be it, as she struck out the next two batters to pick up the win.
Her counterpart, Edgewood's Taylor Lara, struck out eight and gave up seven hits, including another two-run inside-the-park homer to Myamie Thompson in the second inning.
Thompson's homer wasn't hit nearly as hard as Roberts', but the low liner got by the third baseman and outfielder down the left field line and Thompson used her speed to give the Spirits a 2-0 lead.
"We try to find those gaps because it's going to keep rolling and we can attack and get doubles or triples and home runs," Roberts said.
With Searcy dealing, the homer looked like the game-winner. The ace had 1-2-3 innings in the second, fourth and fifth. The only runner to reach base in the third did so on an error.
Then came the sixth, and the need of heroics to keep the Spirits' win streak and season alive.
"She was throwing a one-hitter to that point," Neill said of Searcy.
With the pressure of wanting to get back what she felt belonged to her, Searcy came through in the next inning. Roberts followed up.
And just like against Birmingham on May 10 - where they erased a seven-run deficit to win 13-10 - somehow the Spirits won again.
They just keep finding ways.
"I just don't think they ever stop believing," Neill said. "That's the big difference."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press Assistant Sports Editor
LANCASTER — Trailing late during Tuesday's CIF-Southern Section first round game against Edgewood, Paraclete's Kailla Searcy knew she could be barreling her way around the bases for the last time in 2014.
Her heart said go. Her brain and a screaming Margaret Neill said stop. At third base.
"I was close (to going)," Searcy said. "It was a hard stop, too."
With Taylor Roberts following Searcy's triple to deep center with an inside-the-park homer to push the Spirits past the Lions in a 4-3 win, Paraclete's 21st in a row, one could argue Searcy's decision was a wise one.
Credit Neill, too. The Paraclete coach seemed ready to tackle Searcy as she approached third to give the Spirits a chance to prolong a winning streak that dates back to March 15.
"She's fast enough," Neill said. "But with no outs and (Roberts) coming to bat ... if she gets thrown out at home, then what happens?"
No one will ever know. As a result, the Spirits get a chance to go for win No. 22 in a row against Anaheim in the second round of the playoffs on Thursday.
For one inning, it looked as if Tuesday would be the end for Paraclete (25-2).
After going hitless against Searcy in innings two through five, the Lions (16-4) got to the ace in the top of the sixth to turn a two-run deficit into a 3-2 lead.
It started with a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Brianna Tafolla. Two hits and a walk later, the bases were loaded with one out and the Spirits clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Sammy Alvarado then got a clutch hit through the right gap to drive in two Lions and end Searcy's afternoon in the circle.
"I'd been painting the outside corner (of the strike zone) the whole time and (the umpire) was giving me the call," Searcy said. "Then (the Lions) made their adjustments."
Just as she would in the bottom of the inning, Roberts came in and backed up Searcy, retiring the next two batters and stranding Lions at second and third to avoid further damage.
Roberts was 0-for-2 going into the sixth. To her, that only meant she was due for a hit.
"I knew once we got out of that (sixth) inning that we were going to come back and win," Roberts said.
Playing at Lancaster City Park, where the walls are far beyond high school softball regulations, Roberts ripped a pitch to center so deep that Neill never thought about stopping her as she rounded third.
"That ball just exploded off the bat," Neill said.
Three outs away from the second round, Roberts got a flyout before spotting Tafolla her second walk of the game. That would be it, as she struck out the next two batters to pick up the win.
Her counterpart, Edgewood's Taylor Lara, struck out eight and gave up seven hits, including another two-run inside-the-park homer to Myamie Thompson in the second inning.
Thompson's homer wasn't hit nearly as hard as Roberts', but the low liner got by the third baseman and outfielder down the left field line and Thompson used her speed to give the Spirits a 2-0 lead.
"We try to find those gaps because it's going to keep rolling and we can attack and get doubles or triples and home runs," Roberts said.
With Searcy dealing, the homer looked like the game-winner. The ace had 1-2-3 innings in the second, fourth and fifth. The only runner to reach base in the third did so on an error.
Then came the sixth, and the need of heroics to keep the Spirits' win streak and season alive.
"She was throwing a one-hitter to that point," Neill said of Searcy.
With the pressure of wanting to get back what she felt belonged to her, Searcy came through in the next inning. Roberts followed up.
And just like against Birmingham on May 10 - where they erased a seven-run deficit to win 13-10 - somehow the Spirits won again.
They just keep finding ways.
"I just don't think they ever stop believing," Neill said. "That's the big difference."