The hometown fans were not enough for the host team, as the West knocked them down with a 10-2 victory Monday night at the Senior League Softball World Series in Roxana.
Coastal Point • Ruslana Lambert
Celeste Martinez throws a pitch against District III.
The teams were locked in a pitchers’ duel, as District III’s Jenna Allen and West’s Celeste Martinez kept the game scoreless through three innings. District III (Laurel) broke through in the bottom of the fourth, starting with a lead-off double by Brook Evans. She then stole third on the first pitch to Alexis Oliphant, who then proceeded to reach base when she beat the throw on a bunt, and put runners on the corners with none out.
Jenn Cahal then gave up herself on a bunt to score Evans and move Oliphant to third when the bag was left uncovered. Martinez was able to pick up a second out on a line drive back to the pitcher, but a wild pitch scored Oliphant to give District III a 2-0 lead. Martinez restored order when she struck out Stephanie Wheatley to end the inning.
That’s when the trouble began for the home team.
Martinez led off the top of the fifth with a single, and scored after a sacrifice by Marisa Lopez and a District III error. The home team almost got out of the inning with the next at bat, when they thought they had turned an inning-ending double play, but the umpires ruled that Lopez was safe at second on the play. Two straight walks to Vanity Martinez and Nicole Aboytes loaded the bases, and a single to left by Evelyn Sanchez tied the score at 2 for West (Colton, Calif.).
Rae Chaves followed with a bases-clearing double to right, and a single by Ryan Gregg put West ahead 6-2.Courtney Evans came in to pitch for District III, and she was able to get Martinez to ground out to end the inning.
Coastal Point •
District III's Ashlee Brittingham is out at the plate in a close play.
Things went scoreless then until the top half of the seventh, when Vanity Martinez led things off for the West with a single to center. Evans then hit Aboytes with a pitch to put two runners on, and a fielder’s choice hit into by Sanchez put runners on the corners with one out. Three straight singles followed for the West — by Chavez, Gregg and Celeste Martinez — put the West team up 9-2, and a wild pitch pushed ahead the 10th run for the California team.
That was all they needed, as they shut down District III in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.