It¹s been said many times that winning a championship is not
about having the best team, but about playing the best when it
counts the most.
That was the story last Saturday at Howarth Park in Santa Rosa,
as the Lady Tiger softball squad fell to Rancho Cotate 2-0 in the
North Coast Section 3A title game. Rancho junior hurler D.J. Guinn
fired a one-hitter, allowing only a seventh-inning knock from Analy
shortstop Robyn Hurst enroute to the Lady Cougars¹ second straight
NCS title.
Analy junior ace Kat Lawrence turned in another strong effort,
as she fanned 12 and allowed just four Rancho hits in the game. The
Rancho knocks, along with four walks issued by Lawrence, led to
runs in the third and fourth innings, giving Guinn and the Lady
Cougars all they¹d need to win the game.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the three-time
defending SCL champion Tigers, who have set a lofty standard of
excellence over the years. The loss left Analy with an overall
season record of 20-4.
³For whatever reason we just didn¹t play our best ball on
Saturday,² said a disappointed Analy coach Nick Houtz, who has
guided the team to the NCS title game in two of the past three
years. ³I felt bad for the kids who worked so hard all year to get
there.²
The top-seeded Lady Tigers began their playoff run on Tuesday
with a 1-0 win over visiting eighth-seeded Ukiah. Lawrence was
masterful, outdueling Wildcat hurler Lindsay Kiely, as she fanned
14 batters and yielded just two hits. The Tigers scored the winning
run in the second inning when Lawrence walked and was driven home
by Kortnie Millhouse. Leading the Tigers¹ three-hit attack were
Millhouse (2 for 3, RBI) and Hurst (1 for 3).
Analy entertained fifth-seeded Casa Grande in a dramatic
semi-final game on Thursday. The Tigers took advantage of a Casa
error in the third inning for a 2-0 lead, but a bases-loaded triple
by Heather Salgado in the sixth put the Gauchos ahead, 3-2. Analy
clawed back with the tying run in the sixth, setting up a dramatic
finish. Millhouse led off the Tigers¹ seventh with a sharp single,
but was still on first base when third baseman Paige Wheeler strode
to the plate with two out. Wheeler lined a shot in the
right-centerfield gap, scoring Millhouse for an electrifying, 4-3
win.
