Top-seeded Santiago suffers 3-2 loss to Nordhoff after critical late error in CIF finals

Santiago’s softball team poses with the CIF runner-up trophy (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Santiago High’s softball top-seeded team had quite a run to advance all the way to the CIF Division 6 finals for the first time in school history, generating quite a buzz on campus.

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But the Cavaliers hopes for a title vanished in the bottom of the seventh inning of the championship game with Nordhoff Friday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

Nordhoff (19-10) pushed across a run in the seventh on a misplay in the infield with two outs to win the game 3-2.

“It’s been a phenomenal year for the school and the girls and they’ve worked hard,” said Santiago Coach Melissa Adams. “They worked hard and they gave me everything they had today. In the end, we fell short. They went out trying to being aggressive and it ended up killing us but it’s not from lack of effort from any of them.”

“Every single one of them played hard and did their best. That’s all I can ask for them.”

With one out in the seventh, Nordhoff’s Willow Williams singled. Then Arianna Alonso laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance her to second. Alonso was thrown out at first base for the second out, but Santiago tried to catch Williams rounding second.

The throw went into left center field and by the time the ball was thrown in Williams scored and the Rangers had walked off with their first CIF title.

Adams tried to console her heartbroken players and emphasized the game did not come down to one play, adding that her infielders were just trying to be aggressive to catch the runner rounding second. Her team also missed a chance to score in the top of the first inning when it had the first two runners on.

“That wasn’t the goal to do that (get the runner out at second) but I could see where the girl (from Nordhoff) rounded it (second base) and she (her fielder) is just trying to get an out, just like I expect all of them to and it just got away from our defender and it kept rolling,” Adams said.

In retrospect, Adams said there was a better option.

“Now that we know what happens, don’t throw it, but it’s kids and she’s trying to make a play and make an out for her team,” she said. “And you got to respect that. If she gets the out, it’s a great play. It was a combination of things, the center fielder was late getting there (to back-up) but she is coming from a long way, so I wouldn’t consider it late.”

Santiago (26-2) got a strong pitcher effort from starter Rena Rocha, who allowed five hits and struck out two and was supported by some solid defense through the first six innings.

Nordhoff pitcher Sidney Wimpee was dominant, striking out 10.

“Offensively, we could have done better,” Adams said. “We just couldn’t stay off that rise ball. We weren’t making the adjustments that we needed to make early.”

Nordhoff jumped out ahead with two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run single by Wimpee.

But Santiago battled back in the third inning to tie the game up. With one out, Katherine Sua tripled and scored on a double by Rocha. Then, Madison Lorton delivered an RBI single.

But Santiago was held to one hit the rest of the way.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com