CHATSWORTH — No lead is truly safe. It was almost a disaster for the Notre Dame softball team, but the Knights stopped Sierra Canyon amid its comeback attempt.
The Knights scored four runs in the fourth inning and four more in the seventh inning to secure a 14-12 win and grab the top spot in the Mission League standings.
If you left before the fourth inning, it might have been safe to assume the game was already over. The Trailblazers made sure they did not go down without a fight.
“We didn’t follow our game plan from the get-go,” Trailblazers head coach Regina Jorgensen said. “Do we blame it on one player? No, never. We came back and fought but ultimately our errors dinged us. Hitting is the easiest part of our game. We have good pitchers. We didn’t relax and played tense and it showed.”
Out here at Sierra Canyon as the @SCanyonSports softball team gets ready to take on the @NDAthleticsSO. Game set to begin in about 15 minutes. pic.twitter.com/FQP4aXamiX
— Ryan Menzie (@MenzieReporter) April 11, 2024
After a scoreless first inning, the Knights came out with a vengeance scoring five runs in the second inning. Multiple errors in the inning allowed two runs but Aliyah Garcia and Charley Tapia got the hitting streak started by hitting two runs apiece and three RBIs total.
The Trailblazers were still unable to answer in the third, which led to a flurry of runs by the Knights. Multiple errors and an Alexa Miranda home run quickly ballooned into a 10-0 fourth-inning lead.
The defining moment of any team can come out when trying to reduce the swelling. The Trailblazers needed a comeback and quickly put any thoughts of a mercy rule to rest.
Catapulted behind home runs from Peyton Jackson and Riley Furnace, the Trailblazers’ 10-run blowout quickly reduced to a one-run game. A brand new game was in the midst and was nowhere near being over.
“It’s a really good lesson for a young team. For them to understand the game is never over,” said Knights head coach Justin Siegel. “They’re a really talented team. To go to sleep on them for one second is a mistake. It was really neat to watch some of these younger kids step up, especially being so shorthanded. Hats off to Sierra Canyon. Every word in the book you can explain how a well-coached team that won’t quit will play, that’s Sierra Canyon.”
With Duke commit Hailey Shuler leading in the circle for the Trailblazers, the Knights were halted from scoring for the next two innings. Of course, the game isn’t over until it’s over.
The four seventh-inning scores for the Knights proved too much for the Trailblazers despite their late-game heroic effort. Tapia (three RBIs, two hits, double) and company were able to slow down the Trailblazers in the seventh inning even after giving up two more runs.
“Today we came back from a loss, really worked together and it showed today,” said Tapia. “We really worked together as a team getting sac fly’s and RBIs. We especially wanted this win because we have our transfer from here (Izzy Mertes). I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry, but we’re always competitive so it was a great win.”
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