EL SEGUNDO HERALD April 28, 2016 Page 5 Softball Team Nipped in Tournament By Gregg McMullin The CIF post season playoffs are still a few weeks away and the softball, baseball and boys’ volleyball teams are in the thick of their respective races. The softball team, still stinging from their only Ocean League loss to Culver City, returned to winning ways before losing a tough one in the El Segundo Tournament. The baseball team lost two in a row to Culver City but rebounded to win a Redondo Tournament game and the boys’ volleyball team continues to dominate in league play. The softball team has had to deal with more than its share of adversity this season that included injuries. Head coach Keith Cameron has had to make critical changes to a lineup that was once looked upon as one of the best in the South Bay with all the experience returning. But with season ending injuries as well as other issues his hand has been forced and that’s allowed others to step up. After a lackluster performance against Culver City the Lady Eagles rebounded with impressive wins over Hawthorne 11-1 and Lawndale 16-0. The Eagles hosted their own tournament and were looking to win their third consecutive El Segundo Tournament. In the first game they defeated a pesky Narbonne team 6-2. Gabby Benjamin, just a freshman, went the distance scattering five hits while striking out six. In the first inning Alyssa Pelegrin had an RBI triple and Julie Roach’s RBI single gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Narbonne tied the game in the second inning that could have gone very badly for El Segundo had it not been for Pelegrin’s defensive play. The Gauchos had runners on second and third with no outs. Consecutive batters grounded sharply to Pelegrin who threw to the plate where each were thrown out. Then Narbonne’s Jess Robledo smashed a two run double to left centerfield to tie the game. Robledo attempted to stretch the double to a triple when Eagle centerfielder Jordan Dornblaser threw to Pelegrin who wheeled and threw a strike to Eagle third baseman Julie Roach for the out. In the fifth inning Pelegrin tripled home another run and Megan Truesdale had an RBI double for a 4-2 lead. In the sixth inning Jasmine Krauss’s two-run single gave the Eagles their 6-2 win. In the second game they faced top ranked Rolling Hills Prep and gave up two unearned runs in first inning in their 3-2 loss to the Huskies. In the second inning Megan Truesdale walked and reached third on Monique Benjamin’s double. Truesdale scored on a dropped third strike to make it 2-1. In the third inning the Huskies’ potential big inning was cut short when they scored just one run on three hits. The Eagles countered when Cierra Kessler scored El Segundo’s only other run on a sacrifice fly by Truesdale. It was a disappointing loss but Coach Cameron said that losing to a quality team like Rolling Hills Prep was of some consolation. It’s too bad we weren’t at full strength,” he added. The Eagles were looking to end Santa Monica’s strangle hold as league champions 12 consecutive years and over 114 consecutive league wins. They faced off with the Vikings on Tuesday evening. A win for the Eagles would send the Ocean League into a three way tie for the top spot. Next week the Eagles are on the road before returning home on May 9, against Lawndale. The Eagles were in the midst of a three game losing streak with consecutive losses to Torrance and back to back Ocean League losses to Culver City before righting the ship with a 4-1 win over Ocean View in the fourth round of the Redondo Tournament. Against Culver City in the first game the Centaurs combined El Segundo Baseball Boy Scout Troop 267 Pancake Breakfast Saturday, April 30 8-10:30 am at the United Methodist Church 540 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245 (corner of Mariposa and Main) Enjoy a wonderful breakfast, including pancakes & syrup, sausage, plus apple juice, milk or coffee – cooked and served to you by El Segundo’s own Boy Scout Troop 267 Suggested Donation: $8/ticket or $32/5 tickets Proceeds support Scouts attending Summer Camp For more information call (310) 469-1382 Despite Inconsistencies, Dodgers Remain on Top By Adam Serrao When this year’s 2016 Major League Baseball season opened for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the question circling around L.A. was: Are the Dodgers that good, or is San Diego just that bad? L.A. wound up sweeping their opening series of the year against the Padres, routing them 15-0 in game one while going on to outscore their division rivals by a total of 25-0. The Dodgers didn’t allow their first run of the season until the fifth inning of their fourth game of the year against the San Francisco Giants, of course. All in all, things were looking pretty good for the Boys in Blue. Since their hot start, though, a variety of setbacks have raised their head and began peeking through the clouds of what Dodger fans ever-so endearingly refer to as, “Dodger Heaven”. In an extremely long 162 game season, the test will be to see if L.A. can right their wrongs in order to stay on top of what is sure to be a highly competitive NL West this year. Heading into this week of the play, the standings in the National League West seemed to be turned on their head. While the Dodgers remained in first place, where they have traditionally finished over the past three-plus years, and the Padres remained in last place, where likewise, they seem to usually remain, the middle of the standings has become jumbled. The Colorado Rockies, behind impressive rookie Trevor Story, are breathing down the Dodgers necks for first place in the division. The Arizona Diamondbacks occupy third place, while much to every Dodger fans delight, the Giants are situated right towards the bottom, a game or two in front of the Padres. The season is young and the standings will certainly change at least 20 times throughout its course, but the Dodgers ability to win series’ within the NL West is what has kept them on top to this point. One extremely bright spot for L.A. has been starting pitcher, Kenta Maeda. Maeda has been as reliable as they come in his first four starts as an MLB pitcher. The 28-year-old out of Japan has compiled a 0.36 ERA over his first four outings, allowing a total of one earned run over 25 1/3 innings pitched, good enough for a 3-0 record. Not even Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 1.50 ERA) has put up those kind of numbers. In addition to Maeda, other players have impressed, as well. Chase Utley, for instance, was signed in the offseason primarily as an insurance policy and a nice utility player who could fill in around the infield. The 37-year-old has refused to play a backup role, however, and is quickly putting together a season that seems to be reminiscent of the ones in his past. Through his first 18 games of the year, Utley had put together a batting average of .317 at the leadoff spot for the Dodgers, with an on base percentage of .377, while also playing absolutely stellar defense at second base. Howie Kendrick may have to wait just a bit to get his spot in the order back. While other players like Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, and Enrique Hernandez are all doing well in the early season also, the team is not without its weaknesses. Scott Kazmir, for instance, while being relied upon as this year’s number two starter, has been a major disappointment. Kazmir opened the season with an impressive victory at San Diego, giving up only one hit and no runs in six innings of play. Since then, however, his numbers have dropped off drastically. After his last start versus Colorado in which the Dodgers lost, 5-7, Kazmir’s numbers dropped to a 1-1 record with a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings pitched. He has since been removed from the rotation due to thumb injury on his left hand. It remains to be seen whether that has been the cause of his poor pitching performances of late. Aside from Kershaw and Maeda, the Dodgers don’t have a reliable pitcher in the starting rotation that can be relied upon for a win. Something that will certainly need to change should the team look for any success come playoff time. Additionally, the bullpen, which has traditionally been an eyesore for the L.A., remains to be one at key moments in winnable games. New manager Dave Roberts has seemingly found his favorite pitcher on the team, constantly turning to reliever Chris Hatcher in critical, win-or-lose situations. Hatcher has responded with a 7.27 ERA in 10 appearances dating back to last weekend, including a three earned run outing against the Rockies that almost, and probably should have, lost the team the game. Hatcher was the pitcher brought in after Ross Stripling was pulled from his no-hitter. Not only did Hatcher give up a hit, but he gave up the game. The first batter he faced against the Giants knocked a two-run home run over the wall as San Francisco rallied for the win. Naturally, it’s an incredibly young season and much remains to be seen about the Dodgers fates. The team that Roberts has now, is not necessarily the team that he is stuck with all season. Some of the weaknesses that have been rearing their heads can, indeed, be remedied. What’s more encouraging, however, is the fact that despite their weaknesses, the Dodgers are still finding ways to win and remaining at the top of their division. Kershaw and Maeda have been going above and beyond for the pitching staff, while players like Gonzalez, Utley and Puig have been setting the pace for the offense. This year’s Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t necessarily a championship team yet, but in this young start to the season, there is certainly hope See Softball Team, page 13 on the horizon. • Alyssa Pelegrin races to third base for the first of two triples against Narbonne.
Herald_042816_FNL_lorez
To see the actual publication please follow the link above