Ali Milam scored the winning run for Dos Pueblos in Thursday’s CIF game.
Dos Pueblos rallied from a 3-0 deficit and scored the winning run in the eighth inning to beat Monrovia 4-3 in a tense second-round game of the CIF Division 4 softball playoffs on Thursday.
“It was like a championship game,” a relieved DP coach Jon Uyesaka said. “Monrovia is very good and underrated by the CIF.”
Ali Milam scored the winning run on a suicide squeeze play. Milam led off the eighth with a single and Jade Sinskul was hit by a pitch, putting runners at second and first. The runners advanced on a passed ball and Sam Sander laid down the bunt that scored Milam, who beat the catcher’s tag.
Starting pitcher Lani Evans took care of the bottom of the inning.
“That one is going to take a while to recover from,” Uyesaka said. “I’m so proud of the kids, they fought all the way to the end despite being down three to a very good pitcher.”
Dos Pueblos trailed 3-0 after the fifth inning. Monrovia (20-7) hit a two-run homer off Evans in the first inning and added another run in the fifth.
After being held to three hits, DP’s offense came alive in the sixth. Evans led off with a single, Monica Salas singled and Kai Uyesaka drove in pinch-runner Melissa Spink (running for Evans) for the first run. With two outs and two strikes, Jade Sinskul hit a single to center, bringing in Salas. Uyesaka got a great jump from second and came around to score the tying run, just barely beating a good throw to the plate.
The Chargers threatened in the seventh. Maddy Buie was at second base when Uyesaka hit a liner at the shortstop for the third out.
The bottom of the seventh was full of drama. Evans didn’t get a call on a 3-2 pitch against Monrovia’s speedy leadoff hitter, Uyesaka protested
“She threw a fastball right down the pipe and the umpire called ball four,” he said. “I almost got ejected on that one. But Karma prevailed.”
Sinskul threw out the Monrovia runner attempting to steal second base.
“I heard it was the first time she got thrown out this season in 20 attempts. That killed their momentum,” said Uyesaka.
Dos Pueblos (22-6) advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals and plays at Beaumont at 3:15 p.m.
