Rosary Rules Golden West Once Again

Rosary had committed only three errors in its previous 10 games, all victories. Tuesday, against Westminster, Rosary had four errors. Over the last 70 innings, the Royals had given up only three runs. Tuesday, they gave up that many in the seventh inning alone.

Still, Rosary won its fourth Golden West League title in five years, 5-4, barely holding on against second-place Westminster.

“If we go into the playoffs thinking we’re unbeatable, we’re going to get our butts kicked,” said junior catcher Natalie Golda, one of four starting position players from last year’s Southern Section Division IV runner-up. “It’s not good to have a superiority complex.”

Rosary scored four runs in the second inning with two on and two out. Winning pitcher Mallory Anderson (9-3) singled home one run, Tymarie Novak singled home another--both on infield hits--and Dana Kenney laced an opposite-field two-run single down the left-field line. The Royals scored again in the fourth when Erin Kenney scored on a passed ball.

Then, the Royals (19-8, 9-0) gave it back as part of a four-error performance. A single, fielder’s choice and Liz Gonzalez’s single cut Westminster’s deficit to 5-1, in the sixth inning, and two errors and a single loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh. Against reliever Christa Arriaga, Westminster’s Jennifer Reinig drove home one run on an out to right field, another scored on an ill-advised throw home on a grounder to second base, and a third run scored on Gonzalez’s second single.

With the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Arriaga struck out the next two batters to end the co-championship hopes of Westminster (15-10, 6-3).