Sports

Softball: Floyd Marvelous in San Marino Win

Floyd strikes out nine, hits two-run home run in 5-0 win.

Just a few days ago as they headed into the first of two pivotal games against Rio Hondo League rival Temple City, the San Marino Titans were in an unexpected position.

A team many thought would challenge La Canada for the RHL title, the Titans were 2-2 in league play and mired in a three-way tie for second place with Temple City and Monrovia.

Things looked even more dim for San Marino when they entered the seventh inning of Monday’s game down two runs to the upstart Rams. But the Titans rallied for three runs that inning for a walk-off win and then rode a two-run home run off the bat of Michelle Floyd to a 5-0 victory on Wednesday to regain their stranglehold of second place.

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“It feels really good because we were a bit worried,” San Marino coach Hilda Valencia said. “But we continued to talk to the girls and work hard, and get after it during practice. And we knew that the best team would come it.”

In hindsight, there wasn’t much need for worrying — not with Michelle Floyd in the circle. Floyd gave up a leadoff single Temple City sophomore Sami Ortega, but that was all the offense the Rams could muster against San Marino’s sophomore hurler.

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Floyd overpowered the Rams (9-9, 2-4 in the RHL) to the tune of nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings, and at one point she retired 16 consecutive batters.

“She’s a very good pitcher,” Temple City coach Bob Ellingsworth said. 

But it wasn’t just Floyd’s arm that got the best of the Rams. With a runner on first and two outs in the top of the fourth, Floyd cranked the first pitch she saw from Temple City’s Jenny Pegg over the left-field fence for a two-run home run and a 2-0 lead.

“The one big hit,” Ellingsworth said. “(Pegg) hung it over the plate, and she just hit that ball about as far as you can hit it.”

Up until that point in the game, the Titan bats had largely been quite. San Marino (10-5, 4-2) had just two hits through the first three innings, but Floyd’s homer electrified the rest of the Titans lineup.

“Michelle sparked us up with that two-run blast that she had,” Valencia said. “We tell the girls to just feed off of each other, and they fed off that.” 

Raquel Edmonds and Caityln Callahan followed with back-to-back singles to end Pegg’s day in the circle. Rams senior Jessica Loicano relieved Pegg and immediately walked third baseman Jacqueline Martinez to load the bases. Junior shortstop Taryne Converse struck out to end the rally at two runs, but the stage was set for future offensive outbursts.

The Titans smacked four hits in the sixth, led by RBI singles from both Martinez and centerfielder Courtney Johnson. A Temple City error led to another run as the Titans totaled three for the inning

Alexis Watanabe finished the game 3-for-4 with three singles, and San Marino ended the game with 11 hits. The Titans were particularly effective with two outs, scoring four of their five runs in such situations.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game, coming in here, and especially after the really close game that we had on Monday,” Valencia said. “So we told the girls just to be ready for them to come out aggressive. And you guys just come out as aggressive as them and just play ball.”


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