The Malibu High girls’ softball team lost to top-seeded La Salle last Thursday in Pasadena, 5-3, in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. The Sharks (13-14) advanced farther in the playoffs than any other softball team in school in history.
Coming into the game, La Salle (22-5) was heavily favored. La Salle had won their previous four games by a combined score of 43-0. However, the Sharks were not intimidated. In the last inning, the Sharks loaded the bases with two outs, down two runs. Junior Kelcie Meyer hit the ball well, but La Salle was able to catch it, ending the game.
“They made a great catch,” junior Scarlette Tidy said. “The game was so close. We could have beaten them.”
Sonja Van Soelen, Cheyenne Cantor and Lauren Haag each scored a run for the Sharks. Jamie Samuel pitched the entire game.
The Sharks advanced to the game against La Salle by defeating Faith Baptist last Tuesday in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, 6-5. Faith Baptist scored the first five runs of the game. In the sixth inning, the Sharks made their comeback. Sonja Van Soelen scored on a double by Jamie Samuel. Samuel scored on a double by Sarah Zweig. Carol Yang scored on a passed ball. Zweig scored on a bases-loaded walk. Lauren Haag had an RBI to score Rebecca Gray. Going into the seventh inning, the game was tied at five. The Sharks broke the tie and won the game when Maddie Biglow hit the perfect bunt to score Yang.
The Sharks advanced to the playoffs by defeating Carpinteria on Senior Night in a thrilling ten-inning game, 9-8, two weeks ago. The Sharks came into the game tied with Carpinteria, needing a win to secure a playoff berth. In the bottom of the tenth inning, Carol Yang had the game-winning hit to score Sonja Van Soelen. Van Soelen led the Sharks with three runs scored. Yang and Samuel each scored two runs, and Kelcie Meyer and Cheyenne Cantor each scored a run.
The loss to La Salle was the final high-school softball game for seniors Rebecca Gray, Lauren Haag, Dominique Magee, Jamie Samuel, Ashley Shubert, Sonja Van Soelen, Carol Yang and Sarah Zweig.