Duarte’s Mary Rose Magnolia prepares to take her cuts against SV.
By Steven Mercado
(Baldwin Park)- In a battle between two of the Montview League’s best pitchers, the battle was won by the ace who stayed calm and composed for the duration of the game, snuffing any scoring hopes the other team might have had.
Starting senior pitcher Franki Caudillo (8-1) propelled the Sierra Vista Dons to a 6-1 victory over starting sophomore pitcher Madelaine Tickey (9-1) and the Duarte Falcons, who were undefeated in league play prior to Tuesday’s game. The teams now share the same league record of 12-1.
Duarte’s offensive production was sporadic as they would get a big hit, but would fail to capitalize with runners on base. The closest the Falcons came to getting an RBI was in the top of the fifth inning. Following a double from senior captain shortstop Mary-Rose Magnolia, Tickey stepped up to the plate and smacked the ball into left field that looked to be going over junior Maritza Ortiz’s head. Ortiz backed up, jumped, extended her arm and caught a ball that had extra bases and the first run of the game written all over it.
On the other side of the ball, Tickey has been nearly impossible to score on throughout league play, only allowing a total of four runs in nine league starts; seven of those starts were complete-game shutouts. Her earned run average stood at a miniscule 0.27.
To start the game, Tickey had Sierra Vista’s number, holding them to just one hit in the first four innings.
The fifth inning was a completely different story. Sierra Vista batted around their whole lineup and four singles, two walks, and a sacrifice fly later, the Dons were sitting on top of a comfortable 5-0 lead.
Duarte scored their only run from a bases loaded walk. This one run resulted in the lowest run total produced from the team all season.
Caudillo picked up the win and also went 2-4 with an RBI single. Valeree Hernandez, Marlene Villa, and Maritza Ortiz also pitched in with an RBI.
The final game of the season for both Duarte and Sierra Vista comes on Thursday. Duarte will playing at Bassett as they face off against the Olympians while Sierra Vista will be hosting the Azusa Aztecs. These games will decide which team will up on top as league champions.
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