Los Al Beats Esperanza Again

Los Alamitos got off to a shaky start Thursday, but once the Griffins shook the first-inning jitters, they rolled to a 7-3 softball victory over Esperanza, their third win in as many games against the Aztecs this year.

The sixth-ranked Griffins fell behind in the top of the first, when Jennifer Coffey’s two-out infield hit touched off a two-run Esperanza rally that chased Los Alamitos starting pitcher Lynsey Farina.

Melissa Fox’ single scored Coffey, and Kristen Dedmon’s single scored Fox--and prompted Griffin Coach Renee Bergeron to remove Farina in favor of Kim Dillon.

“I went to Kim early because she can work very quick, and I knew she could come in there and settle things down,” Bergeron said.

The Griffins (14-7, 5-1) got a run back in the bottom of the first, when Kristen Farber and Mackenzie De Leon had back-to-back singles and Phelan Wright’s squeeze bunt brought in Farber.

Los Alamitos took a 3-2 lead in the second, when a throwing error on a bunt by Farber brought in Catherine Cusick, who had singled, and Kristen Crenshaw, who had walked.

The Griffins extended the lead to 4-2 in the fourth when Farber’s infield single scored Amy Cummings.

Eighth-ranked Esperanza (16-6, 2-4) got one back in the fifth, when Diana Eberlein scored on a throwing error, before the Griffins broke the game open with three runs in the sixth.

Merissa Hearn led off with a walk, advanced to second on a bunt by Cummings, went to third on a single by Cusick and scored when Crenshaw reached on an error. Farber singled for the fourth time, and she and Crenshaw scored on Wright’s single to make it 7-3.

“We weren’t surprised at how fast they came out,” Bergeron said. “I was very happy with the adjustments we made, and to be 2-0 in league against this team is very big for us.”