By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
East Union makes D3 final out of consolation semis
Placeholder Image

SACRAMENTO — After being dispatched to the consolation bracket of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III softball championships with a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to Pioneer on Tuesday, East Union bounced back and scored three runs in the fifth inning of the nightcap to pull away from Vanden 7-4 at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

The East Union win sets up a rematch this afternoon at 5 against the Patriots. A Lancers win forces a winner-take-all contest to follow.

“Delaney (Pamplin’s) pitching set the tone for us,” Lancers coach Brian Goulart said. “And when Taylor (Ward) got that big home run in the second that made us think that we could hit this girl – it gave us a taste of it.

“It was a good win for us. We didn’t expect to play a second game tonight, but we had to. I think we performed admirably and we will go on to tomorrow where we will try and beat Pioneer twice.”

Ward (3 for 4, home run, double, two RBI) doubled to score Samantha Owen for the first of the three fifth-inning runs for East Union (28-3). Alexis Erich scooted home on a passed ball – her second run on a passed ball of the game – for the second Lancers run of the fifth, and Deja Guzman completed the surge by reaching on a bunt that scored Ward. Ward also led off the second inning with a home run.

“I knew I was due,” Ward said. “I wanted to contribute to the team and I felt I was going to hit it out as soon as I came up.”

Michelle Castro scored on a passed ball in the first inning for East Union, and heads-up base running by Erich got the Lancers their third run. Erich laced a one-out single in the third and then Ward grounded out to third. Since the Vikings third baseman came up to make the play, nobody was protecting third so Erich never slowed down and got to third on Ward’s grounder. Erich came home on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1.

Guzman extended the lead to 4-1 in the fourth. She was hit by a pitch and then stole second. The throw to second got loose so Guzman advanced to third and came home on a single by Izabella Owen (2 for 3, RBI).

Vanden (23-9) got its first run in the third inning when a leadoff single was followed by a pair of grounders that found their way out of the infield, plating the leadoff batter. The Vikings scored their other three runs in the seventh inning with two outs behind a wild pitch and a two-run home run.

Delaney Pamplin started in the chalked circle for the Lancers and went five innings, allowing six hits and one run with five strikeouts.

“After that first game, we just wanted to come out and win,” Pamplin said.

In the loss to Pioneer (26-2), Samantha Owen (2 for 4, two RBI), had a solo home run in the first and sacrificed in Allie Tajii in the fifth. Owen just missed tying the game in the fifth with a three-run home run that was foul by just a few feet.

“It would have been really great if it was fair,” Samantha Owen said. “Because we probably would have won the game.”

After a game of close calls of which more seemed to go against East Union, it ended when with the tying run at the plate Samantha Owen was called for leaving early when the ball was not even hit and she was not attempting to steal.

“I have been coaching for 13 years and never seen that call,” Goulart said. “Ever.

“Nobody makes that call because it is an insignificant move. You are going to call a girl out for leaving early in the final out of an undefeated section-final bracket? There has to be better than that. That’s not good enough. If I had a chance to be the umpire in a game like this I would have to be great at it and that was not great.”