The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
They say good things come to those who wait.
That was certainly the case for Long Beach Poly on Wednesday afternoon in their CIF-SS Division 4 Quarterfinal game. The Jackrabbits waited until the sixth inning to come alive in a late 9-2 win over Santa Monica.
“They waited long enough. I’m used to them coming out and putting runs up early, you know, but they wanted to make it a little bit exciting today,” Head coach Elizabeth Sanches said. “They waited until the sixth inning, and it was the first time we’ve been behind, so it was nice for us to fight back from that early deficit.”
The first 2.5 innings went by fast at Santa Monica High School. The game went through five innings in just an hour of playing time.
Although the innings were going by quickly, that doesn’t mean it was knotted at zero the entire time.
After the Jackrabbits went down 1-2-3 in the top of the third, Santa Monica’s leadoff hitter Yermian got the Vikings going with a single to center. After she was moved to third on a walk and bunt, the catcher stole home on a wild pitch to put Santa Monica on the board first.
The Jackrabbits, who have outscored their opponents 25-4 in playoffs thus far, were now trailing for the first time since beginning their run.
“When I see that slow start, I get antsy, because it’s like knowing what your Christmas present is and just waiting until Christmas morning to unwrap it and finally say that it’s yours, that’s kind of the same way I feel about these girls,” Sanches said. “They’re like precious little gifts, but they have to be the ones that figure it out, and they have to be the ones that make the adjustments.”
The adjustments were certainly made, and the sixth inning was a completely new ball game for the visitors.
“We always try to push it through, going to the end, knowing that it could be our last,” Kween Tauala said of her team’s mentality. “We knew we were going to do good and play Poly softball. That’s all we do: play Poly softball.”
The Jackrabbit offense woke up when Victoria Sepulveda led off with a single to center and was moved over after Persja Lam Sam was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced to second and third after a groundout and were now in prime scoring position with only one out.
That was when Tauala stepped to the plate. The senior belted a two RBI single to centerfield to finally put the Jackrabbits on the board and give them the lead 2-1.
“I started school late today, so before the game I decided to work low outside,” Tauala said of her single. “I had my brother toss me some balls because I knew I was going to have to stay outside and go with the ball.”
But, this was only the beginning for Poly. Janelle Morris, who has been hot at the plate during CIF, smacked a two run home run to left field immediately after Tauala’s single.
The rally continued when Alayna Veavealagi and Bailey Holder hit back-to-back singles and were brought around on a two-out RBI double from Sepulveda. The Jackrabbits had now hit through their entire lineup to blow open the sixth inning against Santa Monica.
“This was a little test to their character, how you can rebound from an early deficit and they did it,” Sanches said. “It’s like that ‘Never say die’ mentality, it’s that contagious mentality that they have when one of them steps up and gets it going, it’s like the whole damn team steps up and gets it going.”
The Vikings tried to respond in the bottom half of the inning, but only managed to cross the plate once on a past ball. Heading into the final frame, Poly led 6-2.
Tauala reached base first off an error at first base. Once Veavealagi hit a single to put two runners on, it was Holder that delivered for the Jackrabbits this time. The freshman hit an RBI double to bring in both runners and increase Poly’s lead.
She was immediately followed by Sunni Vaafuti, who scored Holder on an RBI single to left field. These insurance runs put the visitors up 9-2 heading into the final three outs.
“We’ve had powerhouse performances out of the top part of our lineup, but today, the bottom and middle produced,” Sanches said. “It’s really cool, and it’s important because these games are so close and the competition is so stiff. We need all 18 girls for a win, and that’s what they’re doing.”
Things looked shaky, as the first two hitters got on base for Santa Monica. However, Poly’s starting pitcher Tegan Breaux locked it down with a strikeout to get Poly’s defense back on track.
A pop fly would put the Jackrabbits one out from advancing to the CIF semifinals when Myers hit a single to left field. While this could have scored a run for the Vikings and possibly sparked a rally, Santa Monica’s Paysinger, who had reached on a walk, was caught in a pickle between second and third.
Just like they’d practiced, Poly chased down Paysinger until Emoni Lam Sam was able to tag her out and end the game for the Jackrabbits with a 9-2 final score. Breaux went the distance in the circle, striking out seven and scattering four hits across the seven innings.
“We limited our mistakes,” Sanches said of her team’s shift in the late innings. “We made a couple of mistakes early on in the game, and there were a couple things that didn’t go our way. What was really cool about today was everyone picked each other up.”
After punching their ticket to the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals, Poly will play again on Saturday against Harvard-Westlake. Sanches said she is excited for her team to keep this momentum going.
“I’m excited, this is a great group of girls,” Sanches said of her squad. “I feel that momentum, I feel that energy. I have the highest expectations in the world for these girls, but again, as long as we play the best version of ourselves and we don’t worry about who’s on the other side of the field, we’re gonna be just fine.”
As the stakes get higher, Tauala said she has complete confidence in her team. Sanches has described her players as fighters, and Tauala said nothing is changing: they will keep fighting and sticking to Poly softball.
“From the beginning to now, we have always had great infield and outfield,” Tauala said. “I just know now that knowing now this is do or die, we’re going to put it all out on the field and give it all to the game.”
