It was déjà vu all over again for Lakewood softball at Mayfair High.

After a season chalk full of offense, the Lancer bats have been quite in the playoffs.  Last week in the first-round, the Chaparral Pumas took Lakewood to extra innings before Arielle Palafox’s walk-off single in the tenth.

On Tuesday afternoon— just like the first-round— Lakewood couldn’t capitalize with runners on and went to extra innings tied at zero.  And just like the first-round, the Lancers finally manufactured a run on a ground ball and earned a birth into the CIF Quarterfinals against No. 2-seed Etiwanda.  Catcher Sarah Carrasco’s hard hit grounder with one out in the twelfth inning plated Amanda Robinson and gave Lakewood the 1-0 victory over the Monsoons.

“Oh these cardiac kids,” Lakewood coach Andy Miramontes chuckled after the game.  “My heart can’t take much more of this.”  But even though Miramontes has been sweating more, he’s learning that, “this team doesn’t panic.  They just battle every inning.”

Both teams had to battle all day with two stellar arms inside the circle and only had nine total hits.  For Mayfair, starter Kristin Jaeger (who struck out seven of the first ten batters she saw) pitched eleven innings, struck out eleven, and gave up three hits— the first of which didn’t come until the seventh inning.  But the Lancers had a pitcher to counter Jaeger in sophomore Nicole Warren, who went the distance for the extended complete-game shut out, giving up five hits and striking out eight.

Starting for the first time since getting shelled against La Mirada earlier this month, Warren worked her tailing breaking ball and had the Monsoons popping the ball up all afternoon.  “Coach told me on Monday that I was getting the start, and I knew I had to step it up, and I did” said Warren.  “There are a lot of seniors on this team who want to go all the way.  I want to help them do it… I’ve got some great teammates in Arielle (Palafox) and Diane (Leider).  They kept telling me to just relax, breath, and sing my favorite song.”

Even when Warren wasn’t on tune, Palafox and Leider picked her up on defense.  In the second inning, third baseman Leider charged hard on a bunt attempt and started a double play to get out of the inning. 

In the fifth, Warren hit Brittney Boggs with a fastball and the left fielder stole second.  But after colliding with shortstop Eliza Crawford at second base, Briana Quintana ran for Boggs.  Patty Banda came up next and legged out a single, but on the throw to first, Quintana was waved home.  Palafox spun quickly at first and threw home where Carrasco applied the tag to end the fifth.

The first eight innings had a few moments like that for the Monsoons, but much like the Lancers in these playoffs, they were unable to cash in on scoring opportunities.  They used the top of their lineup to put two runners on in the fourth, sixth, and eighth innings, but all with two outs.

“That was a great game, but we just got going a little too late,” said Mayfair coach Erin Caskey.  “We hit the ball well, but we weren’t finding holes.  It happens.”

After the Monsoons missed their opportunity— and with Warren finding her rhythm, not allowing a hit in the final four innings— it was the Lancers turn to try and capitalize with ducks on the pond.  Lakewood put a runner on third in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth, but Jaeger got a strikeout and a pop up to get out of the tenth and eleventh.

In the twelfth, freshman Nicole Malburg replaced Jaeger in the circle, and the Lancers took a breath and went to work.  “I can’t lie,” said Miramontes.  “I was relived to see her leave the game.”

Right fielder Robinson got on base on an error to lead off the top of the twelfth, and Crawford followed her up with a single.  Coach Miramontes has had Crawford bunt multiple times over the last few games with runners on, but in the twelfth, “I went with my gut.”  Miramontes called for Palafox to bunt, she did her job, and Carrasco’s hard hit grounder scored Robinson.

“I’m drained,” said Warren, who finished off what might be the game of her life by taking care of the Monsoons in order in the bottom of the twelfth.  “And I had to take two tests today.”

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