El Camino Real Wins Title in Softball, 1-0

A wild pitch enabled El Camino Real High to score the winning run in the top of the ninth inning, lifting the Conquistadores to a 1-0 victory over Granada Hills in the City Section 4-A Division softball championship game Thursday at Cal State Northridge.

It was the fourth consecutive City 4-A softball title for El Camino Real. Neils Ludlow has guided the Conquistadores (17-6) to the final in each of his seven years as coach and they have won six times, but apparently victories like this one can still surprise him.

“This was really the impossible dream,” Ludlow said. “You don’t know how far this team has come.”

Nine players graduated from the 1990 squad, forcing Ludlow to find replacements at eight positions. Five freshmen made the team and three start.

“It’s like the ’69 Mets--the Miracle Mets--you know,” Ludlow said.

“They just kept winning and winning, and nobody ever thought they were gonna do it and they did, and that’s kind of what happened with us. We just got better and better, and they responded well.”

El Camino Real’s Erin McGuire led off the ninth with a single to left field, just the third hit for the Conquistadores.

After Jessica Dinaberg’s sacrifice, McGuire advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Five pitches later Heidi Crocker ripped a full-count line drive at shortstop Stephanie Kaplan for the second out, but McGuire scored on a 1-2 pitch to Carrie Reulbach that went high and outside and got away from catcher Shannon Henry.

McGuire scored easily with a headfirst slide.

“Ever since I was little, I have loved to slide and loved to run,” McGuire said.

Ludlow was hoping McGuire would get a chance to scurry home on a passed ball or wild pitch.

“I told her at third, ‘If it gets by the catcher, you’re home,’ ” Ludlow said. “Hey, you get them anyway you can in games like this.”

Granada Hills (13-3) didn’t go down without a fight, however.

The Highlanders threatened in the bottom of the inning.

Kaplan led off with a line single to left-center field and went to second on a passed ball. Kelly Gray’s ground out to pitcher Jennifer Gould advanced Kaplan to third, and Kaplan tried to score on a one-out squeeze by Stephanie Fish.

First baseman Emily Gourlay, the only current player to have been on all four consecutive championship teams, fielded the bunt and flipped the ball about four feet to catcher Reulbach, who blocked the plate and made the tag.

“We’ve worked a lot on defense against the bunt week after week,” Ludlow said.

“I just had this feeling. I knew they would try to squeeze.”

Granada Hills, the undefeated North Valley League champion, beat El Camino Real, 1-0, in a Northwest Valley Conference game April 1 behind Brandy Brennan’s one-hitter.

Brennan again was tough on the Conquistadores, allowing just three singles and striking out eight.

Kasey Miller, a junior leadoff batter, led the Highlanders’ offense, accounting for three of seven hits.

But Miller was stranded once at third base and twice at second.