JAMBOREE: Late errors doom Rancho in setback

Spring break tournaments provide teams chances to hone their strengths and identify weaknesses before hitting the home stretch of league play.

Rancho’s softball team saw plenty of both in an 11-9 loss to Maranatha (Calif.) in a third-place bracket first-round game Friday in the Spring Jamboree at Majestic Park.

The good were two-out rallies in the fifth and sixth innings that left the Rams holding a 9-7 lead entering the bottom of the sixth. The bad were eight Rancho errors, including three in the sixth as Maranatha scored four runs, three unearned, to rally for the win.

“The big thing that we take out of this game is probably just simple softball,” Rancho coach Michelle Van Buren said. “When we would get up, we would come back defensively and we would make simple softball mistakes (on) a routine grounder, a routine fly ball, not hitting your cut.

“Those are the things we kind of learned — no matter how much you hit the ball and score runs off them, you still have to play simple softball on defense.”

The Rams (4-8-1) scored three runs in the fifth, all with two outs, to go ahead 5-4, taking the lead on Ashtan Orlan’s two-run single.

Rancho center fielder Tessa Davila made a basket catch for the second out in the bottom of the fifth, but the Rams were unable to get out of the inning when Maranatha’s Kathryn Chevalier was hit by a pitch. Courtesy runner Spencer Barry-Jenkins stole second base and scored on a fielding error to tie the game 5-5. The Minutemen then took a 7-5 lead on a two-run double by Annie Diehl.

Rancho went up 9-7 with two outs in the top of the sixth on Chanel Eliason’s two-run double to left field.

Rancho reliever Aly Lamboo struck out Barry-Jenkins for the second out with the game tied 9-9 in the bottom of the sixth, but the Rams committed consecutive fielding errors before Diehl hit a two-run single through the right side to give Maranatha an 11-9 lead.

“The last inning I think we had three or four errors in the one inning, and with a team that can hit like that, you have to be able to make the simple, routine plays,” Van Buren said.

The Rams went quietly in the top of the seventh, with a strikeout and two groundouts to end the game.

Orlan went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Brandy Marlett, McKinzi Vega and Eliason added two hits each for Rancho.

Bellarmine-Jefferson (Calif.) 6, Rancho 2 — Jaylen Watson had a home run to lead the Guards past the Rams.

McKinzi Vega went 2-for-3 with a double for Rancho.

Centennial 3, El Camino Real (Calif.) 0 — Heather Bowen’s three-run homer with one out in the top of the fifth gave the Bulldogs the win over the Conquistadors in a five-inning game.

Bowen was 2-for-3, and the homer was her school-record 13th on the season. Bowen broke the previous mark of 11 set by Shannon Crisp.

Centennial 6, Downey (Calif.) 5 — The Bulldogs plated two runs in the bottom of the fifth to edge the Vikings in a game shortened to five innings by the tournament time limit.

Bowen tied the game with a solo homer. Savannah Horvath then reached on an infield single, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. She scored the winning run on an error.

Horvath went 3-for-3, and Allison Riggs was 2-for-2 for Centennial.

Emily Issenock added a home run for the Bulldogs.

Empire (Ariz.) 7, Centennial 3 — The Ravens used a four-run fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead en route to the win.

Bowen was 2-for-3 with a home run, and Horvath went 2-for-2 for Centennial. Lacie Chakos also homered for the Bulldogs.

Palo Verde 12, River Valley (Ariz.) 0 — Breanna Beatty was 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double to help the Panthers breeze to the five-inning win.

Rachael Turner was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs, Melissa Lacro went 3-for-4 with a double and three runs, and Brooke Stover was 2-for-2 with two runs for Palo Verde.

Lacro threw a three-hitter with two strikeouts.

North (Calif.) 6, Palo Verde 0 — Vanessa Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, a walk and two runs scored to lead the Saxons by the Panthers.

Gonzalez led off the bottom of the first inning with a homer to right field to ignite a four-run inning for North.

Angel Council went 2-for-3 for Palo Verde, and Lacro added a double.

Palo Verde 2, Bingham (Utah) 0 — Turner went 2-for-3 and hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the first as the Panthers downed the Miners in six innings.

Kelsea Sweeney threw a two-hitter with two strikeouts to get the win.

Cimarron-Memorial 6, San Fernando (Calif.) 3 — Karli Stafford, Sabrina Chavez and Ashley Doherty each had an RBI double to lift the Spartans past the Tigers.

Michelle Knott earned the victory for Cimarron, which got two hits and an RBI from Sarah Murphy.

Audri Alvarez belted a two-run homer for San Fernando.

Downey (Calif.) 7, Cimarron-Memorial 2 — Anissa Urtez went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI to lead the Vikings past the Spartans.

Downey scored five runs in the bottom of the first to take control.

Bell (Calif.) 13, Cimarron-Memorial 5 — Griselda Vazquez and Naomi Robles each smacked a home run to help the Eagles rout the Spartans in four innings.

Robles earned the win for Bell.

Murphy went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, and Serena Creswell and Stafford each supplied two hits for Cimarron.

River Valley (Ariz.) 9, Bonanza 3 — Aijah Gillespie and Breeya Howells each homered to help the Dust Devils defeat the Bengals in six innings.

Serenida Marquez earned the win, scattering six hits for River Valley, which got two hits and two runs from Sara Anbardan.

Megan Rabe had an RBI double for Bonanza.

Diamond Bar (Calif.) 16, Bonanza 3 — Julie Walters went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs, and earned the victory in the circle, as the Brahmas topped the Bengals in five innings.

Dani Wilson went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk, and Breana Gonzalez supplied two hits and four RBIs for Diamond Bar, which got two RBI doubles and three runs from catcher Liz Rubelcava.

Bonanza’s Tori Lind finished 3-for-3 with a double and a run, and Rabe was 2-for-3 with a double.

Garfield (Calif.) 17, Bonanza 11 — Karla Bernal had two doubles and a triple as the Bulldogs outslugged the Bengals.

Lind was 3-for-5 with a double to lead Bonanza’s 17-hit attack.

Madi Means, Cora Borgman and Rabe each added two hits for Bonanza.

Pahrump Valley 7, Cheyenne 6 — Taylor Busby went 2-for-3, and the Trojans scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to edge the Desert Shields.

Cheyenne’s Vanessa Sanders was 2-for-3 including a three-run homer in the first inning.

Chaminade (Calif.) 20, Pahrump Valley 0 — Taylor Stewart threw a four-inning perfect game as the Eagles routed the Trojans.

Stewart struck out nine of the 12 batters she faced.

Taylor White and Brittany Solis each homered for Chaminade.

Bingham (Utah) 12, Pahrump Valley 0 — Paige Riemann threw a one-hitter to lead the Miners past the Trojans in four innings.

Casey Sierra had a second-inning single for Pahrump.

Winslow (Ariz.) 15, Cheyenne 0 — Taylor Baca threw a no-hitter to help the Bulldogs cruise past the Desert Shields in four innings.

Baca also doubled for Winslow, which had 13 hits.

Chaminade 18, Cheyenne 0 — Solis and Christy Smith had home runs as the Miners rolled past the Desert Shields in four innings.

Sami Cedar doubled for Cheyenne.