Failure to Bunt Proves Costly for Paraclete

LAKEWOOD — The bunt.

A fixture in fast-pitch softball. Almost a necessity to advance a runner into scoring position. Teams that can’t bunt usually don’t generate rallies.

Such was the case for Paraclete High against Santa Ana Calvary Chapel in the Southern Section Division V championship game Friday at Mayfair Park.

Paraclete couldn’t bunt and, despite getting the leadoff batter on base in each of the last five innings, didn’t score and lost, 2-0.

The Spirits (27-4) went home as runners-up for the sixth time in as many championship appearances under Coach Margaret Neill.

“I think we played pretty sloppy today,” Neill said. “They outplayed us. They were more aggressive offensively and definitely more aggressive defensively.”

Bunt was truly a four-letter word to the Spirits. All but one of their half-dozen bunt attempts either failed or did not advance a runner as intended.

Twice on bunts--in the fourth and sixth innings--Calvary Chapel (27-5) threw out the lead runner at second base.

“That is our philosophy, to charge hard on the corners and get the ball [while it’s] in the air,” Calvary Chapel Coach Rose Imbriano said.

“You can take a team right out of the game when it works. They get a runner on and get thrown out at second [on a bunt], you can’t really bunt again.”

Paraclete’s Latisha Hernandez was the first victim.

With a runner at first and none out in the third, Hernandez fouled off the first pitch on a bunt attempt. Ditto on the second attempt. And on the third.

After watching Hernandez’s bunting woes, Neill opted to send Margo Horner on an attempted steal on the next pitch but catcher Amanda Hallaway threw out Horner.

In the fourth, Barbara Alaniz led off with a single but was thrown out at second base by Hallaway when Alena Valdez’s bunt traveled about two inches from the plate.

“That was a terrible bunt,” said Valdez, the Spirits’ No. 2 batter who has 20 sacrifice bunts this season.

“I’m the bunter of the team and that was the worst bunt I’ve ever laid down.”

The slap bunt, where a batter shows bunt and instead takes a half-swing, wasn’t working either for the Spirits. Cassie Burke’s pop-up to the pitcher with a runner on first and none out in the fifth provided clear evidence.

“If we could get down the slap [bunt], maybe [the corners] don’t come in so tight,” Neill said.

Tight is how the corners were playing in the sixth.

Calvary Chapel third baseman Kori Przygocki was all over a bunt by Kathy Munoz, who was attempting to to move pinch-runner Randy White to second base.

Przygocki threw to shortstop Christy Ring to force out White.

Paraclete’s last bunt attempt was unquestionably its finest. Alaniz bunted for a single with a runner on and one out in the sixth, but Calvary Chapel escaped the inning on two groundouts.