Softball team rallies to beat La Costa Canyon

The Lady Bulldogs had a busy week playing two North County Tournament games and a double-header in cross league action.

The Lady Dawgs are 4-5 on the season as they prepare for the opening of Valley League action and for a road trip to Las Vegas during spring break. They play at home today against San Marcos at 3:30 p.m. in a Valley League game.

The Ramona High School softball team used two rallies to come from behind twice to beat La Costa Canyon on the road 5-4.

Kelly deGraff picked up her third win of the season by going the distance in the circle. DeGraff scattered 10 hits as her defense played well when it counted. She fanned five and walked only one Maverick.

Trailing 1-0 in the third inning, Ramona rallied for three runs. Lexi Slater collected the first of her two singles. Stephanie Kiesel drew a base on balls.

Courtney Fick singled to load the bases. Hillary Roloff cleared the bases with a double to give the Lady Dawgs the lead.

The Mavericks scored three runs to take a 4-3 lead going into the sixth. Ramona again rallied. With one out, Kiesel stroked a base hit. Fick followed with a single. With two out, Roloff walked.

Kiesel and Fick both scored on wild pitches. DeGraff held the lead and Ramona won. Tory Roberts also singled in the victory.

Ramona beat San Dieguito Academy 13-1 in a game shortened by the mercy rule. The Lady Bulldogs parlayed eight hits into 13 runs.

Roloff’s bat remained hot as the junior slugger hit a towering three-run home run over the left field fence in the first inning to give the Lady Dawgs all of the runs they needed.

K.K. Melgoza, and Slater both contributed two hits to the barrage. Roberts, Ally Harvey and Allie Ferguson also ripped hits in the victory.

Kelly deGraff went the first three innings. Harvey and Kellsie Domnitz also pitched an inning apiece in the win.

The Lady Dawgs played a Saturday double-header in cross league action. In the first game, Ramona got its best pitching performance of the season as DeGraff went nine innings in an extra inning 1-0 loss to Mission Hills. She scattered six hits and fanned six.

Roberts went 2-for 4 to lead the Lady Dawgs in hitting. Ferguson, Fick, Kiesel, Melgoza and Slater also collected hits for the Lady Bulldogs.

Ramona dropped the second game of the twin bill to Vista 12-2. Slater’s two run double in the third inning produced Ramona’s only two scores in the game. Domnitz, Fick, Melgoza and Roloff also contributed hits in the game.

Junior Varsity

The JV went into the final week of pool play at the Rancho Bernardo Tournament on Saturday needing several things to go right. To win their pool, they would need to beat the powerful host Mustangs, and also need La Costa Canyon to lose a double header.

Prior to Ramona’s game, La Costa held up its end of the bargain and dropped a pair. This gave the Bulldogs the hope they needed and they got right to business.

After 4-1/2 innings, Ramona was up 10-0 and needed to hold the Mustangs in the bottom of the 5th for the win. However, Rancho Bernardo went on a tear and scored 8 runs. Ramona answered back in the 6th with 4 more runs and held on to win 14-9.

Emily Vandervort and Kim Whelehon lead the hitting attack with 4 hits each. Alyssa Niedens and Lexi Hogan both contributed with multiple hit games.

Brooke Brean picked up her fifth win of the season in the circle.

The JV will play Escondido on Saturday in the Tournament semi-finals at 10 a.m.