Highlanders fall at Piner in NCS playoffs
The Piedmont High School softball team ended its season in the second round of the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs at Piner on May 23. But what a wild end it was.
The Highlanders scored four runs in the top of the second, then watched the Prospectors answer with four runs of their own with Piner emerging with a 6-5 victory.
The third-seeded Prospectors advanced to the semifinals at No. 2 Kennedy-Fremont on May 27.
Ava A. Parra doubled in two runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the game. A bases-loaded walk and an error scored the other runs in the inning.
Miya Fujimoto went the distance for Piedmont and took the loss. She went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.
The Highlanders entered the top of the seventh down 2-1. Edie Elmquist and Fujimoto started the inning with back-to-back walks. An error loaded the bases and Samantha Rosen then drew another walk to tie the game.
Sa’mara Levi then singled in two runs to give Piedmont the lead. Hannah Joerger followed with a squeeze bunt to get home another. Joerger was safe at first.
A dropped third strike with Cyntiche Kouadio at the plate re-loaded the bases, still with nobody out. But Mialynn Membrilla struck out Sophena Tuli, Eunice Kouadio and Elmquist to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Piner (17-8) took the lead on an error in the bottom of the first. Piedmont got it back in the second on a run-scoring single by Fujimoto. The Highlanders loaded the bases later in the inning but Membrilla struck out Ronen to end the inning.
Bella B. Parra singled in a run in the third to give the Prospectors back the lead.
Membrilla started and finished for Piner, with Cambria Weerts coming on to start the seventh before Membrilla came back on. Membrilla officially went seven innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out 16. Weerts was charged with three runs (two earned) in no innings. She allowed no hits and two walks.
Angelina Wu was 2-for-3 with a run scored for Piedmont. Levi was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Bella B. Parra was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored for Piner. Ava A. Parra was 1-for-3 with the two RBI.
The Highlanders finished 14-11 on the season. They have made the NCS playoffs the past nine seasons when playoffs were held. No playoffs were held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photos by Damin Esper