Prep Softball: First place, series lead on line in RB-Poway ‘Game at the Lake’

First place in the Palomar League and the all-time series lead is up for grabs in the 19th annual “Game at the Lake” between the Rancho Bernardo and Poway High softball teams Friday at 7 p.m. at Lake Poway.

Throw in the fact that it’s senior night for both schools and this rival game is bound to bring out some tears, laughter and, of course, a victory celebration in the middle of the diamond.

The Titans (16-4, 1-0) have won the annual showdown — dubbed “Game at the Lake” since its inception in 1997 — three years in a row to even the all-time series with the Broncos (13-6-1, 2-0) at nine games apiece.

The last time the Titans have held the all-time series edge was in 2007, six games to five. Rancho Bernardo pulled even in 2008 and went up 9-6 in the series before Poway’s three-game winning streak equalized it for the fourth time.

The Titans are 2-1 when playing for the series lead.

“Here we are in the 19th year and it is tied 9-9,” Poway coach Jim Bennet said. “It just shows what kind of rivalry this is and pretty much every game has been close. I expect this one to be tight, too.”

That is hard to argue with when looking at the talent both sides boast.

The Broncos bring in a lineup that has scored five runs or more in each of their last six games. Seniors Skylee James, Bri Burchianti and Elizabeth Runge lead the way along with juniors Chloe Hull and Melissa Neyhouse.

“Our offense has been one our key points this year,” Rancho Bernardo coach Summer Boyle said. “I can’t remember very many games where we have scored fewer than two runs.”

Meanwhile, Poway is hitting a blistering .413 as a team. Arizona-bound junior Malia Martinez, who tied the school record with her sixth home run of the season against Mt. Carmel last week, is hitting .618. UCLA-bound freshman Colleen Sullivan is hitting .489 and Ari Marsh is hitting .476.

“We have just been on a roll,” Bennet said. “We have been patient at the plate and hit just about every kind of pitching possible. We have hit girls that throw hard, hit girls that don’t throw hard and have hit girls with good movement. We are hitting over .400 as a team and that is pretty amazing, especially with the schedule we play.”

Senior Kendall Brundrett will likely be on the mound for the Broncos. The right-hander, who will play at Quinnipiac University next season, has been forced to be a workhorse for Rancho Bernardo due to injuries to its two other pitchers.

“She has done a really good job and she has that competitive edge and is very good mentally,” Boyle said. “She had done a great job keeping us in every game.”

Brundrett’s counterpart will be senior Kourtney Shaw. The right-hander has been the winning pitcher in this game for the last three years in a row. She hopes to push Poway’s series-winning streak to four straight for the first time since 2000-2003.

“It will be fun and knowing Kourtney she will probably take all the emotion out of the whole night,” Bennet said. “It’s not just another game, but she will do her best to make it that way. She will be fired up and ready to go, though.”

Both coaches hope to win, but they also just want the kids to enjoy the experience.

“It is so fun and such an exciting atmosphere they get to play in and the tradition in this game is crazy,” Boyle said. “I just don’t want the girls to make it bigger than them. I just want them to enjoy the experience.”