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Prep Softball: Titans’ rally falls just short in title game

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Malia Martinez would have liked nothing more than to end her illustrious Poway High career with a second straight CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship.

It didn’t happen for the Arizona-bound shortstop. But still she stood on the diamond at UCSD after Saturday’s 7-6 loss to San Marcos in the championship game prouder than ever to be wearing a Titans jersey.

And she had every reason to be.

Poway battled all the way to the bitter finish, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning. Then rallying again to pull within 7-6 in the sixth after San Marcos plated five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 7-3 lead.

The Titans nearly completed the comeback, loading the bases with two outs in the seventh. But a groundout deep in the hole at short ended the game and the Knights celebrated their first title since 1996.

Meanwhile, Poway (21-10) settled for a runner-up finish just a year after winning its first championship since 2002.

“I am so incredibly proud of this team,” said Martinez, who went 1-for-4 and started the rally in the seventh by reaching on an error. “We knew it was going to be hard this year, but our pitchers worked so hard and they were amazing. Our team had so much spirit and love. We are really like a family and I am just so proud and honored to be part of it.”

It was just another typical season for the Titans: 21 wins and a deep playoff run in the toughest division in San Diego. Poway went 3-1 in the postseason, beating Bonita Vista, Mater Dei and the Ramona to reach the championship game. Saturday’s starter Sarah Dages had two shutouts in the playoffs.

A few inches one way or another on a few balls put in play Saturday night and Poway likely would have been celebrating its second straight Open Division crown. That is a lot closer than most people believed the Titans would get this season.

“We got max effort all year long from the girls,” Poway coach Jim Bennet said. “They played all 21 outs all year just like tonight. They never gave up, even down 7-3 there wasn’t one person on this team that didn’t think we couldn’t come back and win. It just didn’t go our way.”

It easily could have.

After drawing three straight two-out walks with the bases loaded in the sixth, Poway pulled to within 7-6. Brooke Hanavan then drilled a line drive up the middle that was destined to be a two-run single. But San Marcos pitcher Payton Tidd stuck her glove out and snagged the liner to end the inning.

There was more drama in the seventh. Colleen Sullivan smacked a two-out single, pushing Samantha Johnson-Needham to second. Taylor Riley kept it going with an infield single off the pitcher’s glove, loading the bases for Morgan Lutticken. Lutticken’s groundball in the hole at short was inches away from getting through, but the Knights’ Alexis Orozco made the play to end the game.

“We had a lot of faith,” Martinez said about the team’s demeanor after going down 7-3. “We know we have good hitters and we were really revved up. Obviously, I wish we would have won, but I am really happy with the way we ended. I am just so proud of the team.”

Poway didn’t help its cause defensively. The Titans uncharacteristically made two errors and had a few other mishaps in the field that cost them a run.

“We had a few things happen that we normally don’t do,” Bennet said. “But we battled all the way to the end and that is the great thing. Little things are going to happen sometimes. I am just very proud of all of the girls.”

San Marcos took a 2-0 lead in the second inning after Poway misplayed a sacrifice bunt and Sydney Adame stroked a two-run double. The Titans answered with three runs in the fourth. Alabama-bound senior Gabrielle Callaway had an RBI single and Taylor Riley had a sacrifice fly to help Poway take a 3-2 lead.

The Knights looked like they were going to breeze to the title after a five-run sixth inning. The big blow was Kenzie Bolin’s triple to the right-center field gap. It should have only scored two runs, but a throwing error by Poway allowed Bolin to come home to make it 7-3.

Still, the Titans did not go away. Callaway and Johnson-Needham both singled with one out in the sixth. After a strikeout, Riley reached on an infield single to load the bases. Lutticken, Dana Stewart and Sydney Steele drew back-to-back-to-back walks to cut the deficit to 7-6.

That would be as close as Poway would get, though. The loss means the end of the road for six seniors (Dages, Hanavan, Cassidy Yip, Lutticken, Callaway and Martinez).

“All of our seniors were great,” Bennet said. “They are a great group and I am going to miss them a lot. They have accomplished a lot. They really left their legacy here.”

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