Daleah Cardenas proved her worth in the Gold Division championship of the Michelle Carew Softball Classic, taking over pitching duties in a pivotal match against Orange Lutheran. Despite a challenging semifinal performance, she dominated the championship by achieving a perfect relief outing with eight outs and no baserunners. Contributing to the upset win of 8-4, her focus and skill, particularly with her drop curve, were crucial. The article also highlights other divisional matches, showcasing significant plays like Gia Otani's homer and Anaheim Canyon's narrow win in the Bronze Division.
"My drop curve is my best pitch and I was using it a lot," said Cardenas, who shook off a poor outing in the semifinals when she faced six batters, gave up four hits, hit a batter and recorded only one out. "I feel the pressure when there's a huge crowd like this, but I just lock in and focus like it's just me and my catcher."
Phillips, who was most valuable pitcher of the tournament, finally tired with one out in the fifth inning after pitching 11 innings in two games Saturday - the second of which ended just before midnight.
In the Silver Division final, catcher Gia Otani tagged a runner out at the plate to save a run in the third inning, then belted a solo homer in the fifth to break a tie as Oaks Christian held on to beat Millikan 2-1.
Anaheim Canyon edged Great Oak 4-3 to win the Bronze Division title when Sophia Sandoval scored from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh.
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