SOFTBALL: Prospect Blanks Westmont to Advance to CCS Semifinals

The Score: Prospect 1, Westmont 0

The Prospect High softball team just isn’t ready for it’s 2011 season to end just yet.

Behind a complete game shutout from junior pitcher Amanda Llerena, No. 7 seeded Prospect knocked off No. 2 seed Westmont High-Campbell 1-0 in a Central Coast Section Playoffs Division II softball quarterfinal matchup Saturday morning at PAL field in San Jose.

The upset win propelled the Panthers into next week’s semis, a place the program hasn’t been in over a decade.

“She’s the reason we’re in every game,” Prospect head coach Jason Potmesil said about star pitcher Llerena. “Having a pitcher at this time of the year is huge. The last time the softball program was in the playoffs was 2005. To get this win and make the semis feels pretty good.”

A classic pitchers dual from the first pitch until the last, the lone score of the day came in the sixth inning.

Sophomore Karlie Wreaks drew a one-out walk and then advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. On a day where Westmont left seven runners on base, including a pair of runners in the bottom half of the second, fourth and sixth, the Prospect offense didn’t miss it’s chance to push a runner across once Wreaks advanced into scoring position.

Junior Hayley Schmidt lined an RBI double down the third base line to score Wreaks and put Prospect ahead, 1-0.

The ball hugged the line to stay fair and rolled into the deep corner of left field before rolling under the side fence for a ground rule double. If the ball stayed fair, Schmidt would have had a stand up triple or more.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Llerena said after the win. “What a win to be a part of, especially against them (Westmont). They’ve been our rival for a long time and we’ve battled hard anytime we had to play them.”

Llerena struck out 10 batters in the win, including the first three batters she faced.

“My rise ball was my best pitch today,” Llerena said. “It was really moving well early. Even when we scored I tried to not think about it. I knew that my job wasn’t done yet.”

Westmont starting pitcher Lujane Mussadi nearly matched the Panthers starter during the classic dual. Mussadi struck out five hitters and only yielded three hits.

Westmont’s best scoring chance came in the second inning. Mussadi doubled over the head of the Prospect left fielder then junior first baseman Sarina Araujo lined a single to left to put runners on the corners with nobody out.

However, three straight outs followed, leaving both Warriors runners stranded.  Head coach Jon Hennig’s club went 23-4 in the regular season, racking up a perfect 14-0 record in league.

Prospect defeated Pioneer 4-1 in round one on Wednesday.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Prospect 1, Westmont 0

P- 0 0 0 0 0 1 0- 1 3 3

W-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 4 0

WP: Llerena. LP: Mussadi

Records: P 17-4. W 23-5, 14-0 Mt. Hamilton.