Defending CIF champion Liberty starts playoffs with a win

Liberty softball coach Nichole Smith addresses her team after Thursday's victory. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Playing at a third-year school that has not yet had a graduating class, the Liberty High School softball players are in the enviable position of having all returners this season. And that’s extra special when you are the defending CIF-SS champions.

The Bison used that experience and confidence to hold on for a 9-7 home victory over Palm Desert Friday in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs.

Janessa Giugliano pitched all seven innings for the victory and a balanced offense accounted for 14 hits as the Bison built a 9-3 lead by the third inning, then survived a Palm Desert rally in the sixth inning before finishing off the win. Liberty is now 19-6 heading into a second-round game at Mark Keppel on Tuesday.

Liberty’s lead in the game appeared in danger after a four-run Palm Desert rally in the sixth inning cut a 9-3 deficit to 9-7. After three straight RBI singles, Bison coach Nichole Smith made a visit to the circle to chat with Giugliano.

“I just told her to slow things down,” Smith said. “They were getting some momentum, so I wanted to break it up a little bit. I just said, ‘We’ll get out of this. Just go after this next batter and stay focused.’”

After an error by the shortstop, Giugliano got the final out on a ground ball to third, preserving the two-run lead. In Palm Desert’s last chance in the top of the seventh, Giugliano retired the side in order to nail down the victory.

Giugliano scattered seven hits to the opposition, walking four and striking out three.

Junior Haley Kitzerow, who went 3 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored, said the balanced team effort is typical of the Bison’s play this season.

“I’m very proud of all of us,” Kitzerow said. “We have a lot of talent on this team and we’re always told that when our number’s called, be ready. We all put something out there today and Janessa did really well.

“One of the best aspects of our game is we realize that softball’s a game where anybody can beat anybody, so we’re all in, no matter what. They’re obviously going to score runs on us sometimes, but we stay in there and do our part.”

Liberty fell behind in the first inning when Palm Desert's Audra Higgins sent a drive over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead. The Bison wasted no time getting that back, however, when Jolie Tompkins hit a two-run double to straightaway center field in the bottom of the first.

The Bison went on top 5-2 in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI double by Kaylee Fraund and a two-run single by Julianna Larson. They increased the lead to 8-3 in the third inning on a two-run double by Emma Campos and an RBI triple by Attiana Thompson. A single run in the fifth inning made it 9-3.

The composure shown by the Bison in escaping the sixth inning with a two-run lead is indicative of the way they’ve played all season.

“I’m super proud of them,” Smith said. “I’ve been pushing them all week, ‘Don’t come out thinking it’s going to be an easy thing. Everyone wants to beat you because you won it all last year. Just come out with a lot of energy.’ They did a super job of coming back and answering after that first inning when we were down 2-0.

“We have 19 girls and they can hit, for sure. I know whoever I put in is going to get the job done. We had a plan today and they did a good of executing it.”