GRAND TERRACE — Grand Terrace pitcher Selena Zuniga faced a tense situation to start the top of the seventh inning Thursday in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 softball quarterfinal game against Whittier Christian.
The senior faced Whittier Christian’s Riley Laygo, who had hit two home runs against Zuniga earlier in the game.
“I was ready for anything,” Zuniga said.
She went into her windup, moved her right arm and… hit her leg, causing the ball to dribble into foul territory. It was content fit for the blooper reel, but Zuniga shrugged it off.
“It was just one ball,” said Zuniga, who is headed for Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky after graduating next month.
Other Grand Terrace followers might have increased their tension levels, but Zuniga retired Laygo and the final two batters to secure a 7-6 victory.
Grand Terrace (22-5) will be on the road Saturday to face Tesoro in the semifinals.
It was Grand Terrace’s 12th consecutive victory.
Grand Terrace scored two runs in the first inning and added three more in the second.
Titans fans may have hoped for an easy afternoon, but Grand Terrace coach Robert Flores knew from his years of coaching and playoff experience that wasn’t likely.
“Once you get to this point, the teams are too good,” Flores said.
Whittier Christian entered the quarterfinals with a 20-game winning streak and the Heralds played a solid game.
Grand Terrace moved to a 5-0 advantage in the second inning. Andrea “Star” Cortez, who led off the game with a home run, doubled home a run in the second inning.
Ayden Avalos homered in the third for Grand Terrace, but Laygo and Maeva Thormmen answered with solo homers in the top of the fourth.
Summer Sanderson gave Grand Terrace a 7-2 lead by driving in a run with a triple to right.
Whittier Christian scored four runs in the top of the sixth. Layco, who was replaced at pitcher by Bobbie Lozano, led off the frame with a homer to center.
“She (Layco) stayed in the game mentally after being replaced as starting pitcher,” said Whittier Christian coach Dale VanDuyn.
Whittier Christian (23-5) has won two CIF titles during VanDuyn’s 16-year tenure at the school.
“I’m especially proud of our team because they play for each other,” he said.
Alyssa Lopez walked to force in a run and two more runs scored on a muffed infield fly.
Zuniga got the final out of the sixth inning when Aleena Garcia flied out to center.
