Corning junior girls finish 2nd

RED BLUFF - The good news for the Corning Girls Junior All-Stars heading into the District 1 tournament over the weekend was that they were already guaranteed finishing no worst than 2nd place.

With just two teams participating in District 1, it was going to be a best-of-three between Corning and Red Bluff played at Red Bluff High School, and unfortunately for the Corning 10 they were beaten twice by Red Bluff, by scores of 15-0 and 6-1.

Red Bluff came out swinging for the Saturday match-up, stroking a pair of doubles and a single in a four-run 1st. Corning right fielder Ashley McMorrow prevented further damage by making a nice running catch of a fly ball to end the inning.

Julia Van Doorn led-off the top of the 2nd with a double, but Corning was unable to capitalize, and Red Bluff manufactured another run to go up 5-0.

The Corning bats fell silent for the next two innings, while Red Bluff plated five in each of the 3rd and 4th innings to take command 15-0, with the game being halted after five.

A bright spot for Corning was a sharp 1-2-3 double play they turned in the 4th. With the bases loaded with Red Bluff runners, Corning pitcher Cheyenne Secreto fielded a comebacker and threw to home, where catcher Van Doorn got the force before firing to an outstretched Karlie Jennings at first-base to end the inning.

Morgan Parker finished with a pair of singles, Van Doorn doubled, and Eriko Raygoza and Anna Curry added singles.

Corning tightened up its defense on Sunday, retiring Red Bluff in order in the 1st, 3rd and 4th innings, but were able to score just a lone run in a 6-1 loss.

Red Bluff scored three in the 2nd after a disputed call earlier in the inning when it appeared to the Corning faithful that a throw to third for a force had been in time to retire the Red Bluff runner, but the umpire ruled otherwise.

Corning got on the board in the 3rd when Jennifer Devers led-off by lacing a double to left. Pinch-runner Desiree Crane took third on a wild pitch and was driven in on Jennings’ RBI-single, making the score 3-1.

Red Bluff added a run in the 5th and then added two more in the 6th, this time after an apparent double-play turned by Corning was waved off when the umpires ruled the Corning first-baseman had pulled her foot.

The Corning Girls Junior All-Stars were: Manager Brian Crane, Assistant Kili Parker, Karlie Jennings, Anna Curry, Erika Raygoza, Morgan Parker, Ashley McMorrow, Julia Van Doorn, Desiree Crane, Cheyenne Secreto, Krystal Bennett and Jennifer Devers.