The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Maaske leads Bonita past Etiwanda in nonleague showdown
Senior pitcher tosses a four-hitter; Puppe and Reyes hit back-to-back homers in third inning
The Etiwanda softball team had averaged nearly 10 runs a game during a 10-game winning streak, but the Eagles ran into Bonita senior Kaitlyn Maaske on Tuesday.
Maaske scattered four hits and retired the final 10 batters, and Koa Puppe and Serenity Reyes belted back-to-back home runs as Bonita defeated Etiwanda 2-1
in a nonleague game at Las Flores Park.
“I realize that hitting spots is the biggest part of the game,” Maaske said. “If I don’t hit my spots, my defense can only do so much. Working as a team is the biggest thing today. My dropball inside was working well today. It kind of comes in backdoor.”
“Kaitlyn, she doesn’t have the overpowering speed,” Bonita coach Darren Baumunk said. “She places the ball and her ball moves. We were busting them inside.”
Maaske walked two and struck out one. She did surrender the game’s first run when Kimmy Aleman scored from second base on Karrington Bennett’s infield single with two outs in the second inning.
Bonita left the bases loaded in the first inning but got on the board in the third when Puppe, a freshman, hit her third homer of the season to left. Reyes, a sophomore, followed with her second home run to left center against Eagles junior Alyssa Galindo.
“She (Galindo) is doing what we ask of her and just trying to stay competitive. Two pitches they hit two home runs. In seven innings we only scored one run. It should’ve been way more,” Etiwanda coach Adrianna Brown said.
Etiwanda (14-3) entered the week No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 rankings, and Brown was disappointed her team didn’t make adjustments at the plate against Maaske.
“We kept doing the same things and were expecting a different result,” Brown said. “We needed to get a little bit more extended on that ball. They were trying to pull their hands through with that big ol’ swing.”
Defense also was a big part of Bonita’s win. Etiwanda made three errors, while the Bearcats (12-4), No. 10 in the Division 2 rankings, didn’t make an error and they turned two double plays started by third baseman Puppe.
In the first inning, Etiwanda’s Taylor Wren tripled to right with one out but Galindo followed with a grounder to Puppe, who tagged Wren then threw to first to end the inning.
Puppe started another double pay in the fourth inning and also fielded two more ground balls flawlessly in the seventh.
“That last inning if she doesn’t make that one play it’s down the line and a triple,” Baumunk said. “She has been someone who has exceeded all expectations. Overall, she’s been a great asset to our team.”
Puppe, batting third, was 2 for 2 with a walk Tuesday to improve her batting average to .550.