Finnerty's perfect game lifts Moorpark
Moorpark softball coach Meaghan Stotts knew something special was brewing when she crossed paths with her star pitcher Madison Finnerty on campus early Tuesday.
“I touched base with her at lunchtime today and I knew from that moment she had a different look in her eyes,” Stotts said. “She is super special, and I saw that in her eyes today.”
Finnerty kept that focus in her eyes and didn't blink in the pitcher's circle, as she stared down batter after batter on her way to a perfect game.
Her dominating pitching performance helped steer Moorpark to a 5-0 semifinal win over Heritage Christian and into the CIF Southern Section Division 4 final against Temple City at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“I was confident in our team. I knew we had to play good and that's what we were able to do,” said Finnerty, who finished the game with 13 strikeouts. “It's very exciting knowing that it was a semifinal game, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates.”
Top-seeded Moorpark will be looking to win its first-ever CIF championship Friday, in what will be the program's third finals appearance, and first since 1996. The Musketeers are 0-2 all-time in their only final appearances, losing to La Reina 5-2 in 1992 (Division 1-A) and 2-1 to Crossroads in 1996 (Division V).
Heritage Christian senior pitcher Kayla Bosquett did her best to match her counterpart's performance, striking out nine batters and giving up just five hits.
The Warriors' offense just couldn't get anything going against Finnerty.
“Kayla has been amazing all year and we struggled giving her run support against good pitching, that was no secret,” said Warriors coach Florencio Galindo. “Today we failed with run support. She kept us in the game, she's always kept us in the game.”
The Musketeers struck early off a double from Driana Martinez, scoring Finnerty and Daniela Isarraras to give them a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Shae Anderson led off the third inning with a single, and after stealing second base, was brought home by an RBI single from Isarraras.
Isarraras finished the day 2 for 2 with a single, double and a walk. Kate Guy and Caitlin Finnerty registered the final two RBIs for Moorpark in the bottom of the sixth inning.