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VILLA PARK — Sydney Somerndike returned to form on Thursday, and so did Villa Park’s softball team.
The Arizona-bound pitcher fired a one-hitter with 12 strikeouts and also singled twice to lead the No. 4-ranked Spartans to a much-needed 2-0 victory against No. 2 Esperanza at Villa Park High.
In her first extensive outing since spraining her ankle while pitching in the Carew Classic on March 31, Somerndike faced one batter over the minimum to outduel Brooke Perez and help Villa Park (21-4, 2-2) move within a game of Esperanza (16-10, 3-1) and Canyon (22-4, 3-1) in the challenging Crestview League.
“She looked great,” Esperanza coach Ed Tunstall said of Somerndike, who missed the teams’ first league game. “She’s just a tough pitcher. That’s why she’s going to Arizona.”
Somerndike, the reigning state player of the year, took the circle to Eminem’s song “Without Me,” a selection picked by Villa Park coach Terry Williams that includes the lyrics “Guess who’s back, back again.”
Somerndike, wearing a brace on her left ankle, promptly struck out the side in the first inning.
She led off the Spartans’ third with a single, setting the stage for the eventual game-winning run. Williams replaced Somerndike on the bases with pinch-runner Jordyn Lawhon, who stole second on the first pitch and narrowly scored on a single to center by No. 9 batter and recent Rosary transfer Martina Gutierrez.
“I was very excited,” Somerndike said of her return. “The team vibe was kind of feeling back on track. I feel it was kind of a redemption game, and proving to ourselves that, ‘Hey, we’re in this. We still got a shot at all this.’ I think our team is ready, and we feel rejuvenated.”
Somerndike singled again with one out in the fifth. Lawhon again pinch ran and stole second with two outs. The speedy junior took third base when the throw went into center field and scored as catcher Brianne Kang singled to left on the next pitch.
Somerndike overcame a scary moment in the seventh. She appeared to lose her balance after throwing a pitch. After being checked on by Williams and tossing a few practice pitches, Somerndike closed out the reigning CIF-SS Division 1 champion.
“When she went down it was like (March 31) all over again,” Williams said. “But when I went out there and she was kind of laughing, I knew we were all right.”
“It must be something with my motion that is causing me to fall,” said Somerndike, who pitched three innings Tuesday. “Thankfully, it was nothing that bad. I was fine.”
So was Villa Park’s defense. Left fielder Riley Sandvig made running catches in foul territory in the sixth and seventh, shortstop Mikayla Maher snagged a grounder in the second and third baseman Bethany Spurr tracked down a foul in the seventh.
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Esperanza’s Taylor Shumaker doubled to lead off the fourth, but Somerndike retired the next three batters to end the threat.
On Monday, the Aztecs play host to Canyon, which beat Foothill 4-2 in eight innings Thursday.