Orange County softball stat leaders through March 25

• March 28, 2023

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Orange County softball stat leaders through Saturday, March 25.

To be included, teams must have their stats up to date on the MaxPreps.com leaderboards.

BATTING AVERAGE

Name, school
Avg.
Hits
AB

Malaya Majam-Finch, Fullerton
.688
11
16

Kileah Lologo, Bolsa Grande
.650
13
20

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
.647
22
34

Aleena Garcia, Whittier Christian
.644
38
59

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Beach
.632
12
19

Nevaeh Gomez, La Quinta
.609
14
23

Mickayla Galaviz, Anaheim
.607
17
28

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
.596
28
47

MacKenzie King, Ocean View
.583
14
24

RUNS BATTED IN

Name, school
RBI
PA
GP

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
35
63
17

Makenzie Butt, Fountain Valley
25
40
12

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
23
56
15

Jailyn Paderez, Whittier Christian
21
59
17

ChaCha Miranda, Westminster
20
55
15

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
19
37
10

Kori Villeneuve, Newport Harbor
17
42
12

Mikayla Varela, Garden Grove
17
34
10

Sofia Hernandez, Whittier Chr.
16
70
17

Kaylee Layfield, JSerra
16
56
15

Ariana Magallanes, Westminster
16
52
15

Anaya Togia, Marina
16
50
14

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

Name, school
Slugging %
AB
TB

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Bch
1.579
19
30

Kileah Lologo, Bolsa Grande
1.500
20
30

Makenzie Butt, Fountain Valley
1.313
32
42

Malaya Majam-Finch, Fullerton
1.250
16
20

Navaeh Gomez, La Quinta
1.130
23
26

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
1.088
34

Aleena Garcia, Whittier Chr.
1.017
59
56

Sophia Rylaarsdam, Troy
1.000
19
19

Jocelyn Aguilar, Westminster
.957
47
45

EARNED-RUN AVERAGE

Name, school
ERA
IP
ER

Brianne Weiss, Orange Lutheran
0.72
48.2
5

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
0.86
32.2
11

Navaeh Gomez, La Quinta
0.95
29.1
4

Mia Valbuena, Marina
0.97
65.0
9

Brynne Nally, Pacifica
1.35
46.2
9

Mckenzie Wanner, Kennedy
1.54
36.1
8

Lexany Alcantar, Anaheim
1.68
25.0
6

Nathalie Gonzalez, Los Amigos
1.96
25.0
7

Kylie Loertscher, El Toro
1.97
42.2
12

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
2.05
92.0
27

Mia Gonzalez, Buena Park
2.08
40.1
12

Bayle Hunnicutt, Sonora
2.09
47.0
14

Eva Hurtado, JSerra
2.12
82.2
25

Kaitlyn Kenobe, Ocean View
2.25
28.0
9

Peyton May, Orange Lutheran
2.27
24.2
8

Serena Barragan, Garden Grove
2.56
27.1
10

STRIKEOUTS

Name, school
K
BF
IP

Brianne Weiss, Orange Lutheran
91
201
48.2

Mia Valbuena, Marina
83
268
65.0

Katia Wiklem, Laguna Hills
82
323
64.1

Eva Hurtado, JSerra
64
353
82.2

Brynne Nally, Pacifica
64
180
46.2

Kayden Connaty, Garden Grove
61
139
32.2

Bayle Hunnicutt, Sonora
53
206
47.0

Lauren Mendez, Foothill
51
383
86.1

Kylie Loertscher, El Toro
49
187
42.2

Nevaeh Gomez, La Quinta
47
118
29.1

Riley Laygo, Whittier Christian
43
405
92.0

Loula McNamara, Tesoro
40
269
63.1

Zoe Prystajko, Huntington Beach
38
79
22.0

Bella Goulet, Valencia
37
190
33.2

​ Orange County Register 

Tyler Anderson leads Angels past Dodgers, Noah Syndergaard

• March 28, 2023

ANAHEIM ― Noah Syndergaard and Tyler Anderson arrived at Angel Stadium with similar goals Monday: to use their final exhibition start to prepare for a new season with a new team.

Coincidentally, each pitcher’s new team was the other’s old team. That familiarity seemed to benefit the Angels’ lineup more than the Dodgers’.

Syndergaard allowed five runs in five innings, including home runs by Mike Trout and Taylor Ward, in the Angels’ 5-4 victory. The right-hander allowed 11 runs across his final two spring training starts to finish with a 5.79 ERA.

“I feel like I’m really close,” Syndergaard said. “I’m tinkering with things every day just to see what works for me. I look at other pitchers and I see how their bodies move. Sometimes I’ll try to apply that to me, which doesn’t necessarily work for me. I watch a lot of video from 2019 and previous years, just trying to get to that comfort and those positions. At that point, I’ll have a lot of confidence and conviction.”

The Dodgers signed Syndergaard, 30, to a one-year, $13 million contract in December to effectively take Anderson’s spot in their starting rotation. After signing a $21 million free agent contract with the Angels a year ago, Syndergaard went 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies at midseason. He then appeared in 14 games with the Phillies, who made a surprising run to the World Series.

When he signed with the Dodgers, Syndergaard expressed his desire to regain the triple-digit velocity that defined his career with the New York Mets, before Tommy John surgery wiped out nearly all of his 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Syndergaard only threw 10 four-seam fastballs among his 85 pitches against the Angels, touching 95 mph. His sinker touched 94 but also yielded some of the Angels’ hardest hits, including the 414-foot homer by Trout in the first inning.

“If I don’t throw 100 again, that’s fine,” Syndergaard said. “I’m not going out there trying to throw 100. I’m going out there trying to get outs. If I just trust my delivery, which I did for the most part tonight, I’ll be in pretty good position.”

Anderson limited the Dodgers to two runs in 5⅓ innings in his first home start as Angel, both coming on solo home runs by Mookie Betts and Miguel Vargas.

The left-hander, who enjoyed a career year with the Dodgers in 2022, walked one batter and struck out five. Anderson finished spring training with a 1.35 ERA in three starts, not including an exhibition game against the United States’ World Baseball Classic team in which he allowed four runs in two-plus innings.

“I feel good,” Anderson said. “I think I got enough innings out. I finally feel like I’m in a better spot with my delivery and kind of ready to go compete.”

Anderson and Syndergaard crossed paths in coincidental fashion.

Anderson rejected the Dodgers’ qualifying offer to sign a three-year, $39 million contract just down the 5 Freeway, while Syndergaard hand-picked the Dodgers for their reputation for rebuilding careers like Anderson’s.

Anderson is already earning the respect of his teammates, Manager Phil Nevin said.

“One thing about him is his leadership qualities to our other young lefties out there,” Nevin said. “He’s great by example for one, but he also kind of has just taken those guys under his wing, if you will. It’s about preparation, what he does leading up to his start. You can already see it. They all have been bonding together, they’ve been working together. If you notice when they come in from the bullpen, all the starters are together. I really like what that group is becoming. And he’s a big part of that. He’s kind of the leader of that pack.”

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The Dodgers used solo home runs by Chris Taylor and Luke Williams in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, to make the final score close. Right-hander Cesar Valdez closed the door with a perfect ninth inning.

Anthony Rendon went 3 for 3, and Brandon Drury, Shohei Ohtani and Taylor Ward each had two hits for the Angels.

Alex Vesia, Yency Almonte, Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson did not allow a run in relief of Syndergaard. Betts had two of the Dodgers’ eight hits.

​ Orange County Register 

Jake Pilarski’s rapid ascent caught Dodgers pitcher by surprise

• March 28, 2023

ANAHEIM ― The Dodgers’ hardest-throwing pitcher hasn’t had a locker in their major league clubhouse for most of spring training. He won’t have one after the exhibition season ends Tuesday, either.

For Jake Pilarski, that’s OK.

When he signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers in December, he said, “I did not think I’d be standing in the Dodgers’ clubhouse (Sunday) and the Anaheim clubhouse today.”

At 24, Pilarski’s journey in professional baseball is just beginning. An undrafted free agent out of The Citadel, Pilarski spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons pitching in the independent Frontier League. Last season with the Washington (Pennsylvania) Wild Things was his first as a relief pitcher. With a new role, Pilarski said, came a new mentality that brought him one step closer to the big leagues.

“It really helped,” he said. “Instead of navigating 100 pitches, it was ‘throw 25 as hard as you’ve got.’”

Last year, the hardest Pilarski’s fastball could muster with regularity was 95 to 97 mph. Occasionally, he said, it would reach 98. Pilarski posted a 4.30 ERA across 23 appearances for Washington, unhelped by issuing 23 walks across 28⅓ innings.

After the season, Pilarski paid his own way to Tread Athletics, a training facility in North Carolina. The next step beckoned.

“I got to a point in my career where, with my lifting experience, I didn’t know where to go,” he said.

Listed as a sturdy 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, strength was less of an issue for Pilarski than mobility. His relative inability to bend at the waist was preventing him from unlocking pitch velocity. Exactly how much velocity wasn’t clear at the outset. By the time he left Tread, he had established a new radar gun record at the facility: 101.4 mph.

An amateur scout for the Dodgers, Jonah Rosenthal, was among those who were impressed. He and Will Rhymes, the Dodgers’ director of player development, worked quickly to hammer out a minor league contract. Exactly what they were getting wasn’t clear, particularly given Pilarski’s short track record as a pro.

“He’s had an excellent camp,” Rhymes said. “(Fastball velocity of) 99-101, improved slider, changeup is a weapon. Probably one of the biggest surprises in camp.”

Rhymes wouldn’t say where among the Dodgers’ minor league affiliates Pilarski would begin the regular season, but he suggested the right-hander might not be there long.

“We’re going to give him a chance to get off to a good start, and because of his age he’s a guy who could move quickly depending on how he’s performing,” Rhymes said. “We’ll let his performance dictate it.”

Already, Pilarski has been impressed by how quickly his career has accelerated. He appeared in two Cactus League games in spot appearances with the Dodgers, faced four batters, and struck out three.

“A lot of my friends from college are like ‘dude, what the hell?’” he said.

MINOR MATTERS

Pilarski is one of 14 players who are expected to begin the season in the minor leagues who have had a locker for the first two games of the Freeway Series.

Why are they here?

“It’s a great opportunity for these guys,” Rhymes said. “It’s a nod to their hard work and to the springs they’ve had. It’s just a great experience for them to feel what it’s like to be in a major league stadium, to feel that environment.”

INJURY UPDATES

Pitcher Tony Gonsolin (sprained left ankle) threw a bullpen session, Manager Dave Roberts said. Via pitching coach Mark Prior, Roberts relayed hope that Gonsolin can throw another in the days to come. Gonsolin is on track for a late-April return.

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The timeline isn’t as clear-cut for relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (knee), who remains at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch facility in Arizona. He continues to experience discomfort after pitching, Roberts said.

“We didn’t shut him down – we tapered, backed off a little bit, and even when we did that there was that feeling that he wasn’t recovering well,” Roberts said.

Pitcher Jimmy Nelson, who will begin the season on the injured list, is with the team through Opening Day but will return to Arizona afterward, Roberts said.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Ryan Pepiot) vs. Angels (LHP Reid Detmers) at Angel Stadium, Tuesday, 6 p.m., Bally Sports West, SportsNet LA, 830 AM, 570 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Camp Pendleton is latest agency to find PFAS chemical in drinking water

• March 28, 2023

Camp Pendleton leaders on Monday sent a public notice to thousands of service members and civilians who live and work on the base’s north end alerting them that recent testing revealed their drinking water contained a higher-than-desired level of PFAS, a potentially carcinogenic chemical that has been found in much of Southern California’s groundwater supply.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, can be found in cleaning products, water-resistant fabrics, grease-resistant paper and non-stick cookware, as well as in products such as shampoo, dental floss and nail polish. The state only set requirements to test for the chemicals in the last few years and has lowered the threshold for when their detection needs to be reported to the public by water agencies.

Water districts throughout Southern California have been struggling to get PFAS levels down. Base officials believe their water supply was likely impacted by groundwater that seeped in from inland and uphill Orange County.

For example, of the roughly 200 wells managed by the Orange County Water District in the north and central parts of the county, 61 have had to be closed. A water treatment plant in Fullerton to remove PFAS contaminants went into service in 2021.

The letter sent by Brig. Gen. Jason Woodworth, the base commander, alerted about 18,000 people at the San Onofre housing area, where Marines live with their families, as well as the Fifth Marine Regiment and the School of Infantry that results on Feb. 14  from the base’s northern water treatment plant tested at 23.5 parts per trillion in the drinking water, which is higher than the reporting threshold the state’s Department of Drinking Water set in October at 20 parts per trillion.

One part per trillion is about the same as four grains of sugar in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The base is blending the water in several wells – one of the approved options for reducing PFAS levels – and are awaiting new testing results.

“The main point is to let folks know of the current condition and steps we’re taking to ensure safety,” Woodworth said. “We remain in compliance with all the guidelines.”

Base officials on Monday said they have taken steps to ensure that the water at the base’s north end is safe for drinking and said they are not recommending the community “go to household filtration at this time.”

“It shouldn’t be in the water, but it’s not something that is acutely dangerous,” said Navy Cmdr. Stephen Ramsey, an engineer who is in Public Works on the base. “If it’s acutely dangerous, you shut the water system down, but this is not the case.”

Camp Pendleton operates mainly with two water systems, one serving its south end and one on the north end. There is a smaller system that supplies water to the Las Pulgas area of the base, but that’s not affected. The only water system presently impacted is the one on the north end, which produces about 1.2 million gallons a day.

Ramsey said back in October, after the state’s guidelines were issued to monitor for specific PFAS levels, officials checked all their wells. Five of the wells showed high levels, and those were immediately taken offline, he said.

Three more wells on the north end continued to be in use and in January, there was a pump failure in one of the three wells used to dilute the water.

“That’s when our blending was no longer clean enough to stay under the guidelines,” Ramsey said. “Two of the wells were significantly below the numbers and one was above.”

At that point, Ramsey said a reverse osmosis system was put in place to work on the well that exceeded the state’s recent guidelines. The system, which uses high water pressure to force water through microfilters, put it well below the EPA’s guidelines, but not below the California guidelines, Ramsey said. Officials are now awaiting testing results from this month and are hopeful the water will come back clean.

In the meantime, the base has been working on a $63 million pipeline project that will carry water about 17 miles from Camp Pendleton’s south end to the north end. That system should be up and running in a couple of weeks, officials said.

“That will allow us to flow the water from the south that’s gone through reverse osmosis and is considerably cleaner,” Ramsey said.

The base also has two Liquid-Phase Granular Activated Carbon (LGAC) filtration systems in the works that are expected to eliminate the PFAS entirely. The south water filtration system will come online in about two months, and then all the water from those wells will feed both the southern and northern systems.

In six months, the LGAC system is expected to come online in the north, and Ramsey said the northern wells can then be used again.

“One of my greatest responsibilities is the safety, security and well-being of the Marines, military families, and employees that live and work on Camp Pendleton,” Woodworth said. “Ensuring we provide safe drinking water is critically important to me and to our team at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.”

​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS girls lacrosse polls, March 27

• March 28, 2023

The CIF-SS high school girls lacrosse polls, released Monday, March 27

CIF-SS GIRLS LACROSSE

(Selected by the CIF-SS Lacrosse Committee)

Division 1/2

Foothill

Marlborough

Redondo Union

Mira Costa

Edison

San Clemente

St. Margaret’s

Murrieta Mesa

Oak Park

Palos Verdes

Others: Newport Harbor, Newbury Park, Santiago/Corona, Mater Dei, Royal

Division 3

Huntington Beach

Chaparral

Simi Valley

Northwood

San Marcos

Orange Lutheran

Portola

El Toro

Santa Monica

Murrieta Valley

Others: ML King, Notre Dame/SO, Temecula Valley. Rosary

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​ Orange County Register 

Man fatally stabbed during argument in Garden Grove

• March 28, 2023

A 25-year-old man is suspected of fatally stabbing a man and injuring a teenage girl at a home in Garden Grove, police said Monday.

The suspect, Juan Carlos Fernandez Bustos of Garden Grove, was hospitalized Monday for injuries sustained in a fracas Sunday night at a Garden Grove home, Garden Grove police Sgt. Nick Jensen said.

Police were dispatched just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday to the 10300 block of Lampson Avenue.

Bustos, who previously dated someone living at the residence, got into an argument with family members that escalated into a physical conflict, Jensen said.

A 43-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, intervened to stop the struggle and got stabbed in the upper body, Jensen said. He was rushed to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

A 16-year-old girl who also attempted to quell the conflict suffered a non-life-threatening injury to her hand, Jensen said.

The family identified the suspect, who was later tracked down at a nearby hospital, where he was being treated for injuries, Jensen said.

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​ Orange County Register 

CIF-SS boys lacrosse polls, March 27

• March 28, 2023

The CIF-SS high school boys lacrosse polls, released Monday, March 27

CIF-SS BOYS LACROSSE

(Selected by the CIF-SS Lacrosse Committee)

Division 1/2

Mater Dei

Loyola

Foothill

St. Margaret’s

Westlake

Mira Costa

Corona del Mar

Santa Margarita

Agoura

Trabuco Hills

Others: None

Division 3

Chaminade

Santa Monica

Crean Lutheran

University

Canyon

Village Christian

El Segundo

Brentwood

ML King

Dos Pueblos

Others: None

​ Orange County Register 

Nicolas Batum, Clippers heat up to bury Bulls

• March 28, 2023

LOS ANGELES — With Paul George sidelined, the Clippers need other players to step up. The team cannot afford to be Kawhi-centric, waiting for their other star to pull them through.

Two games ago, it was guards Terance Mann and Bone Hyland who filled the void left by George, who is out for the remainder of the regular season. This time, it was Eric Gordon and Nicolas Batum.

While Leonard struggled to get free against the Chicago Bulls’ fifth-rated defense, Gordon and Batum came up big, combining for 46 points in a 124-112 victory on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Batum, starting in place of an ailing Marcus Morris Sr., scored all of his season-high 24 points on 3-pointers. Gordon added 22 points, going 5 for 9 from long range, in his highest-scoring game since returning to the Clippers in a trade last month.

“You know, when you’re missing a guy like PG and Norm (Powell) and Mook – three guys who can really score the ball, we have to find a way to score the basketball, and it was by sharing the ball,” Batum said. “We can’t just really rely on Kawhi to take us home every game for 48 minutes. We kind of did that last game. He was pretty tired, and it didn’t work.”

But it wasn’t just those two who helped the Clippers (40-36) hold onto the fifth spot in the jam-packed Western Conference standings. Leonard finally shook free of the Bulls’ double-teams to score 22 points, grab seven rebounds and dish out six assists.

He had just seven points in the first half.

“He just took his time,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “We knew they were going to double-team him on the post-ups, they always do, and so just taking his time and making the right play and not forcing anything.

“When you have a great player that takes his time and plays at his own pace, and never gets sped up and just takes what the defense gives him, I thought he did a good job with that and that allowed us to shoot the ball so well and get 40 threes up and make 20 of them because of his pace and his poise and taking on the double team and making the right pass.”

Russell Westbrook added 12 points and had 10 assists, while Hyland had 13 points and eight assists on a night when the Clippers had 41 assists on their 48 field goals and coasted across the finish line.

The Clippers pushed the pace, scoring in transition to pull away in the third quarter and open a 22-point lead. At one point, after Batum landed a season-high eighth 3-pointer with 2:25 remaining, Leonard found him for a quick dap as they ran down the court. The help appeared to be welcomed.

“It’s great,” Leonard said of how the others contributed. “They set the tone early tonight offensively, making shots. This is what we are going to have to do with PG being out and yeah, it just opens up the floor.”

When healthy, Leonard has been one of the team’s most productive players. He’s been averaging 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 51.2% from the field. But he can’t do it all on a nightly basis.

Leonard will get more help when Norman Powell returns during the upcoming three-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Memphis. Powell has missed 11 games because of a shoulder subluxation.

The Bulls, who defeated the Lakers on Sunday afternoon couldn’t garner any sort of momentum. They led briefly in the first half but struggled to slow the Clippers. They turned the ball over 14 times for 20 points and made just 9 of 23 3-point attempts.

Zach Lavine led the Bulls with 23 points, DeMar DeRozan added 21 points and seven assists and Nikola Vucevic had 20 points and eight rebounds.

Lue, in somewhat of a joking manner, admitted he should change his tune during his pregame talks.

“Maybe I should if we keep making the same mistakes and you don’t do what we’ve been working on the last three years,” he said. “Maybe I should change my tactic. I’m going to work on that.”

Maybe his words finally sunk in.

The Clippers avoided giving up a huge run by the Bulls to start the game. In their past three games, the Clippers have fallen behind by sometimes double-digit leads and struggled to overcome the deficit. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, they never recovered.

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“I think playing at home and getting off to better starts is our main focus. It’s got to start on the defensive end of getting stops early,” Lue said before tip-off. “We can’t keep starting the games 8-0, 10-2, 14-2; we got to do a better job of starting games. Hopefully, that starts tonight.”

The Clippers stayed with the Bulls in the early going, never letting them get ahead by more than five points for the first 15 minutes.

The Clippers started to take control of the game late in the first half, building a 10-point lead before Nikola Vucevic buried a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds to cut into the lead 62-55.

The Clippers improved to 2-1 without George, who is expected to miss the rest of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs after spraining his right knee in a loss to Oklahoma City last Tuesday.

“That’s the way that we have to play without PG especially, but until he comes back got to find a way to really get everybody involved and play good basketball,” Batum said.

Ty Lue shares his thoughts following the W against the Bulls@LAClippers | #ClippersLive pic.twitter.com/8wMl69Nek5

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 28, 2023

Nico scored a season-high of 24 points and went 8-10 beyond the arch@nicolas88batum | @Kristina_Pink | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/n0382sKbHe

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 28, 2023

​ Orange County Register