Eagle Rock softball tops Verdugo Hills for spot in City Division I final

EAGLE ROCK — For the first time in nearly two decades, the Eagle Rock softball team will be playing in a CIF LA City Section title game.

The Eagles earned a spot in the Division I championship game with a 5-4 win over visiting Verdugo Hills on Wednesday in the semifinals.

The win ends the program’s long absence from the finals since it played for a title in 2006.

Eagle Rock (18-7), which won its ninth straight game Wednesday, will face top-seeded Venice in the finals at a date. time and location to be determined.

Eagle Rock junior Marcella Terrazas put on a show with an impressive two-way performance.

In the circle, the junior allowed just four hits and struck out nine despite a sore arm. At the plate, Terrazas went 2 for 2 with two doubles, two RBIs and two walks, one of which was intentional.

“Marcella, she can hit. That doesn’t hurt her arm for whatever reason,” Eagles coach Carlos Cecconi said. “She’s just all guts. She’s just a great competitor.”

Terrazas tied the game 1-1 with her first double. She then put the Eagles up 5-1 with her second double.

The Eagles’ win was  a complete team win. Their defense made plays, the offense laid down bunts and the team kept the energy at a high level.

“The girls stuck together,” Cecconi said. “They played together, they played for each other. Our pitcher with a sore arm and everything just, I mean, just gutted it out and did what she needed to do. And the girls made the plays behind us.

“We got just enough runs to beat a very good Verdugo Hills team, and I’m honored to be their coach and head to the City championship.”

Freshman catcher Delylah Rodriguez added two hits for Eagle Rock, and Julyssa Castellon and Joleen Cardoza drew two walks each.

Verdugo Hills (12-10-1) got off to a good start. Senior Lauren Brink walked and several wild pitches by Eagle Rock helped her move around the bases and eventually come in to score.

Brink’s younger sister, Megan Brink, had a key hit in the top of the fifth, as she cleared the bases with a triple to pulls the Dons within one run, 5-4.

Verdugo Hills had a few more chances with runners in scoring position but just couldn’t get a solid hit off Terrazas.

Freshman Karlina Ortiz and Aurora Mares also singled for Verdugo Hills.

Both teams entered the game hot in the postseason. Verdugo Hills knocked off No. 2 seed Marquez in the quarterfinals and Eagle Rock took down No. 6 seed Port of Los Angeles, the same team that eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs last season.

Eagle Rock was unsure what this season would bring. Terrazas was poised for a big year, but more than half of the varsity team was filled by freshmen.

“When we started and we saw how many freshmen we had, we knew we had work to do, and they knew they had work to do,” Cecconi said. “So to get to this point again, I’m very proud of the work they put in. The freshmen are no longer freshmen because we’ve played all season long. So we’re going to go, we’re going to go this weekend and battle as hard as we can.”

After 14 years at the helm and a few semifinals heartbreakers along the way, Cecconi and his young team will play for a City championship. A City title would be Eagle Rock’s first and it’s a chance to build something for the future with so many underclassmen set to return.

“Robert (Nobles), Sergio (Jiménez) and I have been here for 14 years, and to finally break through that semifinal area and get to the City finals, it means the world to us,” Cecconi said.

For now, Eagle Rock will focus on the task at hand and gear up to face Venice.

“We’re going to get to work tomorrow morning and afternoon after school, and we’ll see what we can do,” Cecconi said.