San Pedro claims title in dramatic manner

San Pedro High won the Los Angeles City Section softball championship Wednesday.

No surprise there. The Pirates have now won four titles in a row and nine of the last 10.

But this one, a 7-6 victory over Wilmington Banning at UCLA’s Easton Stadium, came with high drama -- a two-out, seventh-inning single by Kayla Monroy scoring Holly Stevens with the winning run.

For Stevens, who is headed to Pittsburgh on a scholarship, it was a storybook ending. “We won again,” she said. “This is the best way to end my career.”

San Pedro (28-4), the top-seeded team in the playoffs, trailed, 6-3, with two outs in the sixth inning when Chloe Oro singled in a run. The tying runs then scored when Banning couldn’t come up with an infield blooper by Kailee Cuico.

Banning (20-12) scored four times in the fifth, the big hit a bases-clearing double by Ana Cortez. She and Stephanie Aguirre each had three hits for the Pilots, who outhit the Pirates, 12-9.

San Pedro Coach Tony Dobra credited Banning for putting up a fight. “I don’t think in the last five games combined we gave up so many hits,” he said. “If they won, it would have made a great story.”

Instead, it was more the same old story. The Pirates have won 13 City championships. Either San Pedro or Woodland Hills El Camino Real has won the last 22 titles.

Stevens, Cuico and Monroy each had two hits for San Pedro.

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