Latest news with #Moorman
Los Angeles Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Granada Hills finally breaks through to beat Carson for City Section softball title
Addison Moorman could finally breathe. The senior pitcher couldn't hold her emotions back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she embraced her teammates on Cal State Northridge's softball diamond. A year ago, she struck out 19 batters — only to fall short 1-0 in f14 innings. Two years previous, Granada Hills was one run away from City Section glory. On Saturday in Northridge, so close to home, the City Section Open Division title, the program's first since 1981, was Moorman's — and the Highlanders — to celebrate in an 11-2 drubbing of archrival Carson. Moorman put the team on her back, striking out 11 while giving up just four hits and two earned runs across her complete-game performance. 'It feels so good to go out on top, especially against [Carson],' said Moorman, who signed with Lehigh in November. 'To finally beat them, overcome that hurdle and then leave as a champion, feels really great.' Carson held a 1-0 lead early in the game when Atiana Rodriguez and Letu'u Simi combined for back-to-back doubles in the second inning, but from the bottom of the second onward, it was all Granada Hills at the plate. The Highlanders capitalized off of two Colts errors in the second inning. Second baseman Lainey Brown and right fielder Elysse Diaz singled home runs, while Giselle Merida tripled to bring home another. 'I've been waiting,' said Diaz who went two for four with two RBIs and a double. 'It was just boiling and boiling and then here, [the offense] just exploded.' By the time Moorman returned to the circle for her third inning of work, Granada Hills had scored seven runs on six hits against Carson pitcher Giselle Pantoja — who shut the Highlanders down in 2024 — building a cushion for its star pitcher to go out and do what she'd done all season: dominate. ''Every time a pitcher always feels that burden of carrying the team, and [Moorman] dealt with it well,' said Granada Hills coach Ivan Garcia. 'Her character is greater than her talent, the way she handles her teammates, the way she leads by example. I mean, you wouldn't know that she's a star pitcher, the way she puts bases away, the way she cleans up.' Moorman made just one big mistake on Saturday — leaving a pitch over the plate to Colts center fielder Rylee Gardner, who desposited the ball over the center-field wall for a solo home run (her eighth of the year) in the sixth inning. Otherwise, Moorman kept Carson off balance all game. She set down 13 consecutive batters between the second and sixth innings, striking out her 11th batter of the game as the penultimate at-bat of her high school career. For Moorman, winning a CIF title just 10 minutes away from Granada Hills High, was a moment worth savoring, she said. For Garcia — who said he was happy to see his team goofing off and having fun at a pregame lunch, loosening up before the biggest game of his coaching career — he is looking forward to the 1981 title of the past no longer lurking around his shoulders. 'Third time's the charm,' he said. Earlier in the day in Northridge, Taft won its first City Section title in the softball program's history with an 8-3 victory over Marquez in the Division II final. Legacy made no doubt of its City Section Division I title triumph later Saturday afternoon, shutting out Port of Los Angeles 5-0.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Granada Hills softball advances to City Section final, where it hopes to reverse a recent trend
Granada Hills has earned the top seed in the City Section Open Division softball playoffs three years in a row, but in that time it has yet to be No. 1 at the end of the season. The Highlanders will get another chance to do just that — and get a little redemption in the process — when they face their nemesis Carson in the championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cal State Northridge. Advertisement 'You're peaking at the right time,' head coach Ivan Garcia told his team after Wednesday's five-inning 19-0 semifinal shutout of visiting Venice. 'This was the best game we've played so far from start to finish, but we have one more. Let's put a punctuation mark on the season!' Pitcher Addison Moorman struck out nine of the 16 batters she faced and got plenty of support from the offense as the Highlanders (27-3) batted around in the first inning and scored six runs. They added four runs in the second on RBI singles by Sam Esparza, Annabela Ramirez and Jasmine Soriano and an RBI triple by Zoe Justman. In the third, the home side kept pouring it on as Brown hit a two-run single and Elysse Diaz added a two-run triple. Granada Hills finished with 15 hits — three each by Esparza and Diaz and two each by Soriano, Justman and Brown. The Highlanders' defense was also on display as center fielder Jocelyn Jimenez made a running over-the-shoulder grab to rob Gondoliers hitter Sandy Carrera of extra bases in the fourth. Granada Hills has outscored its first two playoff opponents 32-0 and only a bloop single in the second inning kept Moorman from back-to-back no-hitters. Advertisement 'We've bonded more since last year and I've worked on my changeup,' said Moorman, who signed with Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in November. 'We're playing as a team right now and we know what it's like to be on the big stage.' The Highlanders have posted an 80-12 record the last three seasons, their only two defeats in City competition coming in extra innings to Carson in the finals. They get another crack at the third-seeded Colts (22-3-1), who routed San Pedro 11-1 in Wednesday's other semifinal, and hope the third time's the charm. Granada Hills will not participate in the SoCal Regionals like it did one year ago. 'Losing in the finals the last two years has helped us with our mindset and will help to eliminate the nerves because we know what to expect,' said Brown, a Manhattan University commit who graduates alongside Moorman on Thursday night. 'Our coaches have preached all season 'next man up' and go base to base. We've all put in a ton of work and we're extra motivated because of who we're playing [in the finals].' Brown is happy the game will be at CSUN instead of in the South Bay, where the previous two finals were played (at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2023 and at Long Beach State last spring when Carson prevailed 1-0 in 14 innings despite Moorman's 19 strikeouts). Advertisement 'I've done camps there [at Northridge] and the last two years it's been long bus rides,' Brown added. 'Last year we got there late and couldn't warm-up efficiently so I'm glad this time it's right down the street.' Carson also appears to be rounding into postseason form. The Colts mercied Birmingham 16-5 in the quarterfinals of the eight-team Open bracket and avenged two Marine League losses to second-seeded San Pedro (17-4) on Wednesday for their sixth win in a row. Carson has won five City crowns, all in the upper division, since 2011. Granada Hills is seeking its first title in 44 years, having won the 4A Division in 1975, 1980 and 1981. 'I'm graduating tomorrow night yet it's been hard to focus on school,' Moorman admitted. 'It slips my mind. It's all about Saturday right now.' Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Granada Hills softball advances to City Section final, where it hopes to reverse a recent trend
Granada Hills has earned the top seed in the City Section Open Division softball playoffs three years in a row, but in that time it has yet to be No. 1 at the end of the season. The Highlanders will get another chance to do just that — and get a little redemption in the process — when they face their nemesis Carson in the championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cal State Northridge. 'You're peaking at the right time,' head coach Ivan Garcia told his team after Wednesday's five-inning 19-0 semifinal shutout of visiting Venice. 'This was the best game we've played so far from start to finish, but we have one more. Let's put a punctuation mark on the season!' Pitcher Addison Moorman struck out nine of the 16 batters she faced and got plenty of support from the offense as the Highlanders (27-3) batted around in the first inning and scored six runs. They added four runs in the second on RBI singles by Sam Esparza, Annabela Ramirez and Jasmine Soriano and an RBI triple by Zoe Justman. In the third, the home side kept pouring it on as Brown hit a two-run single and Elysse Diaz added a two-run triple. Granada Hills finished with 15 hits — three each by Esparza and Diaz and two each by Soriano, Justman and Brown. The Highlanders' defense was also on display as center fielder Jocelyn Jimenez made a running over-the-shoulder grab to rob Gondoliers hitter Sandy Carrera of extra bases in the fourth. Granada Hills has outscored its first two playoff opponents 32-0 and only a bloop single in the second inning kept Moorman from back-to-back no-hitters. 'We've bonded more since last year and I've worked on my changeup,' said Moorman, who signed with Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in November. 'We're playing as a team right now and we know what it's like to be on the big stage.' The Highlanders have posted an 80-12 record the last three seasons, their only two defeats in City competition coming in extra innings to Carson in the finals. They get another crack at the third-seeded Colts (22-3-1), who routed San Pedro 11-1 in Wednesday's other semifinal, and hope the third time's the charm. Granada Hills will not participate in the SoCal Regionals like it did one year ago. 'Losing in the finals the last two years has helped us with our mindset and will help to eliminate the nerves because we know what to expect,' said Brown, a Manhattan University commit who graduates alongside Moorman on Thursday night. 'Our coaches have preached all season 'next man up' and go base to base. We've all put in a ton of work and we're extra motivated because of who we're playing [in the finals].' Brown is happy the game will be at CSUN instead of in the South Bay, where the previous two finals were played (at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2023 and at Long Beach State last spring when Carson prevailed 1-0 in 14 innings despite Moorman's 19 strikeouts). 'I've done camps there [at Northridge] and the last two years it's been long bus rides,' Brown added. 'Last year we got there late and couldn't warm-up efficiently so I'm glad this time it's right down the street.' Carson also appears to be rounding into postseason form. The Colts mercied Birmingham 16-5 in the quarterfinals of the eight-team Open bracket and avenged two Marine League losses to second-seeded San Pedro (17-4) on Wednesday for their sixth win in a row. Carson has won five City crowns, all in the upper division, since 2011. Granada Hills is seeking its first title in 44 years, having won the 4A Division in 1975, 1980 and 1981. 'I'm graduating tomorrow night yet it's been hard to focus on school,' Moorman admitted. 'It slips my mind. It's all about Saturday right now.'
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rockford family honors late woman and her unborn daughter through organ donation
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Last November, Ashley Russell was celebrating her birthday and anticipating the arrival of her first child when the unthinkable happened. 'We got the call from her boyfriend that she had a seizure and she was not coming out of it,' said Russell's mother, Anne Moorman. Russell, who suffered from epilepsy, underwent emergency surgery to save her unborn daughter a few hours later, but the prognosis was dire. 'We came back to the hospital and we decided to let her go so she could be at peace,' Moorman said. Russell was 31 years old. Her daughter, Tilly, passed 10 days later. On Tuesday, at UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford, a flag was raised in honor of the two, their organs and tissues donated, something Moorman said was dear to Russell's heart. Russell worked at OSF Saint Anthony. 'There are just so many people that need, not just the organs, but they are doing research with the tissue,' said Moorman. 'Even one child, one family to join. Another birthday, another celebration, another day with your family. It's so important. That would make me feel better. I think my family feel better.' March 26th is Epilepsy Awareness Day and the family encourages others to volunteer, donate, or simply wear purple in support of the cause. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Blind and visually impaired students compete in West Virginia Braille Challenge
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — WVU's Children's Vision Rehabilitation Program (CVRP) hosted the West Virginia Braille Challenge in Morgantown Thursday, where blind and visually impaired children in grades 1-12 competed in a braille reading and writing contests, testing them in comprehension, speed, and accuracy. Thirty students from 16 West Virginia counties participated in the challenge, including students from West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Romney. The challenge is a part of a national competition developed by the Braille Institute. CVRP will send the tests to the Braille Institute, who will let them know if any of the students qualify for the national competition in Los Angeles. West Virginia law enforcement will be targeting this traffic violation starting Friday 12 News spoke with Drew Moorman Jr., a student at Nitro High School who competed in the challenge. He said that he started using braille in his day-to-day life five years ago after a medical complication made him completely lose his eyesight. He said CVRP has helped him learn the skills he needs to navigate day to day life. 'It got competitive last year and that was my first year.' Moorman said. 'But this time, like, I didn't have any anxiety. I just knew what to expect and I just had to do my best.' Moorman told 12 News that braille is his primary form of reading. Developing technology is also being infused with braille to create cutting-edge education tools such as the Monarch braille display, which the CVRP uses to help Moorman and other students with their homework, acting as a word processor, graphing calculator and tactile graphic display. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
