Torrey Pines Lady Falcons Softball

CARMEL VALLEY ---- Every time Rachel Nasland takes the pitching circle, the Torrey Pines High junior demonstrates that the right elbow injury that sidelined her for most of the 2011 softball season is in the past.

And she'd like to keep it that way.

Nasland made her 10th start this season another superb one, throwing a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 4-1, eight-inning win over Mira Mesa in the semifinals of the Falcon Fiesta at Torrey Pines.

Torrey Pines (19-2) then lost the championship game 1-0 to West Hills and pitcher Noelle Johnson, the tournament's most valuable pitcher.

Not only did Johnson toss a five-hitter against Torrey Pines in the final, but she made the game-saving play in the semifinals to preserve a 2-1 victory over Ramona.

After Ramona (9-2-1) scored its only run in the sixth inning on Amber Davis' double, the Bulldogs opened the seventh inning with a double by Adrianna Johnson and a single by Megan Wright.

With no outs, though, a line drive by Makenzie Wright that appeared headed to center field to tie the game was snared by a leaping Johnson, who threw to third base in the same motion for a double play.

"I thought we tied it up for just a second,' Ramona coach Antoinette Rodriguez said. "We had a deer-in-the-headlights look in the first inning when they scored both runs, but the rest of the game we were fine.

"This is a good loss because our league is so tough. We'll take this and hopefully build on it, like making adjustments to a pitcher the second time through the lineup instead of waiting for the third time.'

The return of Nasland, who orally committed to Notre Dame last year, as an active player has made the Falcons even tougher. Though Nasland has not changed the way she pitches, the rest of her pregame and postgame work is new.

"I've had to strengthen all the muscles around the elbow,' Nasland said. "The doctors said there was nothing wrong with the elbow except it was overused. It was hard to hear the diagnosis. There was nothing wrong with the elbow, but it cost me most of last season.

"There were no guidelines on when to start pitching again. I waited an extra-long time to make sure it was healed.'

Judging by Nasland's 9-1 record, the plan worked perfectly.

She even pitched an inning in relief of starter Taylor Lee in the championship game, allowing the infield hit that chased home the lone run from second base in the sixth inning.

"Now I finally feel like the elbow is 100 percent again,' Nasland said. "I'm ready to start cutting it loose again. It killed me to sit around watching my teammates last year after playing softball just about every day.

"I never want to go back to that again, so I stretch the elbow more before games and I ice it after games. I never used to ice it. Ice has become my best friend.'

In the semifinals, junior Julia Yacker led the Falcons' offense by going 3-for-4, including a run-scoring double in a three-run eighth inning.

Emily Wolking was the hitting star of the final, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base.