Culver City Observer -

“We call it ‘Strike Out Breast Cancer.’ It’s a game that we as a team started to support the women of the world with breast cancer. It’s something to our heart that all proceeds raised in that game are donated to breast cancer.

“I think that’s a great gesture for our girls. The other teams we play also participate.” With that, Culver City High softball coach John Sargent sent his team out to host Beverly Hills High last Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Park.

It was an important Ocean League match with 2013 CIF Playoff implications on the line. The Centaur girls prevailed, 4-3 in a seesaw battle featuring gutsy pitching, stellar defensive plays and clutch hitting.

The Culver girls styled eye-catching pink uniforms, numbered on the back with a ribbon centered above. The perfect touch: matching colored sox revealing ‘Culver City’ in vertical white block lettering along the sides.

The Beverly girls wore pink ribbons in solidarity with the cause.

Sargent conveyed, “With setbacks, the rain and playing on a difficult field, the girls did really well. Jessica Faber had a great outing. She threw seven innings. She gave up three unearned runs, three hits and with four errors we were still able to hold together the team.”

Beverly took a 3-1 lead in the third inning with some daring base running that pressured the Centaur defense.

“Offensively, I had my freshman third baseman, Imani Bell, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning to tie the game up. And my junior who had returned from injury, Rosie Hernandez, got the go ahead run, a home run in the fifth inning. That propelled us to run out the third spot in our league. It was a really exciting game.”

There was also a game the next day at Santa Monica. Sargent affirmed, “We’re proud of the girls’ effort. They put up a good battle there. Again, Jessica pitched well enough to give us an opportunity to win. We ended up losing that game 6-0. Now we’re headed for the playoffs. We’re looking forward to that.”

Sargent ended with this thought, “One game out of the year we wear our pink to represent the victims who have and do struggle with breast cancer. I’m trying to show the girls the reality of life.

“It can go a little deeper than softball, basketball and volleyball. And with that I’m very supportive in helping the cause. That’s what the girls and I have chosen to do.”