UCLA recruit Rachel Garcia pitched a perfect game Saturday in the final of the Thousand Oaks softball tournament.
But her team lost.
The Highland (Palmdale, California) senior tossed the game of her life, with 23 strikeouts, including the first 18 batters she faced, and allowed just one ball to be hit in play. It was a performance for the ages. But due to a quirky tiebreaker rule, it somehow still wasn't enough to earn the win against Camarillo (California).
With the game tied at zero, officials implemented the California tiebreaker for extra innings. As David Brown of CBS' Eye on Baseball blog explains: "Once extra innings begin (usually the seventh or eighth), a runner is placed at second base to start every frame. That way, a team can score by bunting her over and getting her in without the benefit of a hit."
Per the Los Angeles Daily News, Garcia tossed a wild pitch in the eighth inning, with Camarillo's Sara Stroud on second. Stroud made it to third and catcher Elyssa Bramer made the regrettable decision to throw to third base. Her toss ended up in left field and Stroud was able to cross home for the winning run.
Just like that, Garcia's perfect game became imperfect -- despite not allowing a runner to reach base via hit, walk, hit batter or error.
Ouch.
In a postgame interview with Tony Ciniglio of the Daily News, Garcia somehow remained composed and called the outcome "tough." She managed to find a silver lining and said it was a learning experience. You're a better person than most of us, Rachel.
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