La Quinta Wins 5th Straight DVL Softball Title

The La Quinta Blackhawks beat the odds in 2011 to win a 5th straight Desert Valley League championship. L.Q. rallied over Indio at home with a 4 to 1 victory that locked up the DVL crown. Sophomore Thalia Ortiz had 3 RBI’s to lead the way. She registered two of the team’s three hits on the night.

Ortiz and company weren’t exactly the favorites to win another league title with just two seniors on the roster. Coach DeDe Grutz lost six seniors after last year’s championship run. Three of those players took scholarship offers to play at Division 1 universities. However, the ‘Hawks speed and timely hits lifted them to a decisive victory over the Rajahs and set off a lengthy celebration on their home field. La Quinta (17-7, 11-0) will try and wrap up a perfect season at Indio on Thursday (6:30 pm). Indio (13-12, 9-2) will seek a measure of redemption in that game and try to build some momentum heading into the C.I.F. playoffs as the No. 2 seed.