When Rosemary Garcia began her high school career at San Pedro, everything seemed to be in place for a great four-year journey, even getting to team up with her sister Victoria in her final year as a Pirate in 2012. Once things went bad there for her, Rose found a new home nearby downtown at Port Of Los Angeles High.

Not only did it turn out to be a great move, Garcia became even better in a leadership role for it.

Although the Polar Bears' 2015 season ended with a heartbreaking 8-6 loss to Chatsworth in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I semifinals, it didn't diminish the great three-year run Garcia had in her time with the Polar Bears. And in fact, Rose became a huge thorn in the side of San Pedro, helping the Polar Bears defeat the Pirates twice in a three-day span in mid-April 2014.

Garcia chronicled those two victories are part of her defining moments in POLA green.

"I wanted to beat them," said Garcia, who hit an RBI-single in POLA's 11-0 victory over San Pedro at Harbor College, then drove in the go-ahead run two days later in a 4-2 victory over the Pirates in an El Segundo Tournament quarterfinal at Recreation Park. "Considering I transferred form there, that was big for me."

In her first year at POLA, Garcia made instant impact right away in helping the Polar Bears win their third consecutive CIF-LACS Division III championship with a dominating 16-3 win over Northridge Academy. Garcia was 2-for-4 in the victory with 2 RBIs. Garcia also was a big reason why POLA made it to the finals hitting a home run and a bases-clearing triple in a 15-0 win over Valley Academy Arts & Sciences.

Rose wanted to make her own mark despite following in the footsteps of her sister Victoria, who won a CIF-LACS Division I title her freshman year at San Pedro in 2009, later on becoming an All-Marine League second baseman by her senior year and starring for two years at El Camino College in Torrance.

"I knew POLA was a good program coming in," Garcia said. "So I wanted to say that I was able to get a ring too."

Going into the 2015 season, her final one, Rose had to take on more of a leadership role along with fellow senior infielder Savana Ramirez when the likes of Kelsea Short (Eastern Arizona), Allison Bayer (Carroll College) and Sarah Maldonado (Long Beach City) all graduated from the 2014 team that also was a CIF-LACS Division I semifinalist. In fact, Rose moved from second base to shortstop to compensate for the absence of Short.

"Honestly I thought it was amazing," Ramirez said of teaming up in stabilizing the middle infield at second base along with Garcia at shortstop. " We always held the middle down and we have such good chemistry playing together."

Garcia, who hit .412 with 33 hits, 20 runs scored, 27 RBIs, 8 doubles and a triple, didn't mind the move.

"I like that at shortstop I can cover a lot more ground," Garcia said. "I have a longer range and it's like you're more in control of the infield."

Rose, who helped POLA win the Coliseum League this season, will don the POLA green one final time on Wednesday, 7 pm in the South Bay Athletic Club's 23rd Annual Senior Softball All-Star game at El Segundo's Recreation Park. Garcia is on the Blue Team with fellow POLA teammate and Eastern Michigan-bound pitcher Nicolle Miranda, San Pedro's Taylor Richter and Mary Star's Lexie Geich, two other solid infielders.

"Rose has made huge progression over the last 3 years," POLA softball co-coach Melissa Bugarin-Espinoza said. "When Kelsea, Allison, and Sarah graduated it left a major void of leadership. She stepped up and really matured her game and her leadership role. She maintained the infield and kept the hunger, drive and comrarderie."

Garcia made the All-City Division III first team in 2013, and the All-City Division I second team in 2014.