New year, new league, new home field... same old Port Of Los Angeles High softball.

Taking on bigger competition to prep themselves for the long run is nothing new to the Polar Bears, but they took that mantle to a whole new level as they hosted perennial CIF-Southern Section power Edison of Huntington Beach in their first-ever doubleheader in team history, at their first-ever home game played at the new Dodgers Dream Field at Leland Park in San Pedro.

In both games, the Polar Bears fell behind early, but came up on some late-inning magic to stun the Chargers, winning 6-5 in the first game, then posting a 10-6 victory in the second game to cap off the doubleheader sweep Saturday.

There was little to no pressure or fear in POLA (6-1) against Edison, who won last year's meeting, 4-1 at Edison High.

"I knew we could come up with these wins," POLA senior 2B/C Savana Ramirez said. "We just needed to come together like the way we did. Everyone had each other's backs we worked as a team."

Falling behind 3-0 in the first inning of Game 1, POLA's Eastern Michigan-bound pitcher Nicolle Miranda would bare down, surrendering five runs (one unearned) on seven hits, striking out nine while issuing three walks. Miranda's RBI-single made it 3-1 in the bottom of the second, then sophomore infielder Destiny Sambrano's pinch hit RBI-single in the bottom of the sixth cut the Chargers' lead down to 3-2.

Edison (1-3) scored twice in the top of the seventh, but a great throw home from junior right fielder Vanessa Munoz erased another potential run to end the inning, and that play would provide huge dividends.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Polar Bears would erupt with two outs, as a bases-loaded walk by senior left fielder Tiffany Mercado, followed by a wild pitch for that brought home senior second baseman Rose Garcia, would once again draw them to within one run, setting the stage for freshman catcher Anessa Quiroz.

With the count 2-and-0, Quiroz belted the next pitch into the right-center field gap, scoring both Mercado and freshman courtesy runner Kierah Murrillo for the doubleheader-opening victory.

"I knew we were down by one and all I was worried about doing was making hard contact," said Quiroz, who atoned for her throwing error on a steal attempt that led to one of Edison's runs in the top of the seventh. "I knew I had to stay calm and I just have some fun with it."

Which is exactly what the Polar Bears channeled from Quiroz's heroics in Game 2.

POLA and Edison traded leads, but the Polar Bears' had a 4-2 lead erased in the top of the fifth where the Chargers took advantage of another Quiroz throwing miscue towards third base on a successful double steal, and the ball skirted past Mercado towards the wall for the first two of four runs in the inning. Suddenly, Edison was up 6-4, but POLA once again countered with a devastating six-run barrage in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Garcia's two-run single tied the game, then senior first baseman Laura Leos drilled a two-run double to put the Polar Bears ahead to stay. Sophomore pitcher Analise De La Roca's RBI-single, followed by another RBI-single from sophomore center fielder Shelby Younkin, who led off the inning with a hit, would put the game away as POLA sent eleven batters to the plate.

"It feels good," said Garcia, who went 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs and two runs scored in the second game. "I was glad I was able to contribute to our success as a team. I had been struggling with my hitting but this game was my turning point."

De La Roca matched Miranda's gutsy performance in the first game with one of her own in Game 2, scattering six runs (one unearned) on eleven hits, striking out four with two walks. 

"I'm really proud of Analise," said Miranda, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI in the first game, while hitting a two-run double in Game 2. "Every inning she came out strong and ready to compete. She started strong and ended even stronger, not letting anything get in her head. Our team backed her up the whole way."

With this impressive doubleheader sweep, the Polar Bears will get set for their first-ever Coliseum League game on Tuesday at Leland Park against Crenshaw of Los Angeles.