The last week has been a bittersweet one for senior pitcher Rachel Garcia, the UCLA signee who was named a USA Today 1^st Team All-American on Thursday and also the Gatorade State Player of the Year for the second time.

This could have been a triumphant week, too, for Rachel as she led her Highland High (Palmdale, Calif.) to the CIF Southern Section Div. I championship game and was spectacular, striking out 24 batters in 12 innings.

But to end the bottom of the 12^th, she left knee gave out and she fell to the ground on what would be the final pitch of the inning as a base runner was thrown out at the plate.

“Right when I landed on my knee, it hurt and I went down,” Rachel told FloSoftball last night. “It hurt for a second, but I was able to walk on it and everything seemed to be fine.”

The standout pitcher and hitter, who went 26-2 with 418 strikeouts on the year and hit .691 with 57 RBI and 18 homers, even led off the top of the 13^th inning with a single and was removed for a designated runner.

“It didn’t hurt when I got the hit,” she continued. “I didn’t feel any pain at all.”

However, when she was warming up in the bottom of the inning, the knee buckled again and she collapsed in pain before having to be carried off the field by her coaches.

“It popped and I immediately knew something was wrong,” Rachel said, the sadness and frustration evident in her voice. “I both felt it and heard it.”

The initial diagnosis shown by an MRI was a torn meniscus, which is actually good news as it was initially feared the injury was a torn ACL and could have cost her up to a year of playing time.

Yesterday, Rachel went to the doctor for an examination and to see what range of motion she has. The family and doctors are in the process of scheduling surgery for next week.

“It will be both exploratory and for repair,” the athlete said. “We don’t know if they’ll need to clip the ligament or what type of repair work will need to be done.”

Rachel’s mother, Christine, added: “Once they get in there they will know more of the extent of the tear which will give us a better idea of the recovery time.”

Highland ended up losing to Torrance 1-0, giving up the game-winning run in the 13^th as the team looked shaken by the loss of their star player.

Making it doubly bad was the fact that the injury may prevent the All-American from playing for the USA Jr. National Team to which she was selected in January.

“We all cannot believe this has happened as she was supposed to be on that plane on Sunday to start training with the Junior team,” adds Rachel’s mother. “She was really devastated and down on Sunday—heck, we all were.”

“It’s been hard for her to see all the posts and pics that are circulating on Facebook and Twitter of Team USA, but it’s just one of those things that could happen to any athlete.”

If there’s a silver lining in the injury it’s that the meniscus tear—if that’s all that it is—is a much quicker rehab and—perhaps, if everything goes well—the two-way threat may be able to rejoin the team at some point even if it’s only to be there to cheer them on.

“We are hoping she will be able to join the team,” continues Christine, “but we know they got an alternate pitcher and that they have to do what is best for their team situation.”

In the next week or so all the focus will be on treating the knee and beginning the rehab process. Rachel and her family know that the mental recovery will be as important as the physical.

“Everyone is very optimistic,” Christine says. “Rachel is doing light physical therapy until we get the surgery date next week to help get her ready. Now that we know what’s going on, we can move forward. She is in as good of spirits as she can be and we are all staying positive.”

The disappointment of the injury, notwithstanding, Rachel can also look back on her final game and spectacular extra-inning performance with pride.

“She was having one heck of a pitching performance,” her mother states, “and that’s how she has been lately… just on it.”

Rachel admits she felt strong and in command of all her pitches.

“I was throwing everything, but the backdoor curve and rise were working especially well.”

She says in time she’ll look back at that final high school game with good memories.

“I was very happy and proud of my team and how far we got,” she concludes, her voice getting stronger and more enthusiastic. “After the injury, the team was worried about me and I think that got to them, but I really love all of them and what we were able to accomplish this year.”