Advertisement

High School Softball: Vikings, Oilers roll to victory

Share

Shelly Luth says her Marina High softball team is beginning to tap into its potential.

The Vikings continued on that journey and on their winning ways in nonleague play Tuesday by scoring a 3-0 shutout of visiting Woodbridge. Junior pitcher Tera Blanco threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts to improve to 9-1, the same record the Vikings sport.

“The girls are really starting to believe how dynamic we can be,” Luth said. “We have all the weapons, if we focus.”

Marina entered the week fresh off winning the Foothill Tournament championship. The Vikings earned the title by blanking host Foothill Saturday, 8-0, in a five-inning final. Sydney McCollum hit home runs in consecutive plate appearances to lead the offense.

Blanco was named MVP of the tournament. She allowed only four runs during the tournament run in which Marina outscored its four opponents, 26-4.

Advertisement

Blanco also had been named all-tourney the week prior at the Laguna Hills Tournament.

“We are playing very well offensively and defensively at this time,” Luth said. “I’m proud the girls are stepping up and playing with intensity.”

*

Huntington Beach: The Oilers took on Cerritos in a nonleague doubleheader Monday and posted a 15-3, 7-3 sweep of the visiting Dons.

Huntington (6-5) scored 11 runs late in Game 1 to pull away to a big win. Senior Emily Stoner homered among three hits, freshman Kristina Inouye doubled three times and junior Sammie Vandiver doubled twice and tripled, to lead a 20-hit attack. Junior Micaela Vierra struck out eight to run her record to 5-1.

Huntington rallied in the seventh inning of the nightcap, scoring six runs in its final at-bat to pull out a 7-3 win. Freshman Alyssa Horeczko (1-3) scattered four hits and struck out six to nab her first win. Anna Kufta hit her fifth home run, a three-run shot, and Vandiver, Inouye and junior Jacqui Pascual each had multiple hits.

Vandiver and Inouye both had six hits in the doubleheader.

“We had been struggling offensively over the last week, but our leadoff hitter, Sammie Vandiver, and our No. 2 hitter, Kristina Inouye, really sparked us and were on base a lot for our run-producers to break out,” Huntington Coach Jeff Forsberg said. “When we have a plan in the box, we can score in bunches.”

The Oilers will take on Irvine at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Northwood/Timberwolf Classic at Bill Barber Park in Irvine.

*

Edison: The Chargers split two games Saturday at the Best of the West Tournament. They dropped their first game, 2-1, to host Pacifica, then came back to defeat Vista Murrieta, 7-2.

Senior Karley Wester had an RBI double against Pacifica and batted .500 in the two games for Edison, which is 2-3 overall.

The Chargers start play Thursday at the TNT Faster 2 First Tournament in Torrance. They open against Verrado (Ariz.) at 4 p.m. and take on Lakewood at 6 p.m.

*

Ocean View: The Seahawks rebounded from their first loss of the season to score a 3-0 nonleague win March 14 over Newport Harbor.

Senior Brittany Hitchcock pitched a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk. Erika Jason had two hits and sophomores Olivia Russ and Billi Derleth, and junior Tobi Salzman had one hit each.

Ocean View opened play Saturday at the Northwood/Timberwolf Classic with a pair of victories.

The Seahawks started with a 10-1 rout of Aliso Niguel in a game that went five innings. Hitchcock went the distance and her four-hitter included seven strikeouts and no walks. A 12-hit attack was paced by Jason, senior Cassie Baughman and sophomore Jade Bustamonte with two hits each. Hitchcock, Russ, Salzman, Derleth and freshman Alyssa Slater each had one hit.

Ocean View followed the nine-run win with a 6-2 decision over Capistrano Valley. Hitchcock, who next year will play at the University of Hawaii, pitched “another outstanding game,” Ocean View Coach Mike McLaughlan said. She allowed only one earned run in six innings and was backed by a defense that stopped a late rally by the Cougars to collect her seventh win of the season.

Salzman led the Seahawks on offense with three hits. Hitchcock, Baughman, junior Emily Long and sophomore Anika Ortiz also had hits.

Ocean View (8-1) will play Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at 3:15 p.m. Thursday in the championship game of the Costa Mesa Tournament. The Seahawks also are in contention for the Northwood/Timberwolf Classic title and will take on Laguna Hills in the tournament semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Ocean View-Laguna Hills winner advances to the tourney title game at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Next week, the Seahawks close out their nonleague schedule starting with a 3:15 p.m. game on Tuesday at Fountain Valley. They play host to Irvine at 3:15 p.m. on March 28.

*

CIF Weekly Softball Rankings (week of March 18)

Division 1: Marina, No. 4.

Division 4: Ocean View, No. 5

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca

Advertisement