Southern Section Softball Playoffs : Taylor’s 2-Hitter Leads Fountain Valley, 2-0

Fountain Valley High School pitcher Patti Taylor came within three batters of throwing her second no-hitter in three days in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section 4-A softball playoffs at El Dorado Thursday.

But El Dorado’s Jill Matyuch led off the seventh inning by ripping a single up the middle. So Taylor settled--quite happily--for a one-hitter and a 2-0 victory, her 16th shutout of the season.

Taylor and the rest of the top-seeded Barons (24-4) were delighted because next Tuesday they will boldly go where no Fountain Valley team has gone before: to the 4-A semifinals. The Barons play Cerritos.

Taylor, a senior right-hander, said she didn’t have her best stuff Thursday because of elbow and thumb injuries, but she still struck out five and walked none.

The Golden Hawks (21-6) did not hit a ball out of the infield until Matyuch’s line drive and Wendy Malone’s game-ending fly out to center.

But it was obvious that Taylor’s performance was not effortless. She pitched a one-hitter Friday against Long Beach Wilson and a no-hitter Tuesday against Mater Dei.

By the sixth inning Thursday, she had to take a moment on the mound to massage her pitching arm until the pain subsided.

“My arm was really sore,� she said. “My balls were breaking really good, but not as hard as usual. I didn’t feel strong.�

Taylor, who was color-coordinated with the school motif, from her blonde hair to her royal-blue ribbons, has thrown four no-hitters and seven one-hitters this season. She is 18-3.

She offered part of the credit for her success to her catcher, Laurie Alvarez. The junior had never played the position before a back injury earlier this season forced Taylor’s previous catcher, Lea Young, to switch to third base.

Alvarez attended Taylor’s pitching lessons with Bill Owens, a softball coach in Westminster, until she got the hang of handling Taylor’s tricky breaking balls.

“It keeps you on your toes,� Alvarez said. “She’s a great pitcher to catch for.�

The Baron offense got its first hit off El Dorado’s Suzi Bradach (21-6) when Lori Peterson opened the fourth with a single to left. She took second on a throwing error during a pickoff attempt.

Young followed with a hit to center field and Taylor drove in Peterson with a sacrifice fly. A liner to left by Alvarez drove in Young.

Despite the loss, Golden Hawk Coach Tracy Brennan was pleased that her team, the Empire League’s No. 3 entry, survived longer than league champion Cypress or Kennedy, which tied for second place with El Dorado.

“That gives me a big boost,� she said. “Because we graduated five seniors last year, we looked upon this season as a rebuilding year, since all of the outfield and half the infield were new. We weren’t quite sure what a capabilities were and that’s why I’m so proud of them.�

In other quarterfinal action:

Downey 5, Edison 2--The Vikings eliminated their second straight Orange County team. Downey defeated Kennedy, 1-0, on Tuesday. The Chargers end their season at 27-6.