Moorpark Makes One Run Stand Up Against El Camino in Softball Playoffs

The Moorpark College women’s softball team is known for its hitting, but Saturday the Raiders found a new way to win in a second-round game of the Southern California junior college tournament against El Camino College.

Moorpark manufactured the only run it needed with key baserunning moves, then the defense rose to the occasion to protect the lead, giving the host Raiders a 1-0 victory and the edge in the best-of-three-games tournament.

Moorpark (34-10) can advance to the state championships with another victory over El Camino (29-12) today. Game time is scheduled for noon. If a third game is necessary, it will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

With pitchers De Dow of Moorpark and Candy Carrico of El Camino locked in duel, it took some heads-up baserunning by the Raiders to push the lone run across.

Audra Olive led off the Moorpark fifth inning with a walk and moved to second base on Rusty Stevens’ bunt single--one of only three Moorpark hits. Raider Coach Will Thurston signaled for a double steal, and the ploy worked when El Camino catcher Carolyn Pele’s throw to third skipped into left field, allowing Olive to scamper home just ahead of left fielder Nikki La Roche’s throw.

“Coach saw that the third baseman was playing up the line,” Olive said. “As soon as I got up at third, the coach told me to go, and I knew that I was going to score the run we needed.”

Dow (26-7) had a one-hitter going into the seventh inning, but a single to left field by Brandi Pilato and infield singles by Pele and Lisa Smith put Dow and the Raiders in a big jam with the bases loaded and one out.

But left fielder Paula Allen rose to the occasion. El Camino’s Sondra Nelson flew out to left and Allen threw a perfect one-hop strike to catcher Missy Cress, who tagged out a sliding Pilato to secure the win.

“I knew she was going to tag and go and I knew I would have to make a great throw,” Allen said. “We were up and we didn’t want the game to go any further.”