Softball: Uribe, defense steal road victory for Oilers

Not much time remains in softball’s regular season.

The urgency is high, as every game matters. Huntington Beach High visited Marina, and plenty was at stake in their game on Thursday afternoon.

With two games remaining and the teams even in the standings, the schools were battling for second place in the Sunset League.

Marina, teetering on the edge of at-large eligibility, really could have used the win. The Vikings played like it, making things interesting late against the eighth-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 rankings.

Flashy defense and a splash of offense helped the Oilers fend off the upset, as Huntington Beach pulled out a 2-1 victory at Marina High.

Ivy Davis went two for three with two runs batted in. Her grounder through the right side of the infield in the top of the seventh scored Jadelyn Allchin for the eventual winning run.

Jaelyn Operana delivered the first hit in each of the scoring innings for the Oilers (16-9, 6-3). In the seventh, she stretched a one-out hit into a double when she saw Paige Shafer leave her feet to stop the ball in shallow left-center.

“I know that as a slapper, my job is to put the ball in play and then use my speed to get to first,” Operana said. “That last one I had, I saw her dive, and then I knew that I could get to second because it would take her a little bit to get back up.”

“I also thought that would help my team if I’m in scoring position, especially with one out and Jadelyn at bat.”

Allchin followed with a single and moved up to second on the throw to the plate. That would prove pivotal, as Operana was thrown out at home when first baseman Amber Baldwin delivered a strike to catcher Ryan King on Chance Burden’s grounder.

Instead of a potential double play, Allchin was on third when Davis came through with the key hit.

Huntington Beach’s Grace Uribe was sharp in the pitching circle. She had allowed just two hits when the Vikings (12-13, 5-4) rallied to tie it in the fifth.

Shafer reached on a fielder’s choice. Elizabeth Murphy followed with a two-out single to put runners on the corners, and Nicole Logrecco looped a single out of the reach of Davis to make it 1-1.

Vikings Coach Mandee Farish knew then that the margin for error was closing fast.

“I knew that it would be one key play or one key at-bat by that point,” Farish said. “In the sixth inning, when it was 1-1, I knew that it was going to be a struggle.”

The Vikings would get their best chance to take the lead in the sixth. Ashley Myers and Ryan King produced back-to-back singles with one out.

Ashley Pilatos hit a well-struck fly ball to center. Ranging to her left, Allchin was able to haul in the potential go-ahead double as the ball tailed away from her. As it turned out, the play ended the inning as the Oilers doubled off the runner at first.

“It was definitely a relief that I have such a great outfield behind me,” Uribe said. “I know that she is going to make the plays. In the moment, it doesn’t scare me as much.”

“I know how good she is in the outfield and how much she helps me. It was an extraordinary catch.”

Those kinds of plays came standard for the Oilers on Thursday. Operana made a sprinting catch in left field to retire Logrecco on a foul out in the third.

In the fourth, Davis showed off her glove and arm in recording all three putouts of the frame. The Oilers shortstop ran into the hole and threw out Myers from the edge of the outfield grass for the second out.

“I think it really pumps us up,” Davis said. “We want to help our pitcher out as much as possible because she’s working [hard] out there.”

“I’m glad that the team gets fired up by stuff like that because then we can carry it into the dugout and score some runs next inning.”

Uribe allowed one run on six hits with three strikeouts in the complete-game victory.

Counterpart Emily Rush limited the Oilers to two runs on nine hits. She struck out four with two inning-ending double plays being turned in behind her.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the girls for coming back after that 16-0 loss [to Los Alamitos],” Farish said. “That’s a great team, a great game for these girls, and we’re hoping to come back on Tuesday and get a win to get to the playoffs.”

Marina will host Edison (13-9, 4-5) in the season finale on Tuesday. The Vikings can clinch a playoff spot with a win, while a loss would constitute a third-place tie-breaker game.

Sunset League

Huntington Beach 2, Marina 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

HB 001 000 1 — 2 9 0

Mar 000 010 0 — 1 6 2

Uribe and Hammond; Rush and King. WP — Uribe, 8-6. LP — Rush, 5-4. Operana (HB).

[email protected]

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner