Softball: Barons come up short
Fans of the diamond have developed various schools of thought over the years.
One of the more fascinating questions has been why more catchers are not the best hitters on their team.
They see more pitches than anyone else throughout the course of a season, and many might think that translates to one’s ability to recognize what the opposition is throwing.
In Tuesday’s nonleague softball game between Fountain Valley High and Yorba Linda, the theory of backstops as proficient hitters earned its stripes.
Both catchers homered for their respective teams, but a late run gave the win to Yorba Linda, 4-3, over the host Barons on a rainy afternoon at Fountain Valley High.
Sarah Ruggles, the Mustangs’ back-up catcher, went two for four with a home run.
“It felt good,” Ruggles said. “I’ve been kind of struggling for a while, but I’ve been working a lot after practice trying to get back into my groove. Hitting that ball out really helps me out.”
Ruggles’ solo homer sparked a three-run fourth inning for the Mustangs (9-1), who also got run-scoring singles from Mikayla Buscaino and Sierra Bauerle in the frame.
The 34-pitch inning for Sarah Johansen prompted Barons’ Coach Rick Aldrich to go to the bullpen. Left-handed reliever Lauren Doan pitched two scoreless innings, but she ran into trouble in the top of the seventh.
Nicole Crabb, Yorba Linda’s primary catcher, doubled in a pinch-hit appearance to lead off the seventh. The sophomore was lifted for a courtesy runner, as Ashlyn Monroe re-entered the game.
Monroe scored the go-ahead run when center-fielder Nicole Martinez sent a liner up the middle with one out in the inning.
It was a tough loss to take for Fountain Valley, which fell to 4-8 overall. Still, the Barons had their own highlights to take from the game.
Fountain Valley had gone nine batters in a row without a hit against Yorba Linda’s Allison Gardiner (9-1) when senior Madeline Domingo stepped to the plate with two outs in the fifth.
The Barons trailed, 3-1, at the time. Leadoff hitter Vanessa Sardines was on second after being hit in the elbow by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Domingo, the team’s four-year catcher, took an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall to tie the game.
“It always picks the dugout up when you have something like that,” Aldrich said. “It came to a point in the game where we needed that right then.”
“Madeline comes through more often than not. It was good to have her come through again.”
Domingo is committed to the University of Pacific.
When Doan exited the game, Johansen returned to the pitching circle. After being hit hard in the fourth, the Barons’ starter put out the fire in the seventh to keep her team close.
Johansen induced a double-play ball to get out of the inning with just two pitches.
Gardiner earned her ninth win, allowing three earned runs on four hits in the complete-game outing. She struck out eight.
The Mustangs pitcher said she refocused after allowing the tying home run in the fifth.
“In the last two games, I haven’t been the strong pitcher that I’ve been,” Gardiner said. “After I came back, I just had the mentality that I want to be that strong pitcher again. I know that my team relies on me, and I know they always have my back.”
“I needed to pull my weight, too, because giving up home runs, they can’t help defend against those.”
Sardines reached base in all three of her plate appearances, and Madison Primrose had a single in the seventh for the Barons.
Fountain Valley remains at home for the rest of the week. The Barons will play host to University on Thursday before playing a doubleheader against Ocean View on Saturday.
Nonleague
Yorba Linda 4, Fountain Valley 3
SCORE BY INNINGS
YL 000 300 1 – 4 10 2
FV 010 020 0 – 3 4 0
Gardiner and Ruggles; Johansen (re-entered 7th), Doan, and Domingo. W – Gardiner, 9-1. L – Doan. 2B – Castro (YL), Crabb (YL). HR – Ruggles (YL); Domingo (FV).
Twitter: @ProfessorTurner
