Prep Softball : DeJohn Leads Westminster Past El Dorado

Debbie DeJohn single-handedly saved the Westminster High School softball team in the final of the Woodbridge Easter Tournament Wednesday at Alton Park.

That single hand would be the Westminster pitcher’s gloved one, the very one she used to snare a line drive by El Dorado’s Holly Piper with two out and two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning.

That catch preserved a 4-2 victory over the Golden Hawks and assured the Lions of the Woodbridge Easter Tournament championship.

“If that ball had gone through, two runs would’ve scored and they would’ve tied it up,” Westminster Coach Dick Martin said. “It really was DeJohn’s day. We knew going in that if she was hot, we’d do well.”

DeJohn not only stopped El Dorado’s last inning rally, but managed to keep the Golden Hawk hitters off balance throughout the contest, allowing only three hits and two runs over seven innings pitched.

That performance, coupled with her three previous victories in the tournament, earned DeJohn the Most Valuable Player award.

DeJohn did confess to being nervous in the last inning when El Dorado threatened to tie the game, but said she was glad that the ball was hit to her.

“I wasn’t going to let that ball get by me--no way,” an elated DeJohn said as she and her teammates lined up after the game to accept the first-place trophy.

El Dorado (9-3-1) is ordinarily a very good hitting team, but what happened Wednesday was that the game started at 5 p.m., meaning that the batters stared directly into the setting sun for the first three innings.

DeJohn, tough to hit as it is, became virtually impossible to hit. For one day at least, the old “sun got in our eyes” excuse was a valid one as DeJohn retired the first 11 El Dorado hitters before Jill Matyuch reached on an error in the fourth inning.

The sun also kept Westminster batters off guard as well. The Lions’ first rally started courtesy of a hit batsmen, Candy Roman, in the third inning. She advanced to second on a sacrifice and scored on Sandy Martinez’s triple, the first solid hit of the evening.

Amy Loomer followed with a single and Westminster had the early 2-0 lead. A fourth-inning home run by DeJohn stretched that to 3-0 with the final Westminster run coming later that inning on two singles and an El Dorado error.

Both Golden Hawk runs were unearned and it looked as if their second run, scored in the sixth inning, might begin a rally. But with two on and two outs, a batted ball hit an El Dorado runner advancing from first to second. She was declared out to end the rally.

DeJohn took care of the rest for Westminster, which improved its overall record to 13-5.

In other Woodbridge Easter Tournament action:

Laguna Hills 6, El Toro 2--Lesley Perkins hit a two-run homer to lead the Hawks to the win in the third-place game.

Woodbridge 6, Orange 0--Sandra Schoonover threw a one-hitter and struck out nine to give the Warriors the consolation title.

The all-tournament team included: Toni Cukrov (Capistrano Valley), P; Kathy Fogg (Huntington Beach), P; Sandra Schoonover (Woodbridge), P; Lori Peterson (Fountain Valley), 2B; Harriett White (Orange), C; Erica Ziencina (Laguna Hills), 2B; Dawn Roberts (Laguna Hills), P; Jenny Allard (Woodbridge), P; Shawnn Gallagher (El Toro), 2B; Karen Robertson (El Toro), C; Jill Matyuch (El Dorado), SS; Kris Glomboske (El Dorado), C; Suzie Bradach (El Dorado), P; Nikki Bladow (Westminster), DH; Jackie Mendez (Westminster), SS.

Most Valuable Player: Debbie DeJohn (Westminster), P.