Southern Section Softball Playoffs : This Time, Woodbridge Survives Semifinal Round

Going into Tuesday’s Southern Section 3-A softball semifinal, Woodbridge High School Coach Sue Hall had good reason to be nervous.

Her Warriors were beaten in the 1984 semifinal by Diamond Bar, 3-0, and last season they were beaten by Garden Grove, 3-0, in the semifinals.

But the this time Woodbridge defeated Valencia, 2-1, at Valencia High School to move into Friday night’s final.

The Warriors will play Crescenta Valley at 8 p.m. at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

“It feels great to be in the finals,” Hall said. “We’ve been close the last couple of years but now we’ve made it.”

The top-rated Warriors (20-3-3) received a standout pitching performance from senior Patti Russell (10-1). She limited the Tigers to two hits and one run and had four strikeouts.

Her opposition, Valencia’s Michelle Granger, has pitched every game this season for the Tigers, including eight no-hitters. Granger was hurt by a wild pitch and an infield error although she had 10 strikeouts.

“Our best defense is when Patti (Russell) is pitching,” Hall said. “She is getting stronger every game.”

Sea View League champion Woodbridge scored in the fourth and the sixth innings.

In the fourth, Susan Spring singled to center field and moved to second Granger’s wild pitch. She was sacrificed to third by Sandra Schoonover and scored on another wild pitch.

In the sixth, Schoonover singled to right field driving home Lisa Wehren.

Orange League champion Valencia (16-9) scored in the fifth. Lynee McIntyre singled home Kristi Rodriguez. The Tigers missed another chance in the same inning. With runners on first and third and one out, Russell struck out Connie Molina and got Angela Granger to ground out to first base.

In other 3-A playoff action:

Crescenta Valley 1, Sonora 0 (eight innings)--The Falcons scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to eliminate the Raiders at Glorietta Park in Glendale. Heather Lindstrom (21-4) was the winning pitcher.