Southern Section Girls’ Softball Finals : Laguna Hills and Woodbridge Tie for 2-A Title--This Time in 14

The Laguna Hills and Irvine Woodbridge high school softball teams couldn’t decide their league championship this season.

Determining a winner in the Southern Section 2-A softball final Friday at Mayfair Park in Lakewood was just as difficult.

The Pacific Coast League co-champions battled played to a 0-0 tie in 14 innings, using the full three hours the Southern Section allots for the title games. So Laguna Hills and Woodbridge will share the 2-A championship.

When Kim Johnson, the Woodbridge catcher, grounded out in the bottom of the 14th, time was up on the longest Southern Section championship game in history.

Laguna Hills Coach Cliff Jarmie thought it was an appropriate ending for both teams.

“The reason is there shouldn’t be a loser when you get this far,” Jarmie said. “All the teams that get this far are special.”

Woodbridge came closest to scoring in the game, but Laguna Hills’ defense, its trademark all season, came up with the play of the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Thuy Nguyen walked to lead off. Jaymee Stone, running for Nguyen, advanced to second when the next batter, Susan Spring, singled to center.

Tiffany Boyd, the Warrior pitcher, then lined a drive to left-center that appeared as if it would fall in for a hit

But Leah Miller, the Laguna Hills center fielder, made a diving catch. She also came up throwing because Stone was tagging from second and when heading around third. Miller threw to shortstop Chris Santagata, who threw a strike to catcher Shelly Carey.

Stone was out easily at the plate and it was on to extra innings.

Woodbridge Coach Susan Hall said she had no second thoughts about sending Stone from second.

“If I had stopped here, I would have had regrets that I did because I would never had known if she could have scored,” Hall said.

Fullerton Sunny Hills 4, Diamond Bar 0--Ruby Flores had 13 strikeouts and pitched a one-hitter as the Lancers won the 3-A title. Sunny Hills scored two runs in the first inning, and Flores struck out 8 of the first 9 batters she faced. Flores also drove in the Lancers’ third run in the top of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to right field.