Southern Section 4-A Softball Playoffs : Ocean View Is Eliminated by Buena, 7-1

After it was over, Ocean View High School’s softball coach, Sarah Oakley, asked: “What did we do wrong?”

Not that much, really. But Buena of Ventura did almost everything right in the Southern Section 4-A quarterfinal game Thursday at Ocean View.

Buena (25-2-1) beat Ocean View, 7-1, with a combination of solid pitching by Tamara Evans (14-2) and strong hitting by the entire team.

The loss ended the season for the surprising Seahawks, who reached the playoffs as an at-large team after finishing fourth in the Sunset League and who made it to the quarterfinals with Tuesday’s 3-0 upset victory over top-seeded Gahr.

Buena Coach Sharon Coggins attributed her team’s success to balance.

“We don’t have a lot of superstars,” Coggins said. “But seven of our nine starters are hitting over .350.”

That point became obvious in the fourth and fifth innings, which proved fatal to Ocean View.

Seahawk pitcher Cindy Schneller (11-11) had been impressive in the early innings, getting out of a jam in the second with runners on second and third. But she gave up three runs in the fourth and four runs, three earned, in the fifth before being relieved by Marla Pickard.

Evans had a two-run single in the third and scored on a wild pitch. In the fourth, shortstop Kristi Bryant duplicated Evans’ feat with a two-run single, and she scored on a wild pitch.

Ocean View scored its run in the bottom of the fourth, when the Seahawks were trailing, 3-0. Evans gave up three quick singles--to Jena Sansone, Pickard and Jamie Walker--to load the bases. Jennifer Phillips hit a shot to the shortstop, who had Sansone picked off third, but third baseman Rustie Stevens couldn’t hold on to the ball and Sansone scored.

The run was the first given up by Buena in the playoffs. The Bulldogs defeated their first two opponents by scores of 7-0 and 8-0.

But Ocean View couldn’t sustain its rally, and the inning ended with Pickard and Walker still on base. The Seahawks didn’t get another hit off Evans.

“Their hits fell and ours didn’t,” Oakley said. “That’s it. We don’t get another chance.”

Buena, champion of the Channel League, will play St. Joseph of Lakewood in the semifinals Tuesday.

Ocean View finishes the season 16-14.

Fountain Valley 2, Thousand Oaks 1 (8 innings)--Becky Bell scored the winning run when Rae Rice reached base on an error. Bell had singled and moved to second on a single by Shannon Dolan. One out later, Sami Sawyer walked to load the bases. Shannon Harrison lined out, but then Rice grounded to second and the ball was dropped, allowing Bell to score.

Rice (19-5) pitched a 4-hitter with 5 strikeouts for Fountain Valley (24-6-1), which plays St. Paul in Tuesday’s semifinals.