THE PREPS : Softball Roundup : St. Joseph’s Fernandez Catches Mater Dei Looking

The Mater Dei softball team may have taken studying for quarterfinal exams a little too far, like out to the softball diamond.

The Monarchs got caught studying instead of swinging at pitches Thursday in a 2-1 loss at home to defending Angelus League champion St. Joseph of Lakewood, the top-ranked team in the Southern Section 5-A.

Seven times on two-strike counts, Monarch batters watched as St. Joseph’s Lisa Fernandez, the Southern Section’s top pitcher, delivered a third strike. She had a total of 15 strikeouts.

“We’re a little inexperienced,” Mater Dei Coach Cathy Quesnell said. “I don’t think they understand that on a two-strike count you’ve got to protect the plate, choke up and make contact.”

All the scoring came in the first inning. With one out, Fernandez and catcher Suzanne Picket singled. Bev Stiglbauer grounded to second baseman Jennifer Cline, who flipped it to shortstop Rose Imbriano at second. But Imbriano dropped the ball and Fernandez scored from second on the error.

Michelle Ourique singled up the middle to score Pickett from third before the Monarchs (10-4-2 overall, 0-1-1 in league play) retired the side.

Mater Dei leadoff batter Beth Lomeli doubled down the first-base line. Fernandez struck out the next two batters, then walked Cline before Amy Moeller singled to left to bring Lomeli home for the last run of the game.

Quesnell was pleased with her team’s performance. The Monarchs managed four hits and one earned run against Fernandez, which is saying something. Fernandez (14-0) has allowed only five earned runs in her four-year career. She is four no-hitters away from breaking Michele Granger of Valencia’s record for career no-hitters (36) and three games away from Granger’s record for career victories (71).

“(Fernandez) is just such a fantastic pitcher that even to get one run and as many hits as we did, to make the contact, was a confidence builder,” Quesnell said.

St. Joseph is 15-0, 3-0.

Mater Dei freshman Terri Kobata (6-2-1), coming off a 12-inning scoreless tie against 4-A champion St. Paul Tuesday, had four strikeouts and gave up six hits.

“I’m not making excuses, but she was a little tired,” Quesnell said. “We’re having finals, and it’s such a rotten week to play both St. Joseph and St. Paul.”

In other Angelus League games:

Rosary 8, Bishop Amat 7 (11 innings)--Kristina Luna doubled in the game-winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to give Rosary (8-6, 2-1) the victory at Lions Field. Luna had four hits and three RBIs.

In the Century League:

Canyon 11, Santa Ana Valley 1--Chanele Chambrone went two for two with a home run and two RBIs, Tina French had two doubles and Krissy Kyriazis scored three runs to lead Canyon (11-7, 2-0) at home. Santa Ana Valley is 6-10, 0-2.

Villa Park 5, Foothill 2--Chris Redman pitched a no-hitter, striking out eight, for the Spartans at Villa Park. Redman (6-5), who has pitched 19 consecutive innings without a run, allowed unearned runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Anne Salzman had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run for Villa Park.

In the Empire League:

Katella 4, El Dorado 0--Jennifer Clement (6-7) pitched a one-hitter for the Knights (6-8, 2-0) at Katella. Clement allowed only a first-inning single. Cynthia Oliver had a double and two RBIs for Katella.

Los Alamitos 3, Loara 0--Shannon Skoglund (8-8) pitched a no-hitter, striking out three, for Los Alamitos (8-8, 2-0) at Loara. Dana Cipollone had a two-run triple.

In the Freeway League:

Sunny Hills 5, Fullerton 0--Amy Huett (4-3) pitched a no-hitter, striking out 11, for the Lancers (11-5, 1-1) at Sunny Hills. Stacey Thurber had three hits and scored two runs for the Lancers.

In the Garden Grove League:

Kennedy 1, Pacifica 0--Kennedy catcher Kris Vucurevic drove home Jackie Duncan in the bottom of the ninth. Kennedy is 5-1 in league play.

La Quinta 1 Garden Grove 0--Chemaine Ramirez hit home run with two outs in the seventh to lead La Quinta (11-5, 4-2) at home. Bobbi Cloyd (8-4) allowed six hits and struck out eight for the victory.

Los Amigos 2, Santiago 0--Allison Campbell (24-6) pitched a one-hitter, striking out eight, for the Lobos (6-11, 3-3) at Los Amigos. Robin Thompson had two hits and an RBI.

Bolsa Grande 26, Rancho Alamitos 0 (5 innings)--Bolsa Grande center fielder Shawna Savage had four RBIs and went three for four with a two-run homer to lead Bolsa Grande (4-10, 2-4) at Rancho (0-6).

In the Olympic League:

Capistrano Valley Christian 3, Whittier Christian 1--Capistrano Valley Christian scored two runs in the sixth inning to break a 1-1 tie at La Mirada Regional Park. Cherilyn Culp had three stolen bases for the Heralds.

In the Orange League:

Valencia 5, Anaheim 0--Natasha Dumoski (6-9) pitched a one-hitter for Valencia (6-10, 1-1) at Anaheim. Dumoski struck out 17, including the first 10 batters of the game.

In the Pacific Coast League:

Laguna Beach 7, Orange 3--Sue Gundersen hit a three-run home run in the first inning to lead the Artists (8-6, 1-1) at home.

Woodbridge 3, Laguna Hills 0--Lisa Wehren pitched a one-hitter, striking out five, for the Warriors (9-7, 2-0) at Woodbridge. Wehren had two hits and an RBI.