Orange League Softball : Brea, Cook Shut Out Valencia : Wildcats’ Pitcher Allows One Hit, Strikes Out 13 and Scores One Run

Brea-Olinda High School put some order into the Orange League softball race with a 3-0 victory over Valencia Thursday at Tamarack Park in Brea.

Kelly Cook allowed only one hit and struck out 13 to put Brea-Olinda (13-5, 5-1) one game ahead of Western, the county’s second-ranked team, and two games ahead of Valencia (9-12, 3-3).

“You can’t expect anything in this league,” Brea-Olinda Coach Sharen Caperton said. “I think it will be a very close race. It will come right down to the wire.

“We’re right on top where we want to be. We want to control our own destiny.”

The Wildcats took control against Valencia, making the most of three hits against pitcher Natasha Dumdski, scoring three runs on one hit in the second inning.

After a double by Allison Bickel and two walks loaded the bases with one out, Sherry Fulbright hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Bickel.

Joy Stephens also scored when the throw home short hopped catcher Danette Davis and trickled away for an error.

Cook scored from third on a passed ball for the inning’s second unearned run.

Meanwhile, Cook was retiring 12 in a row.

After a first-inning double by Donelle Scott, she allowed only two runners to reach base (both on errors) and walked none.

“She could not have been any better in hitting the locations today,” Caperton said. “We capitalized on their errors and our mistakes didn’t hurt us. You like it when that happens.”

Dumdski struck out seven and walked two for Valencia.

Brea-Olinda’s victory sets up another showdown for first place Tuesday, when the Wildcats play Western (4-2 in league play).

Western 2, Savanna 0--Lisa Sciarrino was two for three with an RBI and Tanya Sieks was two for three to lead visiting Western (17-5, 4-2). Dawn Fowler (6-2) pitched a two-hitter for Western.