SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : STARTING OUT ON LONG ROAD TO THE TITLE : Top Pitchers Stand in Way of County 5-A, 3-A Teams

Orange County softball teams in the Southern Section 5-A and 3-A softball playoffs will take a swing at success today when first-round playoff games begin at 3 p.m.

But winning won’t be easy, because the divisions have the Southern Section’s top five pitchers--and none are from Orange County.

The 5-A figures to be the tougher division, because Los Alamitos, Marina, Mater Dei, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley will have to contend with top-seeded St. Joseph of Lakewood (21-1) and pitcher Lisa Fernandez.

Fernandez, who has signed with UCLA, broke Michele Granger’s state record for career no-hitters when she pitched her 37th May 9 against Rosary.

Los Alamitos (14-10) plays at home against Downey (14-6) with the winner taking on the winner of the St. Joseph-Simi Valley game.

Mater Dei (15-6-1) travels to Marina (18-9), the Sunset League’s top team. The Monarchs are led by freshman pitcher Terri Kobata, who has an 8-4 record, a 0.23 ERA and has struck out 176 of 445 batters in 119 innings this season.

Huntington Beach (15-12) has a tough road to the finals.

The Oilers won a wild-card game over Cypress, 1-0, Tuesday. But waiting for the Oilers is third-seeded Gahr (21-2-1) and pitching ace De De Weiman, a senior headed for UCLA. The winner must face the winner of the St. Paul-Newbury Park contest. St. Paul, last season’s 4-A champion, is led by pitcher Keri Kropke, a three-time All Southern Section selection who will join Granger at Cal in the fall.

Sunset League co-champion Fountain Valley (18-6-1) faces El Dorado (16-7). Twelve players return from last year’s Fountain Valley team that advanced to the 4-A semifinal, including All-Southern Section pitcher Rae Rice and All-Southern Section catcher Shannon Dolan, both sophomores.

Rice was 19-6 with an 0.18 ERA last season, but a shoulder injury this season slowed her to an 8-4 record. The injury gave backup pitcher Janet Miyahara an opportunity and she made the most of it, winning four league games in four appearances.

The double pitching punch could come in handy if the Barons advance because the winner of the El Dorado-Fountain Valley game most likely will play second-seeded Righetti (24-2) and Heather Compton, another of the section’s power pitchers.

In 3-A, third-seeded Irvine High School figures to contend largely because it has one of the county’s top players in pitcher Jennifer Brundage.

Brundage, a sophomore who bats leadoff for Irvine, leads her team in batting average (.461), RBIs (15) and runs scored (20). She has three doubles, one triple and four home runs.

“That is what you call all-CIF material,” first-year Coach Phil Dunmeyer said. “She really has had a super season. I’m sure she would take the same season the next two years in a row.”

She is an outstanding hitter but Brundage is even more valuable pitching. She has won 15 of the 22 games she has pitched. She has 228 strikeouts and an 0.29 ERA in 171 innings.

“She is so consistent in her game,” Dunmeyer said. “You can figure you’re going to be in every game because of her high level of pitching. I usually figure she is going to have some part in one to two runs a game offensively.”

Irvine did not qualify for post-season play last year when Brundage went 10-12. This year, Brundage has improved and the Vaqueros have followed right along.

“I am able to use my breaking pitches a lot more because they are breaking a lot better than they were last year,” Brundage said. “Last year I tried to rely too much on my fastball.”

The Vaqueros are a young team with five freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and one senior.

“At the beginning of the season I said we were good enough to be first, from the talent we had, and young enough to be last,” Dunmeyer said. “The good enough part won out over the youth.”

Irvine plays at home against Mayfair (15-9), which earned an at-large bid. Irvine is in the bottom half of the bracket, away from top-seeded La Mirada (25-1) and senior Dena Mullins, who has an 0.18 ERA through four years.

Nine other county teams made the 32-team 3-A bracket. Mission Viejo (14-8) travels to South Torrance (14-4). El Toro (12-8) is at Tustin (17-7). Laguna Hills (19-6) the top team from the Pacific Coast League, is at home against West Torrance (18-6). University (15-8) travels to San Clemente (11-12). Saddleback (23-4) will be at Woodbridge (14-9) and Trabuco Hills (19-6) will trek to Chino to take on Don Lugo (22-2-1).