Southern Section Softball Finals : Kim Maher Leads Buena to 4-A Title

Buena High School pitcher Kim Maher hit the fourth pitch of the game over the center-field fence and made the run stand up through seven innings to lead the Bulldogs to a 1-0 victory over Anaheim Western in the Southern Section 4-A softball championship at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

Western (26-6), which upset top-seeded Hart and fourth-seeded Kennedy to reach the final, ran out of offense in the championship game, managing only one hit.

Buena (28-2), on the other hand, had five hits off freshman pitcher Dawn Fowler (14-5), but the first one was all the Bulldogs needed.

‘I thought it was going over the bleachers,’ Western Coach Debbie Harless said. ‘I was in shock. That one pitch didn’t drop. It was hanging up there, and she just poked it, but (Fowler) pitched great the rest of the way.”

Fowler, 14, pitched a five-hitter with eight strikeouts, two walks and a wild pitch.

Riverside Notre Dame 1, Santa Fe 0--Freshman pitcher Tammy Dietrich allowed only four hits and struck out four in leading the Titans past the Chiefs for the Southern Section 2-A Division softball championship Friday at Mayfair Park.

Notre Dame scored in the bottom of the first inning when Glae Copeland was walked by pitcher Lisa Shandy and scored on singles by Kearn McDonald and Merri Edrich.

After the first inning, Shandy retired the next 17 batters, but the Santa Fe offense was shackled by Dietrich.

Notre Dame finished the season 23-4, and Santa Fe wound up with a 16-3 record.