PREP SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Mater Dei Wins Cypress Title

Two errors in the third inning helped Mater Dei High School defeat Cypress, 5-1, in the championship game of the Cypress girls’ softball tournament Saturday night at Arnold Cypress Park.

Mater Dei’s Theresa Conway led off the third inning with a double and, with one out, advanced to third on Sandy Mosqueda’s infield pop fly. Amy Moeller hit a pop fly, but was safe when first baseman Holly Pittenger dropped the ball. Conway scored on the error. Jennifer Cline tripled home Moeller, then scored when Tracy Rice’s single to center was bobbled.

“We made some errors that opened the flood gate for them,” Cypress Coach Jim Pittenger said. “Take away that one bad inning and it would have been a 2-1 game.”

In the fifth inning, Moeller scored from third on a wild pitch by Beth Howard (6-2). In the sixth, Rose Imbuano reached base on an error, advanced to second on Conway’s infield pop fly and scored on Moeller’s single to right-center.

Mater Dei Coach Kathy Quesnell was pleased with her team’s hitting (seven hits). “Our girls were cranking the ball over their heads, and Conway, Moeller and Cline all hit boomers,” she said.

Quesnell also praised pitcher Teri Kobata, who maintained her composure despite throwing 11 illegal pitches. Kobata had a no-hitter through six innings.

Holly Pittenger led off the seventh inning with a single to break up Kobata’s no-hit bid. Pittenger advanced to third on an illegal pitch, stole third and scored on Liz Moore’s fly to right.

Mater Dei is 5-0. Cypress is 7-2.

In the third-place game:

Garden Grove 1, Woodbridge 0--Stephanie Smith pitched a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts for Garden Grove (6-2). Nikia Houston singled, stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brandie Novack in the second inning.