SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Freshman Pitches La Habra Past El Toro

Freshman Danielle Ortega pitched a two-hitter and had solid support on defense to lead unranked La Habra High School to a 2-1 upset of El Toro of the Canyon Tournament of Champions 4-A Division Friday at Peralta Park.

La Habra (7-2) will face host Canyon in the semifinals today.

El Toro (9-3), ranked fourth in the Orange County Softball Coaches’ poll, uses three pitchers--Paige Lauby, Jennifer Jourden and Marta Bickert, a transfer from Trabuco Hills.

La Habra Coach Frank McCarroll said his players were looking forward to facing Lauby, El Toro’s top pitcher. But it was Jourden’s turn.

“We were hoping to face her because we wanted to face a good pitcher for the experience, if nothing else,” McCarroll said.

When his young team found out Lauby wasn’t pitching, “We could relax and just play, and we did,” he said.

La Habra took the lead with a run in the first and another in the third.

In the first, shortstop Cathy Turner scored from first on Shanna Lenahan’s ground-ball single to right field.

In the third, La Habra outfielder Sara Mallett singled, stole second and advanced to third on Julie Miller’s sacrifice, bringing up Lenahan again.

Lenahan hit a ground ball that skittered under second baseman Corrie Yauney’s glove, scoring Mallett and giving La Habra a 2-0 lead.

El Toro could not generate much offense against Ortega. Until the seventh inning, the Chargers managed to get only two runners on base--one on a walk--neither of whom scored.

“We were just swinging at poor pitches and pulling our heads,” El Toro Coach Jim Daugherty said. “We knew what she was going to do. She wasn’t overpowering us or anything. She had a nice curve to the outside, and she kept the ball down, but we made no adjustments.”

The Chargers finally scored in the seventh, thanks to La Habra’s only error.

With Karie Yoshioka on first, T. J. Stoewsand grounded to short. Turner fielded it and threw to second for the force but Lenahan missed the throw. The ball went into right field and Yoshioka, who had singled, scored.

Stoewsand overran third on the play and was picked off by first baseman Meagan Mirth. Lauby then grounded to third and Ortega struck out Jourden to end the game.

“We stunk,” Daugherty said. “I was just displeased with our overall team attitude once we got behind. . . . We quit. We had no discipline at the plate and we had just a lackadaisical attitude. . . . Right now we’re about No. 44 in the county, not No. 4.”

In other Canyon Tournament games:

Garden Grove 5, Savanna 0--Stephanie Smith (10-2) pitched a two-hitter, striking out 11, for Garden Grove (10-2). Smith also had two hits and scored a run, and Kelly White added a pair of hits.

Garden Grove 4, El Modena 0--Smith pitched a no-hitter, her third of the season, with 16 strikeouts for Garden Grove in the day’s first game. Michelle Cash had two hits and scored twice and Smith had a double and a run scored.

La Quinta 9, Millikan 8--La Quinta fell behind, 6-0, in the first inning but rallied for six runs in the sixth for a 9-6 lead. Jill Bishop and Shawnay Aguilera had home runs and Jennifer Boston had an RBI triple for La Quinta (5-4).

San Clemente 7, Savanna 2--Wendy Stewart tied a school record by hitting three home runs in a game to lead San Clemente (6-4) at Canyon High. Tara Roush (6-3) had two hits, scored twice and pitched a four-hitter.

Cypress 7, Rosary 0--Beth Howard (7-2) pitched a two-hitter, striking out seven and walking one, to lead Cypress (8-4). Cypress had a triple play. Holly Pittinger tripled and scored and Jody Miller had an RBI triple for Cypress.

In nonleague play:

St. Margaret’s 17, Van Horn 0--Colette McLaughlin pitched a perfect game and hit a two-run home run to lead host St. Margaret’s (3-2). McLaughlin struck out 14 and went three for three with four RBIs and two runs scored.