SUNSET LEAGUE SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Fountain Valley Starts Fast in Blanking Ocean View

Fountain Valley High School scored early and often against Ocean View for a 10-0 victory in the Sunset League softball opener for both teams Tuesday. The game was stopped after 4 1/2 innings because of the mercy rule.

Fountain Valley, ranked seventh in the Orange County coaches’ poll, scored eight runs on six hits, four walks and an Ocean View error in the first two innings. “This is unbelievable,” Fountain Valley Coach Cary Baker said. “We came out fired up offensively in the first two innings and really hit the ball well.”

In the six-run second, catcher Shannon Dolan drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple into the right-center-field alley. Ocean View starter Jennifer Kimble walked Rae Rice and hit Michelle Kravik on the left arm to load the bases again. Two pitches later, Amy Kuckowicz hit a ground single over second to score Dolan and Rice. Kravik scored the final run of the inning when Kristen Santa Cruz, the 10th of 11 hitters in the inning, singled to right.

Shannon Pouelsen’s infield single in the second inning was the only hit allowed by Rice (6-0), who also had eight strikeouts.

“We were not ready,” Ocean View Coach Sarah Oakley said. “I don’t think it was Rice’s dominance so much as it was our being down. When you’re down, you’re down.”

Fountain Valley added two runs in the fourth. Jodi Bixler and Rice reached base on consecutive fielding errors by second baseman Tami Dowlin. a The runners advanced on a wild pitch by reliever Marla Pickard, and Bixler scored on a second wild pitch. Rice scored after Dowlin moved to third and committed her third error of the inning.

“The score is misleading,” Baker said. “They’re a good team. They could come out and beat us next time.”

Fountain Valley is 9-3 overall; Ocean View is 8-5.

In other league games:

Edison 1, Huntington Beach 0 (eight innings)--In the eighth inning, Krista Eckert singled to load the bases and Lisa Elliott singled in the winning run for host Edison. Tara Roysden allowed three hits and struck out eight for Edison (3-7-1, 1-0). Huntington Beach is 2-8, 0-1.

Marina 8, Westminster 0--Willa Parchen pitched a two-hitter for Marina.