SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS : County Has Stacked the Deck With Seeded Teams This Time Around

No Orange County softball team won a Southern Section championship last season, but the odds are that that will change for this year’s tournament, which begins at 3 p.m. today in the 2-A, 3-A and 5-A divisions.

Three of the four seeded teams in each of the section’s three largest divisions--5-A, 4-A and 3-A--are from Orange County, so it appears that at least a couple of county teams will reach the championship games June 1-2 at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

Orange County is perhaps most strongly represented in the 5-A, where Sunset League champion Marina (25-5) is the top-seeded team. The Vikings open today against Camarillo (16-10), which defeated San Luis Obispo, 5-1, in a wild-card game Tuesday.

Marina is led by pitchers Willa Parchen (8-3) and Janet Miyahara (11-1), each of whom has more than 100 strikeouts. At the plate, Marina is led by Christa and Robyn Yorke. Christa, a senior catcher who bats lead-off, is batting .346; her sister Robyn, a freshman center fielder, is hitting a team-high .363.

Angelus League champion Mater Dei (20-3), which has been top-ranked in the Orange County Softball Coaches’ Poll all season, is the fourth-seeded team in 5-A, and Fountain Valley (20-6) is seeded third.

Marina and Mater Dei are in the same bracket and might have to play each other in the semifinals.

But that’s nothing new. Last year, Marina eliminated Mater Dei in the first round. And this season, Marina upset Mater Dei, 1-0.

After the loss to Marina, Mater Dei pitcher Terri Kobata was sidelined because of a rotator cuff injury. Mater Dei third baseman Sundy Mosqueda, a senior, is sidelined for the season with a dislocated thumb.

Mater Dei sophomore Jennifer Clark has filled in well for Kobata, with a 13-0 record, an 0.23 earned-run average and 88 strikeouts. Senior Jennifer Grootegoed has taken over at third. At the plate, sophomores Jennifer Cline (.314) and Amy Moeller (.327) lead the way.

“In a sense it is devastating because they are two all-league players,” Monarch Coach Cathy Quesnell said of Kobata and Mosqueda. “The kids who have filled in for them have done a great job. We’ll see what happens when we get into CIF and under a bit more pressure than in our league.”

Mater Dei will get that chance today at home against Katella (14-7), the third-place team from the Empire League.

Fountain Valley (20-6) plays hosts to Los Alamitos, the Empire League’s second-place team. Fountain Valley has three players hitting more than .280--catcher Shannon Dolan, third baseman Jennifer Alchin and second baseman Tracy Werts. Junior pitcher Rae Rice (15-1) has an 0.12 ERA with 191 strikeouts.

With a little luck, Cypress (22-6), the Empire League’s top team, could be a spoiler in 5-A. Senior Beth Howard--19-3 with 128 strikeouts and an 0.31 ERA will be on the mound for the Centurions when they open at home today against Lompoc (18-4).

In the 3-A division, 10 of the 32 teams are from Orange County, led by top-seeded El Toro, which has three talented pitchers: Paige Lauby (11-2), with 178 strikeouts and an 0.07 ERA; Jennifer Jourden (6-2) and Marta Bickert (5-3).

Lauby, a senior, also is El Toro’s leading hitter with a .282 average.

El Toro is at home today against University (15-10). If El Toro and second-seeded Irvine advance, it could be an all-South Coast League 3-A final.

Irvine (24-3) is led by Jennifer Brundage, last year’s Times’ Softball Player of the Year. Brundage missed a couple of league games late in the season with a tired arm, but is healthy again, striking out 12 and giving up two hits in a victory over Capistrano Valley. Brundage (21-1) is second in the county with 206 strikeouts and has an 0.25 ERA. She also leads the Vaqueros at the plate with a .424 average, five home runs and 21 RBIs. Irvine opens at home at Harvard Park against Tustin (14-9).

Mission Viejo (17-9), which last season surprised many by advancing to the final despite being unranked, will have its hands full from the start. The Diablos open on the road at fourth-seeded Saddleback (19-2).

Saddleback is led by sophomore pitcher Desiree Abrego (15-2), who has an 0.17 ERA with 199 strikeouts. The Roadrunners have three .400 hitters and three others batting more than .300. Senior first baseman Priscilla Sarmiento leads the way at .429.

Other first-round 3-A games featuring Orange County teams include Trabuco Hills (19-8) playing host to Montclair (17-9), Capistrano Valley (15-10) at South Torrance (17-3), Laguna Beach (10-6) at West Torrance (17-5) and Woodbridge (17-10) home to Mayfair (16-10).

No Orange County teams are entered in the 2-A.

First-round games in the 4-A, 1-A and Small Schools divisions will be Friday.

The three seeded teams from Orange County in 4-A are Kennedy (No. 2), Buena Park (No. 3) and Garden Grove (No. 4).