Brundage: The Driving Force for Irvine

It’s hard to tell whether Jennifer Brundage is a better pitcher or hitter. But it’s easy to find out where she would rather play. All you have to do is ask.

“I like pitching. That’s the most fun because you’re involved in every play,” said Brundage, The Times Orange County softball player of the year for the second time in the three years.

Brundage, a senior right-hander, led Irvine High School to the Southern Section 4-A title this season. She pitched nearly every inning for the Vaqueros, finishing with a 21-2 record, 0.10 earned-run average, 223 strikeouts and a no-hitter.

She also batted .429 with 21 runs batted in and five triples. In short, she was the driving force behind Irvine’s South Coast League championship and its first section softball title.

Consider the playoffs.

In a 5-0 victory over Villa Park in the first round, Brundage struck out six and allowed only an infield single in the first inning. She faced 22 batters, one over the minimum.

She extended her hitless streak into the sixth inning of the Vaqueros’ second-round game, a 5-1 victory over Lakewood.

Brundage went 16 innings in a 3-0 victory over Sunny Hills in the quarterfinals. She struck out 17, gave up four hits and retired the last 24 batters.

In the semifinals against Fontana, which five days earlier had pummeled top-seeded Hart, 11-2, Brundage pitched a two-hitter to defeat the Steelers, 2-0.

That victory put Irvine, the county’s top-ranked and fourth-seeded team in the playoffs, in the finals against second-seeded Foothill, the Century League champion, at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

This time out, Brundage displayed not only her fine assortment of pitches, but also impeccable coolness under pressure. To protect a one-run lead--a run she scored in the first inning--Brundage had to work out of several jams, including one with a runner on third with two outs in the sixth inning.

She made that run stand up, however, and behind a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance, won the game, 1-0. It was her fourth shutout of the playoffs and 12th of the season.

“It was really nice to win it all, especially after last year, when we lost in the first round (in the 3-A playoffs),” Brundage said.

But even with all her success on the mound, Brundage’s future at UCLA appears to be in the outfield. The Bruins are loaded with pitchers but can use her skills with the bat.

Brundage said she’d be comfortable playing anywhere in the UCLA lineup.

“I don’t think I’m better at one position than another,” Brundage said. “I like doing everything. I practice equally at everything.”