Trio Pitches East to Softball Victory

The offensive outbursts that typified recent Valley high school softball all-star games never materialized Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

Pitching reigned instead, and the East outpitched the West in a 4-0 victory. Heather Meyer of Quartz Hill struck out six over the final three innings, providing a finishing flourish to a five-hitter begun by Paraclete’s Shannon Peterson and Sylmar’s Ruby Gonzales.

There were no extra-base hits. The East scored one run in five innings against starter Jacque Stafford of Canoga Park. Simi Valley’s Michelle Castonguay entered in the sixth and was tagged for two runs and three hits. She settled down and gave up one run in the next three innings.

Meyer was named player of the game, but the honor easily could have gone to Peterson, who gave up two hits and struck out three over the first three innings, or Gonzales, who gave up one hit and struck out three from the fourth through the sixth.

“They were all very good pitchers,” West infielder Liz Lopez of Cleveland said. “Meyer especially had nice movement on the ball.”

The East broke a scoreless tie in the fifth against Stafford. With one out and runners on first and third, Jennifer Ferriera of Crescenta Valley dragged a bunt down the first-base line to drive in Saugus’ Carrie Brown, who had a one-out single.

The East added two runs in the sixth. Peterson and Patti Seresi of Alemany singled and, with one out, Kim Neighbors of Hart singled to drive in Peterson. Seresi scored on a wild pitch.

The final run came in the eighth. With two out, Cindy Abrams of Hart singled, advanced from first to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Neighbors.

The West stranded 12 and put runners in scoring position six times.