Thousand Oaks Comes Up Short, 1-0 : High school softball: Without top hitter Nicole Ochoa who was sick, Lancers fall to Newbury Park.

Good fortune began for the Newbury Park High softball team early Thursday morning.

But the Panthers didn’t realize their luck until nearly seven hours later, moments before their Marmonte League game against Thousand Oaks.

Without slugger Nicole Ochoa, Thousand Oaks dropped its second league game in three days, falling to upstart Newbury Park, 1-0, at Borchard Park.

Ochoa, arguably the best hitter in the region, awoke Thursday morning with a high temperature and head pain, brought on by her chronic sinus problems, and had to miss classes.

Thousand Oaks Coach Chuck Brown didn’t try to hide that fact from Newbury Park Coach Wally Thornhill.

“Chuck came up and said, ‘Well, you won’t get to walk Niki today,’ ” Thornhill said.

“Knowing the type of girl she is, she was probably half on her death bed to not be here,” he added.

“It could have been a whole different ballgame. She’s the kind of girl that can turn the game around.”

Newbury Park (9-0, 5-0 in league play), tied with Simi Valley for the league lead, bunched four of its five hits in the fifth inning to score the game’s only run. Christie Thornhill, Wally’s daughter, led off the inning with a single. Mandy Kinningham and Alison Reynolds had back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out.

Brandi Funk followed with an infield chopper. By the time shortstop Heather Pierskala pulled it down, Thornhill was crossing home and all runners were safe.

Thousand Oaks (5-3, 2-2), which lost to Camarillo, 1-0, in 23 innings two days earlier, threatened in the first, fourth and seventh, but stranded a runner at third each time.

Shannon Swales (6-0) and Carolina Bernal combined on a four-hit shutout, allowing only one ball out of the infield.