PREP SOFTBALL : 19 Hits Plenty for Mater Dei

Candace Kollen, Mater Dei’s leadoff batter, had three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Monarchs to a 6-3 victory over host El Toro Wednesday in a South Coast League softball opener.

“(Kollen) gets on base all the time,” Mater Dei Coach Karen Rice said. Kollen, a senior third baseman, has an 11-game hitting streak.

Mater Dei (9-2) had no trouble with its offense. The Monarchs racked El Toro pitcher Jodi Smith for 19 hits, scoring two runs each in the second and third innings and single runs in the fourth and fifth.

“We don’t have a weak spot in our lineup,” Rice said. “We’re solid all through. It’s just a matter of getting that clutch hit at the right time. That was the key--getting the ball to (El Toro’s) outfielders with runners on base.”

The Chargers (12-7) were missing two starters--second baseman Samantha Smithson, out with a broken finger, and Tricia Bulkeley, sidelined with a torn quadriceps--but still managed to rally, scoring three runs after two were out in the sixth inning.

The three runs were the most Mater Dei pitcher Jennifer Clark has given up in a game this season. Clark struck out 13 batters and yielded only four hits.