SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Newport Harbor Tops Tustin, Takes Third

Newport Harbor will make its first appearance in the Southern Section softball playoffs next week, but the Sailors got a feel for playoff intensity Friday when they beat Tustin, 5-2, to earn the Sea View League’s third and final playoff spot.

Jenny Lopez retired the first 12 batters for Tustin (12-11, 8-6), but Newport Harbor (15-7, 8-6) made up for a slow start by scoring five times and stranding six over the final three innings.

The big inning was the sixth, when Lopez’s intentional walk to Kim DeMayo backfired. It led to a three-run inning and a 4-1 lead, because Jennie Colclausure tripled down the left field line, scoring DeMayo and Jill Nelsen, who led off with a walk. Colclausure scored when Courtney Brennan’s fly ball to right was dropped.

“(DeMayo) hit a homer against us last time,” Tustin Coach Jerry Hoffman said. “Being a close game, we wanted to play it safe.”

Colclausure (9-5) got the victory, surviving a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the seventh by striking out cleanup batter Erin Hayes and getting Shawna Bray--who had two hits and both Tustin RBIs--to ground to first base. Colclausure surrendered nine hits.

In the Orange League:

Western 11, Valencia 4--Freshman Fugi Zungia drove in three runs and Amber Rose drove in a pair for Western.