DIVISION II SOFTBALL : One Swing Enough as Brea Knocks Off Fullerton, 1-0

Samantha Cardenas is not the prototypal leadoff hitter, built for the bunt and stolen bases, but her teammates aren’t complaining.

Cardenas’ leadoff home run was all second-seeded Brea-Olinda needed to advance to the second round of the Southern Section Division II softball playoffs with a 1-0 victory Friday over visiting Fullerton.

Brea (19-8) plays Hacienda Heights Wilson in Tuesday’s second-round game.

Cardenas’ drive down the left-field line rolled quite a distance, allowing her to score easily. It was her third homer of the season but first to lead off a game. Her slugging average is .787.

“What she lacks in speed, she makes up in effort and enthusiasm,” Brea Coach Sharen Caperton said. “I did not think a home run would win this game. I thought it would be a one-run game with a close play at the plate.”

There was a play at the plate.

Cardenas, a shortstop, mishandled Amy Simpson’s chopper behind the mound, but recovered in time to throw out pinch-runner Valerie Miller, who was trying to score from second on the play.

That ended the fifth, otherwise Fullerton (14-15) would have had runners at first and third with leadoff batter Kiki McAulay (.341) up.

Andrea Schuette (11-2) got the victory with a four-hitter.

Fullerton played the game under protest, claiming Brea violated Section rules by holding batting practice before the game; Caperton said her team played soft-toss with Wiffle Balls. In other Division II games:

Sunny Hills 2, Long Beach Millikan 0--Holly Hart drove in the winning run with a fifth-inning single, and Bernie Fancuberta (13-7) pitched a two-hitter for host Sunny Hills (13-11), which advanced to play Diamond Bar.

La Habra 3, Los Altos 0--Dani Ortega (21-5) pitched a perfect game, striking out 15. Angie Calabretta scored, stole two bases and had a run batted in for the Highlanders (21-5), who advanced to play Arcadia.

Lakewood St. Joseph 7, Western 5--Tracy Gallagher drove in two runs in the seventh, but Western’s rally fell short. Staci Humphries (7-16) took the loss for visiting Western (14-12-1).

Palos Verdes Peninsula 3, Savanna 0--Errors, allowing Peninsula (13-10) a run in the first and two in the fifth, knocked Savanna (11-10-1) out of the playoffs.