DIVISION I SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS : This Time, Freshman Gives Ocean View a Lift

This time, it was Jennifer Hatcher, the only freshman in the batting order. Next time, who knows?

All that matters to Ocean View is that there will be a next time after a 2-1 upset of fourth-seeded Mater Dei (19-4) in Thursday’s Southern Section Division I quarterfinal.

Ocean View (22-6) beat a “phenomenal” pitcher, as Coach Doug Myers called Jennifer Clark (16-3), and won despite its primary offensive threat, Lisa Dacquisto, failing to get on base.

“Each day it seems like a different person comes through,” Myers said. “We beat a great team. Mater Dei had been pounding the ball.”

But it was Hatcher who came through and did the pounding. Her two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning was enough for the second-place team from the Sunset League to advance to Tuesday’s semifinals against top-seeded Simi Valley, the second-ranked team in the state.

Hatcher, whose injured back kept her out of the lineup until the regular season began, batted just over .300 with 16 RBIs. The home run was her third. She has been instrumental in Ocean View’s playoff success: she tripled and scored in a 1-0 victory over Mission Viejo in the first round.

She got the best of Clark, who allowed “no more than five” extra-base hits this year, according to her coach, Karyn Rice. Clark had allowed only three hits in the 17 innings preceding the fourth. Hatcher’s line drive through the gap in left-center also scored Raquel Willson, who doubled.

Winner Kathy Ponce (16-3) limited Mater Dei to four hits.