Western’s Humphries Puts a Stop to Aliso Niguel Offense

Aliso Niguel could have made a statement Tuesday with a victory over Western. Instead, Stacy Humphries let her pitching do the talking, silencing Aliso Niguel’s bats in a 6-2 nonleague victory at Dana Hills High.

It was an unusual site for the Wolverines’ first home game, but typical of this season for the team without a field.

Still, entering the week, Aliso Niguel led the county in batting (.359) and had scored 30 more runs than its closest competition.

So, how do you explain having five batters with .380 averages or better? Scheduling.

“I don’t think we would be batting as high if we played tougher teams,” said Stefanie Ruiz, who is batting .511 with 29 runs batted in, “but as long as we have a little confidence, I think it will be easier to step up next year against better competition.”

Western, which has lost four times to teams that have appeared in the top 10, improved to 8-6; Aliso Niguel dropped to 8-9.

None of that mattered to Humphries. She faced only two batters over the minimum, excluding the fourth inning, in which Aliso Niguel scored twice on two errors and singles by Candice Heath, Ruiz and Allison Batten. The Wolverines would have had more if not for an interference call that ended the inning on Kirsten Roy’s single with runners at second and third.

Western got two hits each from Humphries and Brandy Baker, and RBIs from Adrienne Ratajczak, Amber Rose, Jaime Jones and Jodie Thibodeaux.

The Pioneers scored twice in first, second and sixth innings.