RIGHETTI TOURNAMENT : Bullard Outlasts Marina, Foothill

Fresno Bullard needed its full allotment of outs, but managed to knock off two Orange County softball powers Tuesday to win the Righetti Best of the West softball tournament, rallying for two runs with two out in the seventh to defeat Marina, 2-0, in the championship game.

Bullard (20-0), ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, defeated Foothill, 1-0, in the semifinal, scoring the winning run with two out in the seventh.

Bullard was led by Courtney Dale, a junior considered the top pitcher in the state. She allowed two hits and struck out 32 in 15 innings.

Marina (11-5) and Bullard were scoreless through six innings, but an error by Marina third baseman Alicia Velazquez allowed Bullard’s Lolie Wisener to reach base leading off the seventh.

Marina pitcher Marcy Crouch retired the next two batters before conceding a run-scoring single to Amber Anderson and a run-scoring double to Dale.

The semifinal between Bullard and Foothill, ranked second in the state, did not disappoint, as Dale and Foothill’s Marie Gieron each allowed only one hit through the first six innings. Bullard got a two-out triple from Michelle Thomas in the bottom of the seventh and scored on Jaime Maxey’s single.

Foothill (16-1) rebounded for a 4-2 victory over host Righetti to take third place.

Sonora defeated Lompoc, 6-2, and Morgan Hill Live Oak, 1-0, to finish a surprising fifth in the 16-team field. Villa Park fell to Newberry Park, 2-0, in the consolation championship, as the Spartans’ Brandee McArthur had her string of no-hit innings ended at 27.