Boldroff Finger-Paints Oak Park Masterpiece : Softball: Despite injury to pitching hand, she pulls Eagles into tie for second place with Fillmore, 2-1.

Kaylene Boldroff’s finger was swollen, blistered and blue.

But Boldroff, junior right-hander for Oak Park High, still managed to put the hurt on Fillmore, pitching a three-hitter with seven strikeouts Thursday as the Eagles came from behind for a 2-1 Tri-Valley League softball victory.

Boldroff (9-6) retired seven of the final eight batters and held Fillmore hitless over the final three innings as Oak Park (12-9, 5-3) forged a second-place tie with Fillmore (12-5, 5-3).

Afterward, Boldroff displayed the discolored ring finger of her right hand.

“It hurts and it made me eliminate one of the new pitches I just learned,” Boldroff said. “But it’s all right. It made me try harder.”

Oak Park Coach Roger Newell said he might have used another pitcher--if he had one. Backup Tabitha Tata is still recovering from an appendectomy performed a month ago.

“We’re all hurting,” Newell said. “My catcher has a sore arm. My backup catcher’s arm is OK, but I didn’t want to take her out of right field. It was a good performance. They all came out and sucked it up.”

Fillmore parlayed a pair of bunt singles, a walk and a groundout into a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning.

Oak Park evened the score in the bottom of the inning when Nicole West walked, advanced on a groundout and a wild pitch, and scored from third on a throwing error.

The Eagles scored the decisive run in the fifth when Shana Silverman singled to drive in Katie Russell from third.

“I hate to say if, if, if, but we let one get away,” Fillmore Coach Dave Wilde said.

The defeat spoiled a strong performance by Fillmore’s Nicole Ortiz, who struck out nine and gave up only one hit in six innings.