SOFTBALL ROUNDUP : Hague’s Two-Run Triple in Ninth Helps Woodbridge Oust La Habra

Catcher Michelle Hague’s two-out, two-run triple in the top of the ninth inning broke a scoreless tie and gave Woodbridge a 2-0 victory over La Habra in a second-round Division II game Tuesday at La Habra High.

Hague was an unlikely hero after being pinch-hit for her previous at-bat leading off the eighth inning. But Hague, who had been in a slump, said the temporary benching didn’t shake her confidence.

“I knew I was going to get a hit. I felt it in my hands,” Hague said. “Before the at-bat, I saw myself hitting the ball. When I got the hit, I didn’t even see it. I just ran.”

The triple, which scored Lizzy Lemire and Carrie Brown, made a winner of Warrior pitcher Christy Robitaille (18-5), who completed the shutout and struck out four. She gave up four hits and walked two.

While Robitaille was cruising, La Habra starter Cristy Turner was battling for every out. Turner (18-8), who pitched mostly from behind the count, was helped by big full-count pitches and strong defense, especially from shortstop Aimee Weathers.

Weathers single-handedly preserved the scoreless tie in the fifth. She leaped high to snag a hard line drive by Lemire, then cut off a grounder up the middle and forced out a runner at second. After runners reached first and third, Weathers quickly backed up the play, when a slow roller went between Turner’s legs. The shortstop’s throw beat Woodbridge’s Corey Washington by half a step.