Pacifica’s Freed Fires Perfect Game

They arrived at the same conclusion, but at different times. Pacifica catcher Natasha Sisco knew after the first inning. Coach Rob Weil knew after three. And Amanda Freed, who pitched a perfect game against Garden Grove on Thursday with one of the most dominant performances of the season, knew after the first batter.

She knew she had great stuff, and Garden Grove wasn’t going to touch her.

Pacifica, ranked fourth in Orange County, scored a 2-0 victory over the visiting Argonauts, who are ranked seventh. And it wasn’t even close.

Freed struck out 17 batters, 15 of them swinging. She needed only 85 pitches to complete seven innings.

“I turned to [assistant Janet Fettig] and said, ‘They’re in trouble if they’re trying to bunt with their big sticks,’ ” Weil said. “Their 3-4-5-6 batters can hit the ball out of here.”

Freed struck out the first six batters and eight of the first nine. Four balls were put in play--a bouncer to Freed, a bunt to first, a pop-up to shortstop and Sara Des Palmes’ grounder to first which first baseman Andrea Pickett turned into an out with a nice back-handed grab in the sixth.

Pacifica (20-3, 8-1) moved into first place; Garden Grove (17-8, 5-3) dropped two games back with four to play.

Freed, a sophomore, launched a two-out rally in the first inning with a single. She stole second base and scored when Brianne Pixler couldn’t handle a bounced throw from shortstop on Sisco’s slow bouncer.

The Mariners added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Tiffany Wallace had an infield single, one of four Pacifica hits off Kathy Moore (12-4), stole second base, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Sisco’s deep fly ball to left-center.