Mater Dei Handles Pressure, Beats Thousand Oaks

Mater Dei had not played a close softball game in so long, coaches and players were wondering how they would handle the pressure.

They found out Friday in the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals at Mile Square Park, where the Monarchs defeated Thousand Oaks, 1-0.

Sore-armed freshman Marissa Young pitched a perfect game and slap hitter Lisa Tully hit a home run forthird-seeded Mater Dei (28-1), which will play Canyon (22-10) in the semifinals Tuesday at Cypress College. Thousand Oaks, the third-place team from the Marmonte League, finished 21-9.

In the other semifinal, top-seeded Foothill plays fourth-seeded Camarillo at Orange Coast College.

“We haven’t played a lot of close games, since Foothill, and we needed it,” said Mater Dei Coach Doug Myers, whose team lost to Foothill, 1-0, March 23. “We were always concerned about being in a tight game and having to execute.”

The Monarchs (28-1) were averaging 8.3 runs per game with a .390 batting average, but didn’t mount much offense against Thousand Oaks’ Jennifer Sharron (20-8, 0.32 earned-run average). They tried to make things happen when they had their few chances--and failed. Twice runners were thrown out trying to steal (one on a botched hit and run), and Sharron finished with a tidy three-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Not so tidy was the outside curve ball she threw to Tully, who pulled the ball deep to the right-center field gap with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I felt it come off the bat and I ran,” said Tully, a senior. “I had a feeling in my heart it was a home run.”

Tully had rounded third before the shortstop made her relay throw from the outfield.

It was only the second ball that was pulled against Sharron. Monica Lucatero hit a soft line drive to left field on a change-up in the second inning. The only other hit was Kelsey Kollen’s infield single.

Young (16-1, 0.06 ERA), who didn’t know she had pitched a perfect game until it was over, said she didn’t have her normal velocity because her arm was sore. “My arm hurt,” she said. “I think it was from pitching cold [without warming up] on Tuesday [against El Modena in relief].”

Young, who struck out eight, has not given up a hit in her last 21 innings. She has two playoff no-hitters, her only no-hitters this season.