SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Moorpark Deflated in Seventh

As Saturday’s Southern Section Division V softball championship game came to its crucial juncture in the bottom of the seventh inning, five balloons tied to a nearby railing broke free and floated away into the distance.

Moments later, Moorpark High pitcher Erin Heinbechner surrendered a bases-loaded single to Robin Strauss of Santa Monica Crossroads and the Musketeers’ hopes for a title disappeared as well.

The 2-1 victory at Mayfair Park earned the Roadrunners (22-9) their third section title while the Musketeers (19-9) are runners-up for the second time. Moorpark’s other appearance in a section title game was in 1992, when it lost to La Reina, 5-2.

“When [Crossroads] had the bases loaded [with one out] in the seventh I knew we were going to lose,” said Heinbechner (17-5), who allowed seven hits and two earned runs while striking out 10 and walking four. “There’s almost no way to get out of that.”

Crossroads used a bunt, a walk and a single to load the bases in the inning, bringing Strauss, the Roadrunners’ cleanup hitter, to the plate.

The stocky catcher belted the second pitch into right-center field and off the glove of Moorpark right fielder Meghan Carlson, who was sprinting toward the gap.

Deborah Splansky scored the winning run from third.

“I played bad,” said Heinbechner, visibly disappointed. “I walked too many people. I was struggling at the beginning and I got it back for a while but I was never really on top of things.”

Moorpark stranded 10 runners, seven in scoring position, and repeatedly failed to lay down bunts or advance runners with base hits.

“In practice we seem to get the ball down but in games we’re successful only about 50% of the time,” Moorpark Coach Tom Humphreys said. “You’ve got to do that in a championship game. It’s something we’ll practice more next year.”

Crossroads scored first. Emmy Hernandez and Terry Marroquin walked with two out in the third and Strauss drove in Hernandez with a popup that landed fair behind first base.

Moorpark forged a tie in the fifth when Carlson reached first on an error, moved to third on a single by Lisa Estill and scored on a single by Meaghan Finnerty.

Crossroads pitcher Erika Koivula (21-9) gave up seven hits and an unearned run while striking out eight and walking none.

“We knew what [Koivula] was going to do before we got here,” Moorpark left fielder Tina Milburn said. “She pitched almost everything outside . . . but we had people at the plate thinking they couldn’t [get hits]. Positive thinking comes with experience.”

Milburn is Moorpark’s only senior so Humphreys is optimistic about next season.

“We snuck up on people this season and I don’t think that will happen next year,” Humphreys said. “If you’d have told me we’d play for a [section] title before this season I would have smiled but I wouldn’t have put money on it.

“These girls peaked and came together at just the right time to get here. I’m proud of them.”