Pioneers Take a Stroll to No. 1

It was crunch time and heartache time, it was the opening of the Marmonte League softball season.

And it wouldn’t be complete without an extra-inning game to determine the No. 1 ranking in The Times’ regional top 10.

Simi Valley beat Thousand Oaks, 1-0, in eight innings Tuesday at Rancho Santa Susana Park when Lancer pitcher Jennifer Sharron walked in the winning run.

Sharron pitched a no-hitter through seven, but when she delivered ball four to Dawn Carifi to force Jill Clarkson home from third, the Pioneers celebrated as if they had won the league championship.

There are 13 games to go.

But for now Simi Valley is No. 1. Thousand Oaks is No. 3.

“I was totally confident the whole game, and our defense played so awesome,” Simi Valley pitcher Lori Tande said. “I just knew we’d come through. Everyone was so pumped.”

The Pioneers (4-0 overall) had lost four consecutive extra-inning games to Thousand Oaks.

The Lancers (4-1) played seven extra-inning games in league play last season.

Thousand Oaks dominated the first seven innings Tuesday, with Sharron allowing only two base runners.

But the Lancers ran themselves out of three scoring opportunities, the last in the top of the seventh. Pinch runner Jenna Allen was tagged out after she rounded third base on a line-drive single to left by Lacey Cope.

Coach Gary Walin decided to hold Allen at third with two out, but Pioneer left fielder Amanda Crafton made a perfect throw to the bag.

“I made a mistake,” Walin said. “Even if she’s thrown out at the plate, I still have to send her.”

That set the stage for a bizarre ending.

Clarkson led off the bottom of the eighth with a single to center. Sharron got Crafton to pop out and Jamie Sturdivant to ground out, allowing Clarkson to advance to second.

But with two out, Sharron hit No. 9 batter Dianna Michael with a 1-1 pitch. Then she hit Tande with a 1-2 pitch to load the bases.

Both right-handed batters were hit on the same spot--the left forearm--by curveballs from the left-handed Sharron.

“My curveball was working too good today,” Sharron said, “and that’s why they were leaning.”

Said Tande: “Jennifer’s a good pitcher. But after you hit players like that, it gets to you.”

Sharron ran the count to 3-1 on Carifi before throwing a high fastball for her only walk of the game.

Sharron (2-1) struck out 11. Tande (3-0) struck out none but prevailed with a three-hitter.

“I felt good,” Sharron said. “But we didn’t get the win today. Any Marmonte team can beat anybody else. You’ve got to be up for the game. They hit when they needed to and we didn’t.”

With four Marmonte League teams ranked in the region’s top 10, each game could be an ordeal.

Said Simi Valley Coach Suzanne Manlet: “It’s just an exciting way to start.”