Newbury Park Takes Nap After Getting First Strike

It wasn’t the best performance of the season for the Newbury Park High softball team, but it was a victory.

The Panthers scored three runs on three hits, including a fly ball lost in the sun and another that caused a controversy, in the first inning and held on to beat Camarillo, 3-1, Tuesday in a Marmonte League game at Newbury Park.

The Panthers (11-3, 3-2 in league play), with seven starters batting .300 or better, were shut down after the first inning, getting only two batters on base by an error and a walk in the final five innings. Defensively they were no better, committing three errors.

But the damage in the first proved sufficient. After Camarillo’s Kathrine Nevard (4-3) struck out leadoff batter Elisa Muran, Oli Keohohou hit a pop fly to right field. But right-fielder Amanda Buttell lost the ball in the sun and let it drop five feet from her.

After Cindy Muran singled up the middle, first baseman Kim Kasper committed an error on Tina Roscoe’s soft chopper and Keohohou scored. Candace Roberts’ push-bunt single drove in Muran and brought Camarillo Coach Miki Mangan out of the dugout.

Mangan argued that the ball hit Roberts on the foot before it rolled out to the shortstop. Mangan wanted a dead-ball call.

On the next pitch, Nevard threw a wild pitch and Roscoe slid into home for the Panthers’ third run. It wasn’t a pretty inning, but Newbury Park Coach Pete Ackermann wasn’t complaining. He knows three runs is usually enough to win a high-caliber league game.

“I doubt any games are gonna be won by walking up there and hitting four line drives to score runs,” Ackermann said. “Not in this league.

Camarillo (6-5, 3-2) scored in the sixth when Brooke Rutschman barreled into catcher Darlene Stokx, causing her to drop the ball.

The Scorpions played themselves out of the second and seventh innings with poor base running. In the second, with runners at first and second and one out, Kim Kasper flew out to left fielder Elisa Muran, who caught Allie Taverner heading back to second for a double play.

It was a repeat in the seventh. With runners at first and second and one out, Kasper flew out to center and Roberts, the center fielder, threw out Taverner at second to end the game.

“They’ve been taught since they were this big to freeze on a fly ball,” said Mangan, shaking her head.

Cindy Ball relieved Nevard in the fourth and allowed no hits in three innings. Ball struck out two, walked one and faced the minimum number of batters.

Newbury Park’s Alyson Blum (6-1) scattered five hits, striking out three and walking one.