Marina Gets Its Revenge on Barons

Since pitching a two-hitter the last time she faced Fountain Valley, Marina’s Heather Hagen said the team has thought about that one-run loss.

Thought about it, and prepared for the rematch, which sixth-ranked Marina won, 2-1, Thursday at Fountain Valley to take sole possession of first place in the Sunset League.

Hagen pitched a three-hitter, struck out eight and also drove in the decisive run in the Vikings’ two-run first inning.

“She’s extremely serious, a clutch player,” Marina Coach Shelly Luth said. “She rarely makes mistakes. It’s Heather’s mental state that affects our team. It comforts our team.”

Hagen said she turned up her level of play twice--in the fourth inning, when she retired Marti McKeever on a fly ball to center field after a run had already scored (on Jennifer Mendoza’s single off the shortstop’s glove) and runners at first and third; and in the seventh inning, when she struck out the side.

“I pitched with more focus and didn’t want them to get any momentum,” Hagen said. “We knew if we lost to them, we’d have no chance of winning the league.”

Hagen, a senior, will play softball next season at Ohio. Marina is 16-5, 5-1 in league. Second-place Fountain Valley is 12-12, 4-2.

“I’m not mad about this game,” Baron Coach Cary Baker said. “As soon as this game was over, I thought about the game we lost to Edison.”

It was Edison’s first league victory in six seasons. That rematch is next Thursday.

Marina took advantage of Carrie Hagen’s bunt single to open the game, an error on Brooke Boyer’s grounder, a wild pitch that enabled Carrie Hagen to score, and Heather Hagen’s hard single off pitcher Colleen Burdick’s glove. Marina left eight runners on base, two in the first, second, fifth and seventh innings.

Burdick (5-7) gave up six hits, two apiece to Hagen and Nikki Wilcox. In their last meeting, Burdick faced only three over the minimum; Thursday, she faced seven batters in the first inning.