Fountain Valley Beats Marina

A bases-loaded walk to Colleen Burdick scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift sixth-ranked Fountain Valley to a 3-2 Sunset League softball victory over 10th-ranked Marina Thursday.

“It was a great win, especially after falling behind [2-0 in the fifth inning],” said Fountain Valley Coach Cary Baker. “In 18 years in the Sunset League, I don’t think we’ve ever come from two runs down to beat them.”

Fountain Valley (11-6, 2-0 in league) might have won in seven innings. Sarah Leon’s triple scored Tiffany Miller (walk) and Rocky Staniorski (single), but Leon was thrown out at home on the relay by shortstop Natalie Bonillas for the inning’s first out.

“I never should have sent the kid--I got wrapped up in it, and told them after the game thanks for bailing me out,” Baker said.

Fountain Valley’s rally came after Marina (11-7, 1-1) scored twice in the top of the fifth on a single, two errors and a balk.

In the decisive 13th, Leon was walked by Bree Boyer (3-4), a freshman who assured Marina Coach Shelly Luth that fatigue was not a problem. “Besides,” Luth said, “she deserved the chance to win the game.”

But Nicole Rambis’ sacrifice was mishandled for an error and a passed ball moved runners to second and third.

Using the strategy Marina employed effectively in the ninth inning, Boyer intentionally walked the bases loaded with no outs.

This time, there was no grounder to the shortstop, no inning-ending double-play to the pitcher.

There was only a ball, a strike, and three more balls.

Fountain Valley’s Natalie King (4-4), averaging 1.5 strikeouts per inning, struck out only seven and walked two. Boyer, who threw 119 pitches (compared to King’s 175), had no strikeouts and walked four (two intentional). Both gave up seven hits.