Barons’ King Frustrates No. 6 Marina

The frustration factor for sixth-ranked Marina went off the scale Thursday against one of the county’s best pitchers.

The Vikings put eight runners in scoring position against Fountain Valley’s Natalie King. But each time Marina threatened, King performed royally.

Then Colleen Burdick singled home Inez Vasquez with two outs in the top of the seventh inning and provided fifth-ranked Fountain Valley with a 1-0 victory in the Sunset League softball showdown.

Burdick’s bouncer over third baseman Carrie Hagen followed a fielder’s choice and stolen base by Vasquez, and yielded a victory over Marina pitcher Steffany Stenglein (8-1), who matched King almost pitch for pitch with a four-hitter.

But Stenglein, who struck out 12, gave up the key hit. King didn’t.

Marina (10-3, 1-1) stranded runners at second and third base each of the first three innings, failing to score despite having its best hitters at bat. King finished with a three-hitter and 14 strikeouts. She had eight strikeouts in the first three innings--six with a runner at third base.

“I was really lucky,” said King (11-3), who struck out the 3-4-5 batters with runners at second and third in the third inning. “I got a little bit of help--they chased some pitches.”

But King, who has signed with Texas, does that to opponents. “She throws the ball so well, it makes you panic, and you chase pitches,” Marina Coach Shelly Luth said. “Once she sees a weakness, she’ll throw three in a row.

“The frustrating thing is that our best hitters were up and couldn’t produce a run. All we needed was to put the ball in play.”

Marina stranded a runner in every inning but the fifth and had runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings. King walked two, hit one, and there were two errors behind her. But she was tough when it mattered, lifting Fountain Valley to 11-4, 2-0.

“I have total confidence in Natalie,” Fountain Valley Coach Cary Baker said, “but that was almost calling for the impossible.”