East Stars Have Fun and Win Ventura County Game, 3-2

It didn’t matter that there was only one hit after five innings.

Or that two senior all-star teams combined for seven errors and 11 pitching changes in the scheduled nine-inning game Thursday at Borchard Park.

The Ventura County all-star softball game was exactly what it was intended to be: pure fun.

“I haven’t seen some of these girls in forever,” said catcher Sara Hall of Calabasas High.

“It was great to play with them again.”

Hall provided the defensive play of the game in the bottom of the ninth and helped the East claim a 3-2 victory.

Davis Beck of Moorpark and the West led off the ninth with a towering shot to right field.

Beck rounded the bases and was headed home, but was stopped dead in her tracks by Hall about a foot from the plate.

In a bang-bang play, second baseman Charity Harmeson of Hueneme fired a one-hop relay throw to Hall, who blocked the plate with the presence of a brick wall and tagged out a sliding Beck.

“It’s what I live for, those kind of plays,” said Hall, who went two for three and is headed to Purdue on scholarship. “That’s why I’m a catcher.”

Pitcher Erin Voeltz of Westlake provided the biggest hit of the game.

Voeltz, who had the only hit in the first five innings, drove in two runs with a line-drive triple down the left-field foul line in the sixth inning for a 3-0 East lead.

The West bunched two of its four hits in its half of the sixth to score twice. Meredith Nevard of Camarillo, who did not have an at-bat this season for the Scorpions, singled to right field with two out.

Joey McKearn of Thousand Oaks and Beck scored when Annie Domenic of Westlake bobbled Nevard’s ground ball in shallow right field.

Kathryn Nevard, Meredith’s twin, was the most dominating of the 12 pitchers making an appearance.

Kathryn Nevard, who led Camarillo to the Southern Section Division I semifinals the last two seasons, struck out seven of 11 batters.

“I just went out there and had fun,” said Nevard, who allowed one hit.

“Me and [catcher] Mackenzie [Vandergeest of La Reina] didn’t even know what to call, so we just threw in and out or change-ups.”

Moving around defensively were East players Oli Keohohou of Newbury Park and Brittney Green of Simi Valley. Keohohou and Green played every position, including pitcher.

But neither could deliver the big hit in the first.

The East had runners at second and third with one out and Keohohou at-bat. But Carrie Harvey of Royal struck out Keohohou and gloved a sharp liner by Green at her head to escape the jam.