Liberty Christian Eliminates Capistrano Valley Christian

Sophomore Danielle Mershon outdueled senior Lauren Capriotti, and Liberty Christian shifted the balance of power in the Southern Section Division VI softball playoffs with a 2-0 victory over the division’s top-seeded team, Capistrano Valley Christian.

The second-round victory Tuesday at TeWinkle Park propelled the Minutemen (17-2) into the quarterfinal round on Thursday, where they will play Boron, a 15-1 winner over Hesperia Christian.

Capistrano Valley Christian finished 21-3.

“Really, I didn’t think two runs would be enough to win,” said Mershon (15-2), who gave up six hits but stranded eight runners. She had only four strikeouts, but two came in the first inning with runners at second and third and one out.

The game featured three of Orange County’s top five batters, and five of the top 11. Mershon took advantage of her defense, especially in the fifth and seventh innings. Capriotti (13-3) gave up only three hits, striking out 12 and walking two in six innings.

Two hits were back to back in the fourth inning, the second being a double by Tristan Fernandez, the county leader with a .635 batting average. Her sister, Tiffany, batting .618, scored on Katie Linke’s grounder to second baseman Brooke Ireland, who made no attempt to hold the runner at third base.

Theresa Raia made the score 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run, her second of the season.

“It was a meatball,” said Raia, who scored easily. “I think it was an accident.”

Mershon escaped trouble twice in the late innings. With runners at second and third and two outs, shortstop Raia threw out Lynn Andrews on a close play at first.

In the seventh inning, Christina Bauche got her second base hit, and Laurelle Grove was safe on an error. But Jill Jeranko flied to right field, and Andrews bounced to Mershon for the game-ending out.