Pacifica’s Run Comes to an End

When the softball players at Garden Grove Pacifica High began their season, their goals were simple:

Win the Garden Grove League, which they did for the 11th year in a row.

Win a tournament; the Mariners actually won two.

Reach the Southern Section Division III championship game.

“The goal wasn’t even to win the finals, it was just to get there,” said Coach Rob Weil, who has guided Pacifica to section championships in 1997, ’98 and ’99.

The top-seeded Mariners, ranked No. 1 by The Times, fell short of their last goal on Tuesday, losing, 3-0, to fourth-seeded Riverside King in a Division III semifinal game.

Heather Booth (18-1) pitched a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts to lead King (26-2), which is in the finals in only its third year.

Pacifica (28-3-1) entered the season expecting to take advantage of a powerful offense and a terrific defense--six starters batted .328 or better and the Mariners committed only 13 errors--but pitching, surprisingly, has played a critical role in its success.

Brittany Weil is 22-1, a remarkable record given that the coach wasn’t expecting much from his freshman daughter.

Kasey Carter was expected to be Pacifica’s primary pitcher, but she quit the team before school started.

Rob Weil figured freshman Briana Santos, sophomore Crystal Vieyra and senior Jessica Marical would split the team’s innings, “... and Brittany would throw here and there.”

“I honestly didn’t feel Brittany was mentally ready for high school softball this year,” he said. “She surprised everybody.”

Including herself.

“I thought if I got to pitch a couple of innings, I’d be lucky,” Brittany said.

Her turning point came April 20, when she beat Santa Ana Foothill and Santa Ana Mater Dei, which were then ranked Nos. 1 and 2 by The Times, in consecutive games.

“We faced quality teams and I had proven that I wasn’t there just because I was the coach’s daughter,” Brittany Weil said. “I felt like I really did belong.”