Three locals set for first-round games

Four local softball teams made their way into postseason play by earning berths in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Edison, Fountain Valley, Marina and Ocean View were extended invitations, with Fountain Valley earning a wild-card bid. The Barons played Tuesday and lost a tight game at Rosary, 2-1, in eight innings. Edison, Marina and Ocean View all play first-round games at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.

Second-round games will be played Tuesday.

Emily Brucelas doubled twice and drove in the only run by Fountain Valley and Kelli Tatum and Tara Robinson both had two hits in the Barons’ loss to Rosary. The Royals (17-13, Trinity League No. 3) used two doubles to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.

Fountain Valley, an at-large entry from the Sunset League, ended its year 18-12.

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Edison

The Chargers, who finished runner-up to the Sunset League crown and are ranked sixth in Division 1, start playoff action with a home game against Murrieta Valley (14-13, Southwestern League No. 3). Edison Coach Josh Musselman said that junior Sammy Cordova (22-4) will start against the Nighthawks.

“The process of advancing through CIF Division I requires that your team is healthy, there needs to be luck, and most importantly, the team needs to be focused and loose,” Musselman said.

In a showdown that determined the 2012 Sunset League champion, Edison was edged, 3-2, by visiting Los Alamitos. Junior Karley Wester had two hits, including a two-run home run in the third inning. Wester is batting .386 through 26 games. Her younger sister, Ali, a freshman and the Chargers’ lead-off hitter, is batting .435 and senior Casey Africano, a team captain, has a .419 average.

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Marina

The Vikings, 16-10 and the No. 3 team in the Sunset League, are on the road for an opening playoff game at Etiwanda (Baseline League No. 2, 20-6).

“I’m confident with our team right now, we are playing well,” Marina Coach Shelly Luth said. “If we come out ready, we are a tough third-place team. I think the kids are ready to play. In playoffs, the game doesn’t know the opponent, so it’s anyone’s game to win.”

The winner could potentially face top-seed Norco in the second round.

Marina concluded regular-season play May 10 and defeated visiting Huntington Beach, 6-1. Samantha Agamaite had two hits, including a home run, and sophomore Tera Blanco got the win to go to 14-6.

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Ocean View

The Seahawks (16-9, Golden West No. 2) start their CIF title bid with a Division 4 home opener against Northview (Valle Vista League No. 2, 17-9). Junior Brittany Hitchcock, 13-5 on the season with a 0.82 earned-run average, will start in the circle for the Seahawks, Coach Mike McLaughlan said. Kristin Nance leads Ocean View in hitting.

“If we play our game without mistakes and our ace Brittany is on her game, it should be a good contest,” McLaughlan said. “The key to our success through the playoffs will be if we play great defense. I believe we having the pitching. We’ll need everything else to fall into place.”

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Huntington Beach

The Oilers played their final game of the 2012 season on May 10, falling, 6-1, at Marina. Sophomore Kaitlyn Lanksbury hit her fourth home run of the season for Huntington, which just missed postseason play and finished 15-12.

Lanksbury hit 364 for the season and junior Emily Stoner hit a team-best .384.

“For a team with only one senior, we played extremely competitive out of league and our depth was exposed once in league,” Huntington Coach Jeff Forsberg said. “Of our 12 loses, nine were to Los Alamitos, Edison and Marina. But with 12 returners, we will compete for a top spot in league in 2013. Add in a new facility, and new, talented incoming players, we are going in the right direction.”

michael.sciacca@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeSciacca