HB rallies for 4-3 win

A slow start to its nonleague game Tuesday against Foothill didn’t deter the Huntington Beach High girls’ softball team for collecting a big victory.

The Oilers found themselves in a two-run hole to the Knights but chipped away at the deficit by scoring single runs in their final three at-bats to emerge with a 4-3 win..

“It was a fun win, a nice game by the girls,” Huntington Coach Jeff Forsberg said after his squad improved to 6-1. “We had a few games rained out in the last few days and I told the girls that we didn’t want to start out slowly in this game, but we did. We came back to get a good win. Foothill has a great program.”

Huntington, whose only loss came to Cypress in the championship game of the Cypress Tournament earlier this month, took a 1-0 lead through two innings. In the bottom of the second, freshman Jadelyn Allchin doubled, stole second and scored on an infield ground out to put the Oilers on top. Foothill, however, responded with a three-run third inning to take a 3-1 lead.

The Oilers began their comeback in the bottom of the fourth, and shut out the Knights in their final four at-bats.

With one out in the bottom of the frame, sophomore Kelli Kufta hit a hard grounder through the left-side, and pinch runner Gabby Hirsch was sent to second base on a sacrifice fly by junior Chance Burden. Senior Callie Saccacio sent a fly ball into shallow center field which dropped between three Foothill players. Hirsch hustled around from second to score and make it a one-run game.

With two out in the Huntington half of the fifth, senior Anna Kufta ripped the third hit of the inning for the Oilers, a single toward the line in left-field, and sophomore Allee Bunker, who had singled to right with one out, came around from second to score the tying run.

The Oilers pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Taylor Livingston lined a lead-off single through the right-side of the infield and was sacrificed to second on a bunt out by Burden. That brought Saccacio to the plate. She sent a grounder to third and was thrown out at first. On the throw to first, Livingston broke for third. A throw across the infield to third was high and traveled into shallow left-field, and Livingston came home for the winning run.

Senior right-hander Alyssa Horeczko, who came on in relief at the outset of the sixth for starter Ivy Davis, retired the Knights in order in the sixth and ended the game on a strikeout in the seventh to complete the comeback.

“We just kept chipping away,” Forsberg said. “This team is ridiculously talented and when we put the ball in play, good things happen.

“I also thought Ivy [Davis] and Alyssa [Horeczko] were solid on the mound. Anna Kufta, our catcher, also had a great game. She’s really showing great leadership.”

The Oilers are back in action at home next Tuesday, hosting Whittier La Serna in a 6 p.m. nonleague game.

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•In other softball action: Ocean View has reached the final of the Costa Mesa Tournament. The Seahawks, defending tournament champions, ran their record to 3-1 by routing Century, 13-0, in the semifinals Saturday. Indiana Boes went three for three with a pair of singles and a double, Caitlyn Sideris had a standout game at third base, and pitcher Bre Page has given up only one earned run in the Seahawks’ three tournament games.

Ocean View, ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division 4, played University Wednesday in the tournament’s title game. The score wasn’t available at press time.

“This tournament was a great start to our season,” Ocean View Coach Liberty McCollum said. “Showed me what we need to work on more, and what needs fine-tuning.”

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Ocean View (No. 9, Division 4)