Marina getting the job done

Huntington Beach at Best of West Tournament: The Huntington Beach High softball team traveled to Santa Maria last week to compete in the prestigious Best of the West Softball tournament. Teams from Kentucky, Arizona, Nevada and California were represented, and the Oilers went 4-1 to win the Silver Group championship.

Huntington Beach Coach Jeff Forsberg is focused on growing the program, and his team took major strides in this tournament. On Monday, Huntington lost its first game 1-0 to Alemany High School in a international tie-breaker. In the second round-robin group contest, H.B. defeated Seton Hall of Arizona, 2-1, in another gut-wrenching international tie-breaker. Freshman Justice Walker bunted freshman Jillian Martinez to third, then Martinez beat the throw home on a fielder’s choice RBI by senior Meghan White, who had induced a pickle run-down between first and second base.

Senior pitcher Amanda Horowitz pitched both games, totaling 20 strikeouts and allowing no walks.

On Tuesday, H.B. won consecutive games against Buena High of Ventura, 9-4, and Damonte Ranch of Reno, 5-2. Freshman pitcher Raegan Zschach went the distance against Buena, scattering five hits with three strikeouts. Walker went one for three with a triple, and Lauren Stuhr had two RBI singles. White and Vicky Galasso had two hits apiece. Freshman Tamra Hartmann tallied her first varsity single and RBI. Sophomore Sam Santopaolo went one for two with an RBI. Against Damonte Ranch, Horowitz earned the win with eight strikeouts, helping her cause by going three for three with two RBIs. Senior Courtney Dial went 1-3 and scored twice.

On Wednesday, Huntington played Downey High in the Silver Championship game and won in a thriller, 3-2, in eight innings. Forsberg started freshman Zschach, and she did not flinch, pitching five innings and allowing two unearned runs. Walker earned an assist, throwing out a Downey runner out at home who was trying to score from second in the second inning. Horowitz relieved Zschach in the top of the sixth and from that point shut down the powerful Downey lineup. H.B. was down 2-0 in the bottom of the final inning with two outs and two strikes on Dial, who then laced a clutch single to center. Notre Dame-bound Stuhr then promptly drove a line drive over the right fielder’s head and circled the bases for a two-run inside the park home-run to tie the game.