Brundage Bears Down With Riser

Although Jennifer Brundage’s strikeout pitch was inconsistent throughout the season, it rose to the occasion Friday night at Mayfair Park.

“My riser has been working on and off for me this year,” Brundage said. “I’m just glad it was working tonight.”

Brundage struck out 10, tossing a two-hit shutout to give Irvine its first Southern Section 4-A softball championship.

“That’s the way she’s pitched all year long,” Irvine coach Lisa Limp said. “(Foothill batters) were nibbling at Jennifer’s pitches tonight and she was throwing hard. She was mixing it up well.”

Brundage finished the season by allowing only one run in 44 playoff innings. In four of her five starts in the playoffs, Brundage threw shutouts.

Brundage did not completely dominate Foothill. The Knights put runners in scoring position in each of the middle five innings. But Brundage fired her riser to escape each potential rally with a strikeout.

After an error by shortstop Brandi Armstrong put the potential tying run on base, Brundage proceeded to strike out Julie Ehret, then leadoff hitter Melissa Wielandt.

“(Wielandt) was the one-hitter we really wanted Jennifer to squeeze,” Limp said.

Brundage put the squeeze on Foothill’s freshman left fielder Julie Metzger, striking her out three times. Brundage also hit a fly ball to left field in the first inning which Metzger couldn’t handle, and the Irvine senior eventually came around to score the game’s only run.

“After we took the lead, I just really wanted to make sure and keep it,” Brundage said.

“She was under control tonight, and was throwing pretty hard,” Irvine catcher Lisa Goodwin said. “That was pretty much her routine, just to try and trick ‘em with the riser.”

Brundage finished the season with a 21-2 record, and 223 strikeouts to go along with an earned run average near 0.10. She will play for UCLA next year probably as an outfielder.

“I was actually pretty relaxed tonight,” Brundage said. “I just kept thinking to myself that even if we lost, we would still be the second best team in all of 4-A.

“Not many people can say that,” Brundage said.

And not many people can say that they led their team to its first softball championship.