Jennifer Brundage

School: Irvine High

Sport: Softball

Position: Pitcher

Class: Senior

The importance of Brundage to the Vaqueros was never more evident than in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs. She allowed only one run--in the seventh inning of a 5-1 quarterfinal victory over Lakewood--in five playoff games, assuring Irvine of its first Southern Section softball championship. In the semifinal and final last week, Brundage pitched two two-hit shutouts as Irvine defeated Fontana, 2-0, and Foothill, 1-0. She struck out 10 Foothill batters and finished her final high school season with a 21-2 record, an earned-run average of 0.10 and 223 strikeouts. But Brundage’s performance in the championship game went beyond pitching. In the first inning, she hit a deep fly that fell behind the left fielder for a two-base error and later scored the game’s only run. Some questioned whether her hit should have been ruled an error, but Brundage, who will play next year at UCLA, isn’t concerned. “I’ll take it either way,” she said. “We still got the run. It really wasn’t important how we got it.”

Other top performers:

Carrie Garritson, a Sunny Hills freshman who finished fifth in the 3,200 meters in the State meet in 10 minutes 39.17 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in county history.

Leeann Gonzalez, who pitched a three-hit shutout in Foothill’s 1-0 victory over Charter Oak in a 4-A semifinal and allowed one hit in the Knights’ 1-0 loss to Irvine in the final.

Melissa McDonald, who finished fourth in the triple jump (38 feet 6 3/4 inches) and seventh in the high jump (5-6) for Mater Dei at the State championships.

Amber Parkinson, an Orange Lutheran sophomore who outkicked Garritson to finish fourth in the 3,200 in 10:38.80, the fourth fastest time in county history.