Garcia Pitches Marina to Win

Ramona Garcia has become Marina’s ace this season, and she was dominant Thursday against Dana Hills in the Saddleback Valley tournament championship game.

Garcia (5-1) pitched a two-hit shutout and struck out five batters as she led No. 10 Marina to a 1-0 victory over Dana Hills at Alicia Park.

She retired 18 consecutive batters between the first and seventh innings.

Her counterpart, Dana Hills pitcher Candice Rainwater (3-2), kept the game close, striking out six. However, it took only one bad inning--the third--for Marina to capitalize.

Rainwater retired the first two batters, but Carrie Hagen doubled, stole third and scored on Jamie McGraw’s single, giving the Vikings (6-1) a 1-0 lead.

“They just got the timely hits and capitalized on our little mistakes,” Dana Hills Coach Margo Melendrez said. “We felt we could hit [Garcia], we just weren’t seeing the ball well tonight.”