High-Tides dominate tourney field

The High-Tides had a first last weekend as they scored often and

rolled past five opponents to win the Sea Breeze Tournament in Carlsbad.

It was the first tournament title of the 2002 season for the

Huntington Beach Girls Softball under-14 Division squad, which won the

crown by defeating Oceanside, 9-1, in the tournament final.

The High-Tides went 5-0 in the tournament and breezed past the

competition, outscoring those foes, 35-8.

“Everyone had a part in this championship,” coach Paul Fuzzard said.

“I’ve never coached such a group of girls, where the team came first.”

The only bumps in the High-Tides’ road to the title came in their

first two outings.

They found themselves down, 1-0, to Laguna Niguel in the seventh

inning in their opener. Hitless going into their final at-bat, the

High-Tides came alive. Kaitlin Potter began the frame with a walk and was

followed by consecutive bunt singles by Christina Hart and Heather

Langner.

One out later, and the bases loaded, Eryika Rodriguez looped a short

hit into left field, scoring Potter to tie the game. After Langner was

forced at third for the second out, Kara Rutkin doubled into right field,

scoring Hart and Rodriguez for a 3-1 advantage.

Given a two-run cushion, Michelle Fuzzard retired the side in the

seventh inning on three ground outs to the mound, which ended the game.

Fuzzard finished a terrific pitching stint with seven strikeouts and

three hits. She was backed by a defense that committed just two errors,

and catcher Alyssa Cooney picked off a runner at third base.

Next came a showdown with San Dieguito and once again, the High-Tides

found themselves down a run in the seventh inning.

Trailing 4-3, Langner and Rodriguez each singled, Chelsea Coffman had

a sacrifice and Rutkin delivered a run-scoring hit, as the High-Tides

rallied to pull out a 6-4 victory.

Rutkin allowed five hits and picked up a pitching win in game No. 3, a

13-1 rout of Laguna Niguel. Langner tripled and Elaine Johnson and

Courtney Krueger each had key hits.

The High-Tides and Laguna Niguel meet again in the next game, and a

triple by Coffman, a single by Rutkin and a double by Fuzzard translated

to a quick, 2-0 High-Tides lead.

Coffman finished with three hits, Rutkin had two RBI, Cooney had an

RBI single, and Fuzzard allowed only two hits in what amounted to a 5-2

win.

In the championship final, the High-Tides went up against an Oceanside

team that had yielded just seven runs in its previous four games. But the

High-Tides went on to post nine runs off a 16-hit attack that featured

three hits each by Coffman and Rodriguez, two by Rutkin, Potter and

Jordan, and one each by Hart, Langner, Fuzzard and Johnson.

Fuzzard once again nabbed the pitching win, scattering three hits.