Marina softball strikes last, stuns Edison in Surf League opener

Marina's Rachel Ruiz (9) is all smiles after hitting a double during a Surf League softball opener against Edison.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

March 23, 2022 4:40 PM PT

It is unclear when adversity may strike, but it is near certain to make its presence known within the course of a season.

For the Marina High School softball team, it happened in the fourth inning of its Surf League opener on Tuesday. As she rounded third base, Averie Prescott suffered a right knee injury and had to leave the game.

The Vikings fought for their teammate, with Prescott’s replacement in the lineup, Dempsey Wood, delivering a big hit in a big moment.

Wood drove in the tying run in the seventh inning, and visiting Marina scored twice in its last at-bats to stun Edison.

Marina shortstop Annaliah Lummus, left, catches a throw by catcher Zoe King (not pictured) for a force out.

A one-out single by Makayla Mathis got the rally started for Marina (7-5), which is ranked No. 10 in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 poll. Zoe King and Haylee Orozco followed with walks to load the bases.

Wood then sent a soft line drive over third base to tie the score at 5-5, and with two outs in the inning, Rachel Ruiz drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run.

“What was going through my mind was like, ‘Averie’s down, so I got to do this for Averie,’” Wood said. “Just do it for her, basically. In my head, I knew that I had to hit it hard somewhere, because it was bases loaded with only one out, so I just knew that wherever I hit it, I had to get it in a gap where a run could score.”

Edison (4-9) had gone ahead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, courtesy of a two-run double by McKenna Prijatel. It was the second extra-base hit of the game for Prijatel, who gave Edison its third and final lead of the game in the back-and-forth affair.

Edison shortstop Kaitlyn Reynolds ends a bases-loaded threat as she scoops and lobs to second for an out to end the inning.

“It was a well-fought game,” Edison coach Mandee Farish said. “[McKenna] did awesome — two doubles, some [runs batted in]. Clutch, timely hitting for us, but unfortunately, a couple untimely errors that cost a couple runs.

“Super proud of the girls. They came back and fought, kept coming back in different situations, and that’s all we ask them to do on a daily basis is come out here and compete and play the best softball they can, and we’ll see what happens.”

Jadyn Booth had also provided the Chargers with a 3-2 lead in the third, dropping a single in over the left side of the infield to drive in a run. Edison scored the game’s first run in the opening frame when Prijatel came home on a groundout by Kaitlyn Reynolds.

With the game hanging in the balance, Marina pitcher Heather Nugent did something she had not done all afternoon: Her first strikeout of the complete-game performance ended the contest with two runners in scoring position.

Marina pitcher Heather Nugent winds up against Edison on Tuesday.

“I was just really trying to not put the ball too far over the plate,” Nugent said. “Just see if she could swing and miss, or just put the ball as a slow grounder, and then we could let the fielders get the last out. It was really Zoe behind the plate just keeping me in the zone and keeping the ball low.”

Marina co-coaches Dan Hay and Shelly Luth had made the decision to intentionally walk Edison catcher Amanda Johansen, who had two hits, with the tying run at second base. It directly preceded Nugent’s strikeout.

“We don’t hesitate to do that because we have a pitcher on the mound that hits her spots, and if they put it in play, we’ve got a chance at any base,” Luth said. “[Reynolds] is a very good running player. She’s a seasoned player. She’s going to score. She was taking a lead halfway to third base. She would have scored on a grounder had it gotten through the infield, so percentages.”

Marina's Coral Piramo rounds third for a run at home during a Surf League softball opener against Edison on Tuesday.

The Vikings held their first lead at 2-1 in the third via a run-scoring single from Mathis. They went in front again, 4-3, in the fifth on King’s flare just beyond the reach of Sara Witt, the Edison second baseman.

Coral Piramo walked twice and scored two runs for Marina, and Annaliah Lummus had a hit and a run scored.

Luth said Prescott was scheduled to get an MRI on Wednesday.