Huntington Beach softball shuts out Marina, repeats as Surf League champions

Huntington Beach's Zoe Prystajko pitches during a Surf League softball game against Marina on Tuesday.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

April 20, 2022 4:52 PM PT

On an afternoon not unlike many before it at Marina High School, the wind rushed and swirled around the softball field Tuesday, knocking down any fly ball that might otherwise have threatened the fence.

Small ball became the name of the game, and it was Huntington Beach that was able to get the key hit to come away with a 1-0 victory over Marina to earn at least a share of its second consecutive Surf League softball championship.

Huntington Beach (16-6, 8-0) then beat Los Alamitos (19-7, 4-3) at home on Wednesday to clinch the outright league title. The Oilers, ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, swept the season series between the sides.

Huntington Beach's Sophia Knight scores on a single by Jaylene Duarte in the fifth inning against Marina on Tuesday.

Shortstop Jaylene Duarte drove in Sophia Knight with a two-out, opposite-field single to right in the fifth inning, supplying the lone offensive tally against the blustery conditions and the sharp defenses to match.

Knight looked to make something happen after collecting her third hit of the game, in which the Oilers’ center fielder went three for three with an intentional walk out of the leadoff spot. She stole second base, giving Duarte the chance to bring her home.

“I’m scoring,” Knight said of her thoughts when the ball came off Duarte’s bat.

Huntington Beach's Jaylene Duarte singles to right field in the fifth inning against Marina on Tuesday.

Sophomore ace Zoe Prystajko threw a complete-game shutout with five strikeouts. She allowed three hits, none of which came after the Oilers took the lead. The left-hander had a jam to work out of in the sixth inning after she hit Rylee Gonzalez with a pitch and walked Haylee Orozco, but she ended the frame by getting Rachel Ruiz to ground out to Duarte.

“I think we’re all excited to just finish out the season strong,” Prystajko said. “We have a big senior class, and [Wednesday] is our senior night, but we’re going to play hard for the rest of our [season].”

Prystajko also went two for three offensively, roping a double inside the left-field line in the fourth and picking up an infield single in the sixth.

Huntington Beach's Zoe Prystajko gestures to the dugout after hitting a double in the fourth inning on Tuesday.

Heather Nugent opposed Prystajko in the pitching circle, tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing just the one run. She worked around six hits and three walks in the outing.

Marina (10-14, 2-6) had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Zoe King led off with a line-drive single to right. After Orozco advanced her to second base with a bunt, Preslee Brower came on for King as a courtesy runner.

With two outs in the inning, Isabella Watts hit the ball well to the left side of the infield, but it caught a piece of Brower, who was called out running from second to third on the play.

Marina's Heather Nugent pitches to Huntington Beach's Carter Mello during a Surf League softball game on Tuesday.

In a game that did not feature an error in the field, both defenses executed well, especially rotating around the first-base bag on bunting plays.

“The wind, when you look here, you’ve got one flag going this way and the other flag is going the other way,” Huntington Beach coach Jeff Forsberg said of the small-ball style played by both teams. “… We’ve got Zoe, and one run is like 10 runs [with her].”

Annaliah Lummus, King and Watts had the hits for Marina, which lost 5-3 to Edison (6-17, 1-6) on Wednesday.