Fountain Valley softball strikes first in key two-game set with Edison
For the past month, the Fountain Valley High softball team has figured its season would depend on the outcome of its home-and-home set against Edison.
The rivals were set to square off in the first of their Sunset League meetings on March 21, when a rainstorm inserted itself into the drama. The sides agreed to play twice in a three-day span late in the season, with the first of those contests coming Thursday.
Production from the bottom of the order proved key, as Fountain Valley earned a 3-1 road victory over Edison to keep its hopes alive for an automatic playoff berth via league play.
The Sunset League — featuring seven teams this season — will see its top four finishers clinch playoff berths. Huntington Beach (21-4, 9-1) will visit Los Alamitos (19-3, 7-1) on Monday in a game that figures to determine the league champion.
It gets crowded after that, with Marina (19-7, 7-4), Edison (14-10, 5-4) and Fountain Valley (13-9, 5-5) vying for the two remaining spots. The Barons host the Chargers on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Fountain Valley coach Rick Aldrich said his team had been talking about the importance of beating Edison since the rainout.
“It was huge,” Barons left fielder Delaney Mondino said of the win. “We wanted to win this game so bad.”
Desperate times called for aggressive maneuvers on the base paths. Mondino set the table for the top of the order with an infield single to start the seventh. She then went from first to third on a sacrifice-bunt by Kira Velasco, never breaking stride and making it with a dive.
“As I was getting to second, I was looking over at third to see if anyone was covering,” Mondino said. “There was no one there, so as I was halfway there, I saw the left fielder coming in. I just picked up the speed a little bit and then [dove] in.”
Center fielder Samantha Estrada brought her in with a single through the left side of the infield, adding to the Barons’ lead heading into the Chargers’ final at-bats.
Edison attempted to rally, getting hits from McKenna Prijatel and Amanda Johansen to bring the winning run to the plate. Emme Fischer, who had hit a line-hugging homer to left to tie the score at 1-1 in the fourth, represented the winning run, but Courtney Kols struck her out. Pinch hitter Sienna Rievley grounded to first to end the game.
Jenna Bixler, Marissa Sardinas and Mondino, the bottom three in the order, each scored a run for the Barons. Fountain Valley opened the scoring without the benefit of a hit in the third. Bixler walked, stole second, advanced to third on a flyout by Sardinas, and came home on Mondino’s groundout to Edison shortstop Sara Witt.
The Barons would also have an immediate answer following the Fischer home run, her second of the season.
Sardinas ended up with a hustle double after banging a ball off the wall to lead off the fifth. Center fielder Jadyn Booth played the carom well, but Sardinas slid in underneath the tag.
Mondino made another productive out with a ground ball to the right side, and Velasco scored Sardinas with a flyout to shallow right field.
“I had to clear my mind,” Sardinas said of leading off the inning after the score had been tied. “I had to soften my hands. I just had to think ‘middle, middle, middle.’ I just was looking for a single, anything just to help out my team, anything just to get a run.”
Kols held the Chargers to one run on nine hits. She struck out three and walked one.
Witt had two doubles and a diving catch to rob Sardinas of a base hit with the bases loaded in the sixth. Booth also had two hits for Edison.
“It was a great game,” Edison coach Mandee Farish said. “I can’t be that upset. Obviously, I don’t like to lose, but all in all, it was a good game, a hard-fought game by both teams. You can see the intensity. That’s what I think both teams brought was simply really good intensity, and I’m excited for Saturday to see what happens.”
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