Marina pulls off upset, moves on

Amanda Cordeiro has been red-hot in the first week of the postseason.

On Tuesday, Cordeiro got off to a slow offensive start in a CIF Division 1 softball game against Pacifica of Garden Grove but with the outcome of the second-round match still in doubt and her team’s season hanging in the balance, the junior delivered a scorcher that changed the game.

Cordeiro came up with a bases-loaded single to center field that drove in two runs and gave the host Vikings the lead for good and sent them on their way to a 4-1 victory over the Empire League champion (24-3), which had a 17-game win streak snapped.

The score was tied at 1 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Cordeiro connected on an outside pitch from Mariners pitcher Kaylee Carlson and ignited a three-run inning for the Vikings.

“My coaches came up to me and said, ‘you’re due,’ ” said Cordeiro, who had two hits Friday when Marina won, 4-2, in a first-round game at Redlands. “When I hit it, it felt great and I knew we’d score. I was just happy to be able to contribute.”

The victory sends Marina, which tied for second with Edison in the Sunset League but is the league’s No. 3 entry in the playoffs, into a quarterfinal game Thursday. The Vikings (21-6-1) will host Santiago of Corona, winner of the Big VIII League title, at 3:15 p.m.

The Sharks on Tuesday were a 6-2 second-round winner over West Ranch (Foothill No. 2).

“I’m so proud of this team,” Marina Coach Shelly Luth said. “The girls are playing solid softball and really are showing confidence. Earlier in the season, we had trouble closing games. Now, we’re playing to the end, all 21 outs.”

Senior Jamie Sullivan gave the Vikings a shot of adrenaline by roping a double up the left-center field gap to lead off the Marina sixth. Tera Blanco drew a walk and Kristen Struett hit a grounder to third base that the Mariners misplayed on a throw to second, which loaded the bases. One out after Cordeiro’s two-run single had put the Vikings in the lead, her younger sister, Keala, dropped a single into shallow right field that scored Struett to make it 4-1.

Keala Cordeiro, who impressed Luth in practice toward the end of the regular season, has been the Vikings’ designated hitter during the playoffs.

Blanco went the distance for the win and ran her record to 18-6. Luth said the freshman will start Thursday against Santiago.

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Ocean View reaches quarterfinals

Ocean View moved on to the quarterfinal round of the Division 4 playoffs Tuesday by blanking host San Dimas, 6-0. It was the second 6-0 playoff win in two games for the Seahawks, who began the postseason May 19 with a 6-0 home win over Hawthorne.

Ocean View, the No. 2 team out of the Golden West League, hosts Channel League champion Dos Pueblos at 3:15 p.m. Thursday. The Chargers on Tuesday eliminated Whittier Christian (Olympic No. 2), 3-0.

In Tuesday’s win over Valle Vista League champ San Dimas, Ocean View jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first and went out to rout the Saints. The Seahawks had 15 hits, with Celine Fuentes and Kristen Nance leading the charge with three hits each. Sarah Craig, Brittany Hitchcock and Erika Jason each had two hits. Brittany Hitchcock kept the Saints’ powerful offense “off-balanced” and combined with a strong defense, pitched a shutout,” Seahawks Coach Mike McLaughlan said.

In the 6-0 win May 19 over Hawthorne (Ocean No. 2), Ocean View’s entire lineup contributed to a nine-hit attack. Fuentes and Emily Long each had two hits and Hitchcock threw a one-hit shutout.

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Season ends for Chargers

Edison, the No. 2 team from the Sunset League, had its season come to an end Friday in 10-1 Division 1 first-round home loss to Valencia of Valencia (Foothill No. 3). Jessica Plaza homered in the bottom of the seventh for the Chargers, who end the year 24-7.