Woodbridge tops Beckman 5-1 and keeps Patriots from celebrating title for a day

Woodbridge players come off the field after Thursday’s victory (Photos Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Woodbridge High’s softball team made sure that league-leading Beckman couldn’t celebrate a Pacific Coast League title just yet.

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The Warriors had perhaps their best effort of the season Thursday afternoon defeating Beckman 5-1 in a Pacific Coast League game at Bill Barber Park.

Beckman (7-1) could have wrapped up a share of the title with a victory. But Woodbridge (6-2) prevented that and remained one game back in the league standings with one week left. Woodbridge has won the last two PCL titles.

Beckman (14-10 overall) will try and wrap up the crown Monday at Northwood.

“That was probably the best, cleanest game of the entire year, especially against a quality team like that,” said Woodbridge Coach Jerry Rose. “That’s the measurement. We’ve had good games but to measure ourselves against the eventual league champs at this point and the way the last game turned out was a great measuring stick as we head into the final week and get ready for CIF.”

Rose said the victory helped the Warriors clinch second place.

“Technically we’re still in the hunt (for first) but it also gives us a clean mathematical shot at second place which gets us to CIF, which is always the goal,” Rose said.

Woodbridge (11-12-1 overall) settled the issue early, scoring three runs in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Cadee Wiviott was hit by a pitch and Taylor Wojciechowski singled. Wiviott later scored on a wild pitch and Hayley Mihut, who reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on a single by Ashlee Laver.

Then Kaylei Bambridge drove home Jordan Martinez, who singled, with the third run.

In the second inning, Kate Lim belted her sixth home run of the year driving in Wojciechowski, who reached on a fielder’s choice, to put the Warriors ahead 5-0.

After that, the Warriors looked to Laver to close it out on the mound. She went the distance and struck out six while allowing five hits and one unearned run.

“Ashlee pitched phenomenal again today,” Rose said. “There have been a few games this year that she’s been locked in. That’s a quality hitting team. They don’t ever give up an at bat throughout their lineup.”

In the last 14 innings against Northwood and Beckman, Laver has struck out 13 and given up just six hits and no earned runs. Laver has struck out 114 in 123 innings.

Beckman broke the shutout bid in the sixth inning. Madison Simon reached on a fielder’s choice, stole third and came around to score on an error.

Leadoff hitter Megan Mikami had two of the hits for Beckman, including a triple in the seventh inning but Laver was able to work out of trouble.

“Congratulations to Woodbridge, they came out with a lot of energy and Ashlee pitched a great game,” said Beckman Coach Lou Simon. “They were certainly more determined to take this game.

“A lot of the energy was worn out from yesterday’s Irvine game. It was quite an emotional game, a 2-1 victory over Irvine and going three days in a row just took some steam out of these girls. Now we just have to regroup. They have to have a lot more energy going into the game.

“It’s the little things that make a big difference. They came up with three runs early which obviously put us in a deep hole and it was hard for us to catch up at that point.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com