Petrie Shines Again, Teammates Do Too

Mary Petrie, Bolsa Grande’s Auburn-bound pitcher, turned in one of her typical performances Thursday in the circle and at the plate.

And though the word in the softball community is that Bolsa Grande is a one-person team, that wasn’t apparent in the Matadors’ 3-1 Garden Grove League victory over Garden Grove at Mark Twain Special School--despite Petrie’s numbers.

She drove in all three runs and improved her record to 14-6, but she got an assist. Actually, she got several assists: left fielder Katie Brunner threw out a runner at third base; catcher Tiffany Houston threw out two runners trying to steal second; and second baseman LaKisha Houston made a diving backhand stab on a ball headed up the middle and got a force out at second base.

They would typically go unnoticed compared to Petrie’s two doubles to drive in all three runs, including her two-run shot to the left-center field alley in the top of the seventh inning.

Tiffany Houston, a senior, said she and her teammates have had a history of relying too much on Petrie.

“Early in the season, it was ‘Mary, Mary, Mary,’ ” Houston said. “Now, it’s more of everybody getting involved. Everyone has tried to pick up their game so the pressure doesn’t fall on Mary all the time. We want to take the pressure off of her.

“But she always comes through.”

Petrie, too, knows the public perception about Bolsa Grande (14-8, 6-2) riding her left arm into a second-place tie with Garden Grove (11-13, 6-2). She struck out nine; her 166 total is second only to Pacifica’s Amanda Freed.

“At first, I didn’t want everyone to depend on me,” she said, “but it makes me work harder.”

And she had to work hard against the Argonauts, who started the game with four consecutive singles, but got only one run. Petrie gave up four hits the next six innings, and got some timely plays. Perhaps none was bigger than Houston throwing out Jennifer Weiss at second base in the fifth inning because three pitches later, losing pitcher Kathy Moore (5-4) doubled (her third hit).

Bolsa Grande had tied the score in the top of the fifth on an error and Petrie’s double to the right field fence.

Moore, who will play next year at New Mexico, made a critical error in the seventh. With runners at second and third after an infield single, walk and sacrifice bunt, she walked LaKisha Houston to load the bases.

That meant she had to give Petrie something to hit. And Petrie drilled it.

In other Garden Grove League games:

Pacifica 8, Rancho Alamitos 0--Amanda Freed pitched her second perfect game and fifth no-hitter of the season for top-ranked Pacifica (22-1-1, 9-0).

Freed (13-0-1) struck out 15 to improve her county-leading total to 171.

La Quinta 6, Los Amigos 1--Heidi Foster, Veronica Reyes and Jaclyn Fredrickson each hit home runs for La Quinta (2-6 in league).