CHANGES PAY OFF FOR VIKING JV
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(3/25/08 Chico, CA) Some lineup changes in the fourth inning helped the Pleasant Valley junior varsity softball team come back to take an 8-4 win over Oroville Tuesday at Rex Murphy Field.
 
The Tigers got their first run across in the top of the first inning when a passed ball strikeout by Chelsea Sperling allowed Catie Iverson to come home. They would add another run in the top of the second inning when a groundout by Paige Ielati allowed Katelynn Milligan to score. The Vikings had a scoring opportunity vanish in the bottom of the second when Marisha Daniels' groundout left the bases loaded.
 
Oroville went up 4-0 in the top of the third inning as Sperling made it to first base on a throwing error that enabled Brittany Soli and Iverson to cross home plate. Tori Urrutia took over the pitching for PV in the top of the fourth inning and proceeded to strike out the side in order. The Vikings' first runs came in the bottom of the fourth when an error after Michaela Simmons was retired allowed Karli Brownfield and Kaitlyn Fisher to come home. Pleasant Valley pulled within a run later that same inning when a triple by Alicia McMorrow drove in Kaitlyn Breneman.
 
The Vikings tied the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning at 4-4 when a double by Fisher brought in Brownfield. They took the lead when Fisher came home on a single by Breneman. A single from Daniels enabled Breneman to score. The PV scoring was capped off with a double by Bailee Lougee that allowed McMorrow and Daniels to reach home plate.
 
The Vikings had a chance to add more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but a lineout by Breneman left Fisher and Simmons stranded. The Tigers were held without a baserunner until the top of the seventh inning, but neither Linda Rowlinson nor Soli made it home as Jessica Findlay struck out to end the game.
 
Urrutia went 2-for-3 for Pleasant Valley with a pair of singles. As the designated runner for Urrutia, Brownfield scored twice. Fisher was 3-for-3 with a pair of singles, a double, an RBI, and scored twice. Iverson went 2-for-3 for Oroville with a double, a single, and scored twice.
 
Lyndsie Lawry pitched three innings for the Vikings, allowing four runs, two hits, striking out three, and walking one. Urrutia pitched the remaining four innings and allowed two hits, while striking out eight. Ielati pitched the entire game for the Tigers and gave up eight runs, nine hits, struck out three, and walked one.