JV softball captures championship
The Ramona High School junior varsity softball team earned the Valley League championship. To do so they had to overcome hardships, turn a triple play and pitch a perfect game.
The Dawgs ended the season with a 16-7 record and went 11-1 in Valley League play.
Going into the final week of play, Ramona trailed Westview High School by one game. Ramona had lost its first meeting to the Wolverines at home and had to travel to Westview for the showdown. A loss would have eliminated the Lady Dawgs from a chance at the league crown.
To complicate matters, Ramona’s number one pitcher, Brooke Brean, was called up to the varsity. Kalani Brinkoetter went the distance.
The Lady Dawgs got a three-run lead in the third inning and added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning and another run in the fifth.
Westview made it a 7-5 game in the bottom of the fifth. Westview opened the bottom of the seventh and final inning. The Wolverine leadoff hitter in the inning hit a home run to make it a 7-6 game. The Wolverines then loaded the bases with no outs.
“It didn’t look in Mudville for the Lady Bulldogs,” said Coach Eddie Brisendine as he reconstructed the inning.
With the bases full, Brinkoetter’s first pitch was hit “like a missile” to deep right center field. Alexis “Tex” Sharpe raced to the ball and made a running catch. Tex then fired a strike to Kim Whelehon, who fired a strike to catcher Kansandra “Bridge” Toll.
The umpire called the runner safe for the apparent tying run. Tool then alertly threw the ball to third and caught a Westview runner trying to advance to third.
At that point, Briz knew that a tie game was just as bad as a loss, since no extra innings are played on lower level games.
Briz then got some help from the Ramona parents and fans. They noticed that the Westview runner did not tag after the ball was caught. Briz then instructed Brinkoetter how to appeal the play. She did so by throwing to Ashley Houts at third base and the alert umpire noticed the base running mistake and called the tying run out.
The triple play with the bases loaded ended the game and gave Ramona a share of the Valley League crown.
“When they loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, Coach Briz and I just looked at each other,” said Assistant Coach Jason Matthews. “Our girls found a way to win the game. That crazy play happened and a week later we are still shaking our heads.”
With no rest, Brinkoetter faced the Oceanside Pirates on the final day of the season.
“Not only did she win her second game in two days, she threw a perfect game (She retired every Oceanside batter without allowing a hit or a base runner.),” said Briz. “In two days, I got to watch an incredible triple play and a perfect game. What a wild way to win a championship.”
Congratulations to Brooke Brean, Kalani Brinkoetter, Savannah Goodson, Alexis Hogan, Ashley Houts, Lindsey Massoth, Alyssa Niedens, Kylie Peinarsch, Alexis Sharpe, Kassandra Toll, Emily Vandervort and Kim Whelehon, the 2009 Junior Varsity Valley League Champions. They never gave up.