Sixth inning offensive explosion dooms Calabasas softball team

On a cold Tuesday afternoon at the Thousand Oaks softball field, the Lady Lancers suddenly turned red hot.

Leading Calabasas by two runs entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Thousand Oaks scored seven times to put a close game well out of reach for the visiting Coyotes.

TOHS pinch hitter Brooke Johnson's bases-clearing double off Lauren Davis was the biggest offensive blow during an inning that saw the Lancers send 11 batters to the plate.

Thousand Oaks' 9-0 win was the team's third consecutive victory and 11th in its last 12 games. TOHS (12-3-1, 7-1) is now tied atop the Marmonte League standings with Royal, which lost at Moorpark, 2-1, Tuesday.

Calabasas (3-9-1, 3-4-1) has dropped three straight. The Coyotes are currently in a battle with Moorpark for the league's fourth and final guaranteed playoff berth.

Thousand Oaks sophomore Brittany Reynolds pitched six innings of one-hit ball to earn the victory. Reynolds struck out four and walked four, improving her season record to 10-3.

"I didn't feel my best," Reynolds said. "But everyone made good plays behind me. Our defense really stepped up."

Calabasas right-hander Nicole Wheeler pitched five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out three. Despite the solid outing, Wheeler was saddled with the loss.

Coyote head coach Barbara Hofer said her team played well defensively early but had a few costly miscues in the Lancers' seven-run sixth inning.

"We tend to make mistakes that hurt us," Hofer said. "That's been the biggest problem for us all season. We've still got to sharpen up the defense, tighten down, and not let errors compound each other."

Although things didn't go its way on the scoreboard, Calabasas was able to turn in a pair of defensive gems during the loss.

In the fifth inning, CHS right fielder Claire Gensert caught a foul ball deep down the line and threw out Thousand Oaks pinch runner Torey Best at home plate to end the inning.

Calabasas catcher Samantha Marder concluded the sixth inning with a diving catch off a pop foul. The play drew cheers from both benches.

"Usually I don't encourage outfielders to catch foul balls with a runner on third base," Hofer said of Gensert's play. "She has an incredible arm though, and she was coming in on the ball, so she took a shot on that and luckily it worked out for us."

TOHS leadoff hitter Samantha Takeshita was 2-for-2 on the afternoon with a pair of doubles, one RBI, two walks and two runs scored. Takeshita is hitting .455 this

season and has posted an on-base percentage of .564. She ranks second on the team in both categories, trailing only catcher Marla Mathews (.476 BA, .577 OBP).

"I felt really confident at the plate," Takeshita said. "I was struggling for a little while, but then I found my groove again. I performed, so it was good."

Designated hitter Lisa Zeitlin and left fielder Kirstin Norblad had the only hits for Calabasas.

Both teams will return to the diamond today at 3:30 p.m.

Calabasas was at Westlake yesterday to take on a Warrior squad that had lost four games in a row. The Coyotes will host Newbury Park this afternoon.

Thousand Oaks will host Royal in a game that carries serious Marmonte League title implications, with the winner controlling its own destiny down the stretch in the race for the league championship.

The two Marmonte heavyweights were scheduled to play earlier in the season but the game was postponed because of rain.

Lancer head coach Gary Walin said he expects a big crowd for today's matchup against the defending CIF-SS Division I champion Highlanders.

"I think there's certainly more pressure on (Royal)," Walin said.

"It would certainly be much more of a disappointment for them not to win league then for us not to. They are expected to win.

"Our kids will be excited and ready to play."