Patriots make history

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers GREAT EMBRACE- Viewpoint junior Sabrina Jones, left, and sophomore T.J. Barry jump for joy after winning the CIF-SS Division VII softball championship against Faith Baptist at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on Saturday. The Patriots prevailed, 2-1. It turns out the third time really can be the charm.

On Saturday afternoon at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, the Viewpoint softball team defeated Liberty League rival Faith Baptist 21 for the CIFSouthern Section Division VII championship.

The game was the third meeting between the two teams this season, with Viewpoint winning two of three.

The softball championship was the first in Viewpoint history.

"This is really exciting for us, but even more for the girls," cohead coach Kelly Toovey said. "It shows that if you work hard and want something badly enough, you can get it."

Junior Brooke Berka, who went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk, said the Patriots were very prepared going into the championship.

"We worked hard all week in practice, and our coaches did a good job of scouting for us," Berka said. "By game time, we knew all the pitches their hitters liked and everything their pitcher liked to throw."

Being prepared was one factor that led to victory; another was the play of Viewpoint starting pitcher Michelle Lesser.

Lesser was dominant, allowing only one hit in seven innings while striking out four in a complete game win.

The junior only needed 77 pitches, 52 of which went for strikes, to get the victory.

"I guess, since we won, I could say I was impressed with my pitching performance," Lesser said. "But I did give up three walks, and I didn't have the command that I usually have."

The only hit Lesser surrendered came on an infield single in the third inning by Faith Baptist's Cherith Simmons that drove in Julieanne Rasmussen to even the score at 1-1.

While Lesser performed well in the circle, her biggest impact came at the plate.

With the game still deadlocked at one in the bottom of the sixth, Lesser hit a one-out triple to the gap in right-center field.

After Berka walked, Lesser scored the goahead run on a dribbler hit in front of the mound by Viewpoint sophomore Kelsey Kaplan.

Kaplan "has done it before and is known for bringing in key runs," Lesser said. "I knew it was risky going home on the play, and I knew it was going to be a close play at the plate, but it was a tie game, and I felt we had nothing to lose."

With senior Trinity Cuff pitching well for Faith Baptist, Kaplan said she was just trying to make contact at the plate.

"It was an inside pitch, and I just kind of threw my hands at the ball," Kaplan said. "All I wanted to do was put the ball in play."

With a 2-1 lead, Lesser had no problem getting the last three outs in the seventh to secure the game. When Lesser got Osose Oboh to line out to Patriot first baseman Olivia Vaccaro, Viewpoint had their first championship.

"Winning the title feels great," Berka said. "We worked so hard to get here, and we had really good coaching. We knew that we were a good team, and we knew Faith Baptist was a good team coming into today. It was just going to come down to who made the fewest mistakes."

Pam Oseransky, the team's cohead coach was thrilled to finally have a championship after nine years at Viewpoint.

"This is the best team I've ever had, talent-wise," Oseransky said. "I'm so happy for them, and I'm so happy that it was a good solid softball game. I think both teams represented the Liberty League very well."

While Viewpoint may have won the CIF banner, the best may be still to come for the Patriots. Of the 12 players on Viewpoint's roster, only one, senior Crystal Allaf, will graduate.

"You haven't seen the last of us," junior Sabrina Jones said. "That's for sure."