Softball: Late Arrivals Make Difference in 2-0 Amador Win

Amador Valley 2, California 0

Records: Amador Valley 11-3, 6-1 EBAL; California 12-4, 6-3.

The Star: Amador pitcher Haley Douglas pitched eight scoreless innings and allowed just four hits to pick up the win.

The Turning Point: Maggi Horn arrived at the end of the sixth inning after taking an advanced placement test which ran until 5 p.m. (The game started at 4).  In her first at-bat in the eighth inning, Horn hit a double to the gap in left center to score pinch runner Kiera Melton, who also arrived late due to testing.

The Quote: "(Horn's) mindset is actually pretty impressive," Amador coach Julie Marshall said. "She took a three hour test, then took about three warm-up swings to get ready for that at bat."

Who's Next? Amador hosts San Ramon Valley Thursday at 4 p.m. and  Cal hosts Foothill on Thursday at 4 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Amador increases its lead over Cal to two games in the loss column — Amador will make up its game against Foothill on May 12.

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Before Amador Valley catcher Maggi Horn arrived at Tuesday's East Bay Athletic League softball game at California, the Dons' offense was no where to be found.

Amador was hitless through six innings against Cal's Brittany Wright and hadn't advanced a runner past second base all game.

After finishing an Advanced Placement statistics test at 5 p.m., Horn, along with Macy Masajlo and Kiera Melton, made the trek from Amador to Cal and arrived just as the sixth inning came to a close.

At first it was unclear if she would even play. She looked at Amador coach Julie Marshall as if to say "Should I go in?"

Marshall asked if she was ready and after getting confirmation from Horn, Marsahll shook her head yes.

Katie Echavia broke up Wright's no-hit bid in the seventh, but the game remained scoreless into the eighth.

Zoe Price led off with a single and Melton was inserted as a pinch runner. After Masajlo bunted Melton to second, Horn stepped in and launched an RBI double to the wall in left center.

"(Horn's) mindset is actually pretty impressive," Amador coach Julie Marshall said. "She took a three-hour test, then took about three warm-up swings to get ready for that at bat. It shows what great character she has."

Krista Williams followed with a double two batters later to score Horn and the 2-0 lead was more than enough for pitcher Haley Douglas, who allowed just four hits in the complete-game shutout.

The Dons came into the game even with Cal in the EBAL standings, but now lead by two games in the loss column.

The win comes on the heels of a 15-14 win against Monte Vista on Thursday, in which Douglas was out of the game by the fourth inning.

"(Monte Vista) was just hitting really well it that game, Haley was making good pitches," Marshall said. "She's pitching well and found her groove today."

Douglas has a full-ride scholarship waiting for her to pitch at the University of Central Florida next year. 

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Amador Valley 2, California 0

Amador Valley (11-3, 6-1) 000 000 02— 2 4 0
Cal (12-4, 6-3) 000 000 00— 0 4 1

Amador (ab-r-h)— Williams 3-0-1, Heller 3-0-0, Bloom 3-0-0, Echavia 3-0-1, Borchard 3-0-0, Price 3-0-1, Melton 0-1-0, Douglas 2-0-0, Masajlo 0-0-0, Quesinberry 1-0-0, Horn 1-1-1, Fromson 2-0-0. 
Monte Vista (ab-r-h)— Niedzwecki 4-0-2, Catson 4-0-0, Fowler 3-0-0, Gomm 2-0-0, Wright 3-0-1, Nisbet 2-0-0, Duffy 3-0-1, Mosser 3-0-0, Cooper 3-0-0.

Pitching 
Amador — Douglas 8 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 7 K, 2 BB.
Cal— Wright 7.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 8 K, 0 BB; Cade 0.1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 K, 0 BB.

Batting 
2B — Horn (AV), Williams (MV). RBI — Horn, Williams.