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Mia Tamkoc pitched a no-hitter for Woodbridge Saturday. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
After a great start Saturday in the Alan Dugard Tournament that included two victories and a no-hitter by pitcher Mia Tamkoc, Woodbridge’s softball squad lost to Palos Verdes 8-0 Monday in a gold division game at Deanna Manning Stadium.
Woodbridge (4-5-1) was unable to get a hit off Palos Verdes pitcher Daniella Boccanfuso in the five-inning game. Boccanfuso had 10 strikeouts.
“They got to let this one go, we had three games in two days and we had a lot of positive experiences on Saturday and we need to carry that in to tomorrow (Tuesday in league opener vs. Irvine),” said Coach Jerry Rose. “They need to go home and visualize all positive at bats and maybe take in stuff from Saturday and take it from there.”
Palos Verdes (8-4) scored four runs in the first inning, two coming on a single by Boccanfuso, who also belted a two-run home run in the third inning as part of a four-run inning. Palos Verdes added another run in the fifth inning off Woodbridge reliever Seli Yamamoto, who came on in relief of Tamkoc in the second inning.
The Warriors had a great start to the tournament on Saturday, highlighted by Tamkoc’s no-hitter, the first for the program since 2003 when Brittany Crouch hurled one, according to Rose.
Woodbridge defeated Newport Harbor 7-1 and Santa Margarita 2-0.
“It was a great day on Saturday,” Rose said.
It was the first time in at least 15 years that Woodbridge reached the gold division of the tournament, Rose said.
In the first game, Tamkoc pitched two innings vs. Newport Harbor and struck out five of the six batters she faced. Yamamoto closed out the game on the mound.
Then, Tamkoc was in command again in the second game against Santa Margarita, going all seven innings, striking out five and walking one to complete the no-hitter.
“The cool part about that is that last time we beat Rancho was in 1997 and it was her mom who pitched a 2-0 shutout against Rancho, some crazy history,” Rose said.
Tamkoc said it was the first no-hitter she had thrown in high school.
“I knew Santa Margarita was a really good team,” Tamkoc said. “My cousin actually plays for them and I knew that I had to keep them off-balance using both speeds, going up, down and out using (a) change-up.”
Her Warrior teammates were excited for Tamkoc, who has signed to play softball for Southern Utah University.
“They were really happy that we won against a hard team and they were really happy for me because they all I knew I really wanted that game and my coaches were all so very supportive,” Tamkoc said.
Tamkoc said her goals include leading Woodbridge to its third consecutive league title, advancing with her team beyond the second round of the CIF playoffs and trying to pass 100 strikeouts on the season.
Providing offensive support Saturday were Clarissa Stayrook, who had a walk and a double and scored a run and Tamkoc, who had a single and a walk and scored two runs in the first game against Newport Harbor..
In the second game, Payton Harris had a walk, single, a stolen base and a run scored and Audrey Song was on base three times with a hit and a walk.
Woodbridge and the rest of the teams wrap up the tournament on Saturday at Bill Barber Park.
Rose confirmed Monday that he has re-assumed head coaching duties for the team after recovering from an illness the past couple seasons. Kim Wojciechowski, the Warriors’ head coach who led the team to two CIF titles, will continue as an assistant. Rose has been an assistant the past two seasons.
Dugard, whom the tournament is named after, was in attendance Monday, watching the game after hitting fly balls to the outfielders before the game as he has done for many years since retiring as the Warriors coach. Dugard praised the Warriors for their play in winning two games Saturday.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com