Woodbridge Decisions Righetti

LAKEWOOD — Jocelyn Forest, whose staggering pitching totals put her in the same company as some of the Southern Section’s all-time elite, turned out to be just another appetizer in Woodbridge’s 29-game winning streak.

Woodbridge got an umpire to reverse his decision, turned it into a two-run inning against the record-setting pitcher, and went on to beat Santa Maria Righetti, 2-0, in the Division II title game Friday at Mayfair Park.

Righetti (33-3) failed in its bid to win its fifth section title--its first in 15 years.

Instead, it was Woodbridge (34-2) that became only the third team to win five section titles. The 1997 banner will hang alongside ones collected in 1995, ‘92, ’88 and ’87.

In beating Forest (33-3), a junior, Woodbridge defeated a pitcher who had already broken the section’s single-season record for victories set by Ocean View’s Jackie Oakley (31, 1985) and needed needed only 12 strikeouts to tie the single-season record for strikeouts held by Valencia’s Michele Granger (509, 1987). Forest got only eight. She pitched a four-hitter.

“I don’t think [Forest] has ever faced a team like ours,” said Woodbridge Coach Alan Dugard, who guessed his team had not struck out more than five times in a game this season. “It’s a pitcher-dominated team. Their fate is pitching.”

But it was Righetti’s defense that determined the outcome Friday, just as Coach Rich Cornejo thought it might between his team, ranked fifth by the National Fastpitch Coaches Assn., and Woodbridge, ranked fourth.

And it took a winning argument by Dugard, who convinced an umpiring crew that obstruction had taken place in the top of the third inning. It was, Dugard said, the first argument with an umpire he has won in 24 years of coaching.

The play in question was set up by Tracy Alcaraz’s one-out single. Leadoff batter Natasha Watley bunted to the pitcher, and Forest threw out Alcaraz at second base. Then Dugard made his case that second baseman Brandy Greenwood ran into Alcaraz while trying to cover first base on the play.

“She ran right into me,” Alcaraz said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

After a four-minute discussion among the umpires, they agreed with Dugard, putting runners at first and second.

Then Righetti panicked.

Lisa Watanabe popped up trying to bunt, and catcher Debralee Troesh tried doubling Watley off first base. Instead, her throw sailed into right field for one error, and under Alissa Cortez for another.

“I didn’t know why they were throwing it,” said Watley, who was standing on the first base bag when Troesh threw errantly. “Next thing I knew, I saw Dugard waving me home. That’s the fastest I’ve probably ever gone around the bases.”

Alcaraz and Watley scored on the play.

Righetti loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, getting three of its four hits off Christy Robitaille (24-2), but a soft line drive to second baseman Thompson ended the game. Robitaille walked one and struck out 10. Dugard said it ranked among Robitaille’s “two or three” best performances.