Routs and nail-biters

LODI — Jordan Stanaland just needed her first baseman on defense, while her Lindhurst High softball teammates just needed their bats.

Stanaland, a senior, struck out 14 of the 15 batters she faced in a perfect-game performance to lead Lindhurst High to a 10-0 win over Foresthill in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs on Thursday at the Lodi Softball Complex.

Of the strikeouts, 11 of them were consecutive and the only fielded out was comebacker to Stanaland, which she tossed to first in the 10-run mercy-rule game.

The win moves the Blazers into Saturday's semifinal game against Waterford, which beat Marysville 3-0. That game will be played at Araniz Stadium at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Lindhurst, the Golden Empire League co-champions with Capital Christian, improved its record to 18-9.

"I was just going out there and pitching," said Stanaland, who had an ERA of 0.79 and 177 strikeouts coming into the playoffs. "I wasn't really focused on (the perfect game)."

During her perfect game, Stanaland threw a mixture of change-ups, fastballs, rise and screw balls to keep Foresthill batters off-balance.

Stanaland credited catcher Dylanne Brown, her fellow senior.

"Ten years," said Stanaland as to how long she and Brown have played softball together. "It's funny because if there's a pitch I want to throw, she calls it."

Lindhurst coach Bill Biggs summed it up in a few perfect words.

"It doesn't get any better," Biggs said.

At the plate, the Blazers had nine hits — including two off Stanaland's bat — and benefited from three Foresthill errors. Lindhurst scored half of its runs in the top of the first inning, where they had three stolen bases.

"We have girls who can steal," Biggs said of his baserunners.

Lindhurst added two more runs in the bottom of the third, thanks to a lead-off triple by Jennifer Rodriguez and a single by Kristen Montgomery. Leading 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Lindhurst scored its final three runs when Stanaland and Morgan Thome had back-to-back singles to start the inning. They scored on Montgomery's single and Montgomery touched home on a Mariah McCarthy single.

"The girls put the bat on the ball," said Biggs, "and pretty much, everything worked."

Stanaland was 2 for 3, while Rodriguez was 2 for 2.

Marysville downed by Waterford

Waterford 3, Marysville 0

The Wildcats scored all of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, ending the postseason run for the Indians, who were the GEL's No. 3 seed.

"Not the ending we hoped for," said Marysville first-year coach Maurice Clavelle, "but the team pulled together."

The Indians and Wildcats stranded a combined 16 runners — eight each — and combined for 13 hits, with Marysville smacking six. Ashley McKiernan, Tyler Deluca, Cameo Stevens, Danielle Ferrari, Marissa Clavelle and Maddy Harvell smacked a single each.

"We had runners on almost every inning," Coach Clavelle said. "But (Waterford) made the plays."

On the hill, Indians pitcher Ashten Welch struck out nine.

Marysville finished its season with a 14-7 overall record. That is one reason Clavelle feels the program will only get better in upcoming seasons.

"I've got good talent on the junior varsity team coming up," he said.