SCC’s Murie Makes Point Loma Pay for Intentional Walk

With a berth in the NAIA national tournament secure because of its No. 5 national ranking, Southern California College couldn’t have beaten Point Loma Nazarene in a more heartbreaking fashion Saturday.

The Vanguards made two first-inning errors, fell behind by three runs, didn’t get a baserunner until the fourth inning, and scored the cruelest victory, 4-3, with Michelle Murie’s two-out, eighth-inning double to win the NAIA Far West Regional at SCC.

“They’re already going,” Crusader shortstop Cristal Brown reasoned afterward, “so it’s like, ‘Why can’t you just give it to us?’ ”

SCC (46-11) goes to the national tournament May 24-28 in West Palm Beach, Fla., for the second year in a row. Point Loma (33-19), though No. 23 nationally, needed to win the regional to advance to the 16-team tournament.

“I thought we had it [with a 3-0 lead],” Brown said. “They’re a good hitting team, I knew they’d score a run. But I thought we had it won. I didn’t think they’d catch us.

“If they had demolished us, it wouldn’t be as bad.”

Three pitchers shut out Point Loma over the next seven innings, giving SCC two wins in three tournament games against the Crusaders.

As she had in Friday’s 5-4 victory to force Saturday’s championship, Murie came through after Point Loma intentionally walked cleanup batter Val Vanaken.

Murie hit a line drive past the left fielder, easily scoring Chrissy Vega, who had singled and reached second on Alicia Groshon’s sacrifice bunt. After Noelle Sturgill popped up, the Crusaders walked Vanaken for the third time in two days.

And for the third time, SCC took advantage.

“I was dumbfounded they walked her,” said Murie, a senior from Riverside Arlington High. “I just wanted to make them see that walking Val was a bad idea. I wanted Val to hit that ball because they’ve walked her so many times, I wanted her to have the glory.”

Murie pulled the first pitch so hard, Vega likely would not have scored had it been at the left fielder, who just missed fielding it.

“Murie’s clutch,” Brown said. “She got a hit yesterday, she got a hit today. She went up there with confidence. She was going to get a hit--you could see it.”

Trailing, 3-0, Vega singled to open the fourth. With two outs, Vanaken singled home one run and took third on Murie’s single to right field. Heather Rogers, whose two-run triple followed an intentional walk a day earlier, singled to center field scoring Vanaken, and Murie scored on an errant throw home.

Those were the only runs given up in seven innings by conference co-pitcher of the year Kristina Silva (17-7), whose hand was still sore after having it stepped on in Thursday’s 2-0 victory over SCC.