NEWBURY PARK — The Oaks Christian softball team hits so many home runs out of the park during practices that they’ve had to station pitchers along the road that runs alongside the school to retrieve the balls.
The Lions have a deep lineup stacked with players who can hit with velocity as well as intelligence, which helped them come out with a 12-1 win over Newbury Park on Thursday afternoon.
“They’re not up there just swinging,” catch Cheyenne Coyle said. “We know what we want to hit and that’s what we’re challenging them to be thinking about and be ready when they get in the box.”
Oaks Christian (10-2 overall, 3-0 in Marmonte League) quickly jumped on Newbury Park (11-3, 0-3), which was without starting pitcher Taylor Cook. The senior and University of North Florida commit missed the game due to a back injury but is expected to return next week.
“We stayed positive despite being a little shorthanded,” coach Steve Kennedy said. “But I like where we’re at. We’ve seen a lot of the underclassmen really step up their game this year and make us deeper. When we’re healthy, we’re a strong team.”
The Lions scored four runs in the first inning. Terrianna Kelley and Riley McCoy hit back-to-back singles and Lily Knox, who was also celebrating her birthday, drove them in with a home run for a 3-0 lead.
“Our energy in the dugout was great today and that translated into our hitting,” Knox said. “One through nine are all really good hitters and we know how to pick each other up. We’ll communicate between pitches and that translates on the field.”
Sienna Reynolds hit an RBI double to score Kamryn Guthrie and close out the scoring for the inning, and Ilove’a Brittingham kept the hits coming with a solo home run in the second inning. Kelley crossed home place on a sacrifice fly by Giabella Otani and Oaks Christian gained a 6-0 advantage.
Hanna Porter got Newbury Park’s first base hit in the fourth inning when she singled on a full count. It was the only hit that Reynolds, who was pitching for the Lions, gave up in five innings. She also struck out five hitters on Wednesday despite recently recovering from an illness.
Knox hit an RBI single in the fourth inning and the Lions tacked on two more runs in the sixth frame and three runs in the seventh.
Newbury Park’s Yasmin Topinko belted a home run over the right field fence in the seventh inning for her third homer in as many games.
“She’s hitting the ball really well,” Kennedy said. “She has a huge personality. It’s great for the team when you have somebody that stays in that moment, is positive, is loud. Everything that goes along with softball, that’s her.”
With the win, Oaks Christian and Agoura are tied for first place in the Marmonte League standings at 3-0 apiece. The Lions will likely contend for their third straight league title and want to have a long playoff run that stretches farther than the CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals, where they were eliminated last season.
“We’re really hungry to win this year,” Knox said. “We’re competitive with each other on the field as well, and that helps us on the field. We have so many talented players that feed off of each other, and especially with our six seniors, I feel like this is the year we can do it.”
Other softball scores from Thursday
Alemany 5, Cleveland 4
Valley Christian 9, Village Christian 1
Hart 8, West Ranch 5
Canyon 19, Castaic 0
Sierra Canyon 8, Chaminade 3
Notre Dame 13, Louisville 7
Moorpark 7, Saugus 4
Harvard-Westlake 8, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 1
Providence 6, Grace Brethren 5
Thousand Oaks 10, Calabasas 1
Camarillo 5, Simi Valley 3
Agoura 5, Westlake 4
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