BIG LEAGUE SOFTBALL: DISTRICT 51 ALL-STARS PLAY GIVE AWAY : MISTAKES ALLOW STOCKTON TO RALLY AND FORCE TEAM INTO MUST-WIN SITUATION.

Byline: Gerry Gittleson Staff Writer

For almost the entire evening on Tuesday, the Antelope Valley-based District 51 All-Stars outplayed Stockton Oak Park in every facet: pitching, fielding and hitting.

However, four walks, two wild pitches and a key error - all in the disastrous sixth inning - spelled doom, as Stockton scored three runs to tie. It then pushed across two runs in the eighth to steal a 6-4 Western Regional Big League softball victory before a boisterous, but disappointed, overflow crowd at Dan Massari Park.

Defending World Series finalist District 51 (1-1) played New Mexico in an elimination game late Wednesday, needing three wins in two days to return to the national championships at Kalamazoo, Mich.

``We just fell apart,'' right fielder Monique Saldana said.

District 51 (1-1) was one out away from victory in the sixth when catcher Sara Moore bobbled a tag at home plate, allowing Natalie Owens to score the tying run.

District 51 pitcher Jennifer Jenkins sailed along through the first six, allowing seven hits and one unearned run with four strikeouts. The Boron High right-hander lost sight of the strike zone in the seventh, allowing two walks and a wild pitch.

Reliever Lauren McDonald then walked two in a row before giving way to Marciea Ball, who got Rachel Bustamante to ground out, first baseman Keri Pulcifer forcing Lisa Mazzini at home. However, after catcher Moore threw the ball back to Ball, Bustamante surprisingly burst for home; Ball threw back to Moore in time, but Moore bobbled away what would have been the game-ending out when Bustamante slid into the tag.

In the eighth, Stockton (6-0) took advantage of two singles, a wild pitch, a walk and an error for two more runs, making a loser of Ball (1-1), who had thrown a complete-game win two days before.

District 51 made five infield errors.

``I think everyone got nervous,'' left fielder Tara Jensen said. ``They started catching up all of sudden, and we were like, `Oh my gosh.' ``That happens. We were doing OK, then we got down. I just think nerves got to a lot of people. We made stupid physical errors and stupid mental errors.''

Saldana said the loss was disappointing and a culmination of a lot of little things all adding up.

``I think talent to talent we were the better team,'' she said. ``We had outplayed them, but we just didn't keep playing our game. I'm emotional about it, and of course we learned a lot.''

Jenkins, who had won 24 games as a junior at Division VI Boron - one of the smallest schools in California - proved she belongs among the elite, holding down Stockton with a variety of breaking pitches and an effective rising fastball.

She deserved better.

``It was a tough loss,'' Jenkins said. ``We did a good job getting ahead. We just needed not to make so many errors. I think I could have gotten out of that jam in the seventh.

``If we can put our heads together, I think we can still win it.''

After leadoff hitter Saldana got aboard on an error to start the game, Stockton's Kristen Felton settled in and retired 10 of the next 11. The locals finally got to Felton in the fourth when Pulcifer doubled, advanced on Moore's single and scored on McDonald's sacrifice fly to center.

District 51 added two runs in the fifth on Erin Yasumoto's RBI double and Vanessa Gallegos' run-scoring single. Amanda Ricker drove in District 51's last run with a sixth-inning single to score McDonald.

Reliever Monique Buzo went the last four innings for the win, allowing one hit over the last 2-2/3 innings.