SIMI VALLEY RALLIES FOR WIN : FIRST-PLACE PIONEERS OVERCOME AGOURA SIMI VALLEY 6, AGOURA 5.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

The situation could not have been any better for the Agoura High School softball team.

The Chargers had a four-run lead in the fifth inning against the first-place Simi Valley Pioneers and undefeated pitcher Jennifer Grennan on the mound.

``I thought we were in good shape at that point,'' Chargers coach Pat Grennan said.

Wrong.

It took some help from Agoura and a few opportune hits from its stars, but Simi Valley managed to erase the deficit by the sixth inning. And when Karen Le Blanc's seventh-inning single scored Jaime Sturdivant, the Pioneers had an unlikely 6-5 Marmonte League win.

With the victory, Simi Valley (11-2, 4-1) remains in a first-place tie with Thousand Oaks. The Pioneers host Camarillo Thursday.

Le Blanc had two hits and an RBI, including the game-winner, for Simi Valley. Nicole Nagel had two hits and scored two runs.

For Agoura, Lauren Casper had a two-run single in the fourth inning.

``The kids battled,'' said Simi Valley coach Suzanne Manlet. ``They never gave up.''

The key was Lori Tande's two-run double off the left-field fence in the sixth that tied the game at 5-5. Grennan retired the first two batters to start the inning. But singles by Nagel and Le Blanc set the table for Tande.

``I was just looking for a base hit,'' Tande said. ``Actually I thought it was a pop-fly out. But when I saw that it was carrying over the left fielder's head I knew it would be a hit.''

In the seventh, Agoura (11-3-1, 2-2-1) committed two straight errors to load the bases with one out. A botched squeeze play forced Brittney Green out at home for the second out, but Le Blanc singled to right field to score Sturdivant. On the play, Jill Clarkson was thrown out at third for the final out.

Agoura had runners at first and second in the bottom of the seventh, but Amanda Oleson grounded out to second base to end the game.

``We weren't really worried when we got down,'' said Tande, who pitched seven innings for the win. ``It was a fun game to play especially since we won.'' Of the Pioneers' six runs, only two were earned. The Chargers had four errors.

``I just told them to forget about this and learn from it,'' Grennan said. ``We're both top-10 teams and when you get somebody down like that you can't let them back in the game.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Simi Valley's Tracie Hall scores well before the throw to Agoura catcher Kim Whitcher arrives.

(2) Agoura left fielder Amanda Oleson misses a ball hit in the seventh inning that scored two runs.

Michael Owen Baker / Daily News