Southern Section Softball Playoffs : Saugus Advances Behind Lewis

Senior left-hander Cathy Lewis threw a three-hitter and struck out 13 to lead Saugus High to a 2-0 win over Culver City in a Southern Section 3-A Division second-round playoff game Tuesday at Saugus.

Brandy Rico went two for two, singling home Westie Gray in each of the third and fifth innings.

Saugus improved to 19-7 and Lewis, who has every decision for the Centurions, improved her season strikeout total to 322.

Saugus Coach Ron Hilton said that Lewis had dedicated the game to the late Jack Smock of Bell-Jeff High, one of her former coaches, who died of cancer Saturday.

In a 2-A game:

Notre Dame 3, Hesperia 1--Junior right-hander Becca Berline threw a four-hitter and struck out eight in a second-round game at Notre Dame.

With Notre Dame leading, 3-1, in the top of the sixth, Berline (16-9) gave up a pair of singles to put runners on the corners with none out. Berline, however, struck out the next two batters and recorded the final out on a comebacker.

Catcher Simona Errico gave the Knights (16-9) a 1-0 lead in the first with a two-out, run-scoring single and drove in another run with a two-out single in the third.