Big Valley Christian dominates Sac-Joaquin Section D-7 softball final

Grace Countryman slid into third base, stirring up dust clouds and panic.

As the wild throw bounced into foul territory, the Big Valley Christian High School sophomore popped up to her feet and continued home.

It wasn’t a cake-walk, but the top-seeded Lions turned the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII final into an exhibition of their season-long dominance.

Sarah Layman went the distance and benefited from early run production in a 4-1 victory over Rio Vista on Saturday at Arnaiz Stadium.

“Sarah pitched well all three games,” coach and father Eric Layman said moments before wrapping his arm around his daughter to pose for pictures. “The whole team played well.”

The title is the Lions’ second in three years. Big Valley Christian closed the season 16-6 and left no doubt in the Division VII tournament. The Lions outscored their three opponents 28-3, including an 18-2 victory over Ben Holt College Prep Academy in the first round Tuesday.

Roni Simi, Macy Meidema and Layman provided the offense Saturday, each driving in a run for Big Valley Christian, which overcame a rash of injuries at the start of the tournament.

The Lions lost two starters after the victory over Ben Holt: catcher Breeann Hamblin, who played in that game despite a broken arm; and first baseman Sierra Hamblin. Both watched Saturday’s final in street clothes. Breeann Hamblin wore a bright pink cast on her arm.

The injuries forced coach Layman to reshuffle the infield behind his daughter. One move saw Alex Dinsmore move from second to third base.

Dinsmore settled in quickly, sealing the championship with a diving catch. She charged a short pop fly and dived forward, gloving it before it hit the ground.

“They rallied around each other and made it happen,” coach Layman said. “We had nine players and all nine came together.”

Big Valley Christian was driven by a close call last season. The Lions’ title defense came apart in the semifinal against Woodland Christian, which went on to beat Elliot Christian in the final.

“They were very hungry,” coach Layman said. “Last year, we lost in the game before the championship. This year, they didn’t want that to happen again. They wanted to make it happen.”

And they did.

Simi and Meidema erased a 1-0 deficit with RBIs in the bottom of the first inning. Kristyn Dexter raced home on Simi’s grounder, and a throwing error on Meidema’s knock allowed Julia Copland to score.

Grace Countryman would provide the insurance scores, using her speed to unnerve the Rio Vista defense.

The sophomore doubled down the left-field line in the third and scored on a throwing error to make it 3-1.

Layman closed the scoring with an RBI double into the left-center gap, scoring Countryman. She reached on a fielder’s choice.

“That’s the way we play – very aggressive,” coach Layman said. “We wait for the other team to make mistakes.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Big Valley Christian dominates Sac-Joaquin Section D-7 softball final."