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A pair of Pacifica softball players carry equipment off the field under a slight rainbow after the game with Huntington Beach was rained out Friday afternoon at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

Huntington Beach shortstop Liah Lummus, left, tries to tag out Pacifica’s Mattea Stern as she slides into second base in a rain shortened, non-league softball game at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

Pacifica pitcher Brynne Nally fires off a pitch against Huntington Beach in a rain shortened, non-league softball game at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

Huntington Beach’s Cali Bennett squares away to bunt a pitch from Pacifica in a rain shortened, non-league softball game at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

Huntington Beach pitcher Zoe Prystajko fires off a pitch against Pacifica in a rain shortened, non-league softball game at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

A softball player walks back to the parking lot after a rain-shortened game between Huntington Beach and Pacifica at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

The nonleague softball game between Huntington Beach and host Pacifica was suspended by rain in the top of the fourth inning Friday at Pacifica High. (Photo by Dan Albano, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Pacifica players Kayli Counts, center, gets a high five from Brynne Nally (#5) after Counts and Kaniya Bragg, far left, scored the only two runs of the game. Huntington Beach played Pacifica in a rain-shortened, non-league softball game at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove on Friday, March 15, 2024. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)

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GARDEN GROVE — Pacifica’s top-ranked softball team led No. 4 Huntington Beach 2-0 with one out in the top of the fourth inning Friday when the nonleague showdown was suspended because of rain at Pacifica High.

Pacifica coach Tony Arduino and Huntington Beach coach Jeff Forsberg agreed on the suspension and to resume the game later in the season.

“It was getting pretty slick in the (pitching) circle and when you have two pitchers with big futures like Brynne (Nally) and Zoe (Prystajko), it didn’t make sense to continue,” Arduino said. “It was a good call. … Lots of bright futures on the field. No need to play through that.”

Pacifica (10-0), ranked No. 1 in Orange County and the top-ranked team in nation by MaxPreps, took a 2-0 lead in the third on a two-run, two-out single by Micheala Meza. The junior right fielder fought back from an 0-2 count to have a 10-pitch at-bat against the Stanford-bound Prystajko, the reigning O.C. player of the year.

Meza drove in UCLA-bound Kaniya Bragg, who led off the inning with a towering double down the right field line, and Cal-bound Kayli Counts, who reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second.

Pacifica posted two 10-pitch at-bats. Freshman Mattea Stern led off the Mariners’ first inning by drawing a walk on the 10th pitch from Prystajko.

Pacifica followed with a hit batter and walk to load the bases with no outs but Prystajko escaped the jam.

The left-hander allowed two hits, four walks and struck out four.

The Long Beach State-bound Nally surrendered a pair of hits and struck out seven in 3 1/3 innings.

Huntington Beach (7-1) received a spark in the third from a two-out double by Loyola Marymount-bound Liah Lummus. But Nally struck out the next batter to end the threat.

Next week, Pacifica opens play in the Empire League while Huntington Beach continues play in the Sunset League. The Oilers travel to Los Alamitos on March 21 in one of the best matchups next week.

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