One dropped relay throw. A misplayed ground ball. Two foul balls that fell untouched between infielders.

Four errors in one inning could unwind the most seasoned of pitchers.

Not Rio Mesa High sophomore Janessa Gutierrez.

"I know that they have my back," said Gutierrez.

Escaping one threat after another, Gutierrez pitched a six-hitter as Rio Mesa won its most important Pacific View League softball game in years, beating visiting Pacifica, 6-2, in eight innings on Tuesday.

With road games against Oxnard (Friday) and Camarillo (next Tuesday), Rio Mesa (14-7, 5-2 PVL) remains right in the hunt for a league championship.

Pacifica (17-4, 4-3) lost for the first time in 10 games and five days after handing Camarillo a rare league loss.

Janai Shaw and Sabrina Gonzales had RBI doubles in the bottom of the seventh for Pacifica to send the game into extra innings.

"That made me very nervous," said Gutierrez, who mixed up her fastball, rise and changeup to hold Pacifica to two hits in the first six innings.

"She was locating her pitches very well," said Rio Mesa coach John Velasquez. "When she learns to master her four pitches, she is going to be very good."

Two Pacifica errors and a two-run single by Desirae Tinoco contributed to Rio Mesa's four-run outburst in the eighth.

Until then, it had been an painful game for Tinoco.

Tagging out a runner trying to steal third in the bottom of the first for the third out, Tinoco has hit hard in the left thigh. That came three days after being spiked on the ankle in the Thousand Oaks Tournament. In the top of the fifth, Tinoco was plunked on the left shoulder by a pitch.

"We wanted this game," said Tinoco. "If we can beat Pacifica like this, we can beat anybody."

Tinoco scored the game's first run, dashing home from second on a two-out throwing error. She had a chance to knock in a run in the sixth, but Pacifica shortstop Shayne Kimbrough stopped a ground ball near second base and tagged the base for the third out.

"This is a confidence boost for Janessa and Rio Mesa," said Velasquez. "This is a good reward for working hard."

Pacifica pitcher Casey Beighley was nearly an equal to Gutierrez, allowing only four hits in seven innings and striking out nine.

"We showed some heart at the end," said Pacifica coach David Fox.

"I don't know why it is, but we seem to have a tougher time playing Rio Mesa than anybody else. We just didn't play fundamental defense and offense when we needed it.

"When Janessa's riseball is working, she is very tough. She pitched well against us the first time (Rio Mesa won 2-0 on March 20).

While it was a critical loss for Pacifica with three games left in the regular season, the Tritons feel good about their playoff chances.

"A win against Rio Mesa would have put us in good shape for the playoffs," said Fox. "We just need to come back and play hard."