AIMING FOR A LITTLE RESPECT FAITH BAPTIST IS OUT TO SHOW IT CAN PLAY WITH ANYONE.Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Staff Writer In the world of small-school softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , most players see the game as a recreational activity and not a way of life -- and there's no such thing as a routine fly ball, an easy grounder or a safe lead. But at Faith Baptist High of Canoga Park, the Contenders (18-8) are always on a mission to prove they're legitimate. The team hopes to continue their quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the validation today at 3:15p.m. in a Southern Section Div.VII quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. at Baptist Christian of Hemet (15-6). Cherith Simmons, a junior catcher, has done her share to help Faith Baptist earn respectability re·spect·a·bil·i·ty n. The quality, state, or characteristic of being respectable. Noun 1. respectability - honorableness by virtue of being respectable and having a good reputation reputability . She has stolen 73 bases -- in 73 attempts -- to shatter shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. the state single-season record, and she vows she isn't finished. "I think we're a good team," Simmons said. "It's fun stealing all these bases. I'm not fast, but I just somehow find a way to get there. I had no idea about the record until someone told me a couple of weeks ago that I needed five to break the record. I thought, 'Oh, that's cool."' Teammate Trinity Cuff cuff (kuf) a small, bandlike structure encircling a part or object. musculotendinous cuff one formed by intermingled muscle and tendon fibers. , Faith Baptist's top pitcher, calls Simmons "very aggressive" on the bases. "She has good reaction time, too," Cuff said. Faith Baptist has won games by such scores as 22-0, 15-0 (twice), 18-1 and 18-0. But like most small-schools programs, the Contenders have had their problems, committing 71 errors for a fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player handles a batted or thrown ball properly. of just .836. "Usually, the first two innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. or so, our team is very nervous and we get the jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics -- even myself," Cuff said. "The third or fourth inning in·ning n. 1. a. Baseball One of nine divisions or periods of a regulation game, in which each team has a turn at bat as limited by three outs. b. innings (used with a sing. , we calm down." Simmons can't explain the nervousness, but she agreed it exists. "Easy plays we've done a million times are the ones we make errors on," she said. "It's happened a lot, but we're finding a way to get over it." Co-coach Joann Quintero knows good softball when she sees it. Her daughter, Devina, who helped Faith Baptist to its only softball title in 2002, was a top college player at Utah, along with former Faith Baptist teammate Ivette Hernandez. "I think Cherith and Trinity can hang with anyone," Quintero said. "Cherith does a great job behind the plate, and she's very explosive on the bases. And Trinity is an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. pitcher." Simmons is batting .538 with six home runs, 47 runs and 34 RBIs with just three strikeouts in 86 at-bats. Cuff is batting .547 with 13 doubles, one home and 47 RBIs, and she's 15-7 with a 2.76 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 142 innings. Other key players include Osose Oboh (.419, five home runs, 26 RBIs), Jocelyn Ferrufino (.413, 40 RBIs, 36 stolen bases) and Melissa Tindall (.393, three home runs, 36 runs, 45 stolen bases). The Contenders have stolen an area-record 285 bases in 290 attempts. The state record is 343 (Calvary Baptist, 1988). Simmons and Cuff plan to play travel ball for the first time this summer, and both would love to play in college. But first things First Things is a monthly ecumenical journal concerned with the creation of a "religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society" (First Things website). first. They're still juniors, so there's a lot of high school softball left -- and they don't want this season to end before reaching the final. "This team will do anything to win," Cuff said. Faith Baptist is a comprised of just one senior, five juniors and eight freshmen and sophomores. Quintero hopes the players are finally mature enough to handle pressure situations because there are bound to be more of them at this stage in the playoffs. "Right now, we're peaking at the right time," Quintero said. "We've changed around some positions in the infield, and everything is working well. We're jelling. This is my third year and we lost in the second round the first two years, so this is a big step for us." gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com (661) 257-5218 CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 8 boxes Photo: (1) Trinity Cuff, left, and Cherith Simmons are two of the top players for Faith Baptist. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer (2) COURTNEY LEE Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (3) SHULTS Box: (1) SOUTHERN SECTION QUARTERFINALS (2) CITY SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS - Gerry Gittelson (3) DAILY NEWS TOP 25 (4) AROUND THE DIAMOND (5) SHE SAID IT (6) BY THE NUMBERS (7) KEEPING TABS (8) OFF THE CHARTS |
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