BASEBALL: HE CAN DO IT ALL VALENCIA'S CLARK SHINES ON THE MOUND AND AT PLATE.Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Staff Writer VALENCIA - Jared Clark is quite a dominant high school baseball player - as both a hitter and a pitcher. After batting .451 with six home runs as a sophomore last season, Clark already has four home runs in 19 at-bats for Valencia (4-1) this season. He's batting .526 with 11 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in and a whopping 1.316 slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (abbreviated SLG) is the most popular measure of the power of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats: against elite competition - three of Valencia's opponents were ranked among Southern California's top 20 - entering today's 3:15 p.m. Foothill League opener against visiting Canyon (4-1). ``I bat third and Jared hits cleanup, and it's a pleasure batting right in front of him,'' teammate Matt Aidem said. ``All I have to do is get on base, and I usually score. When he's batting, there's always a threat.'' As a pitcher, Clark had never lost a high school game until a 2-0 loss March 21 to La Quinta A division of Seagate that was originally an acquisition and then absorbed into the company by 1999. Quinta was the developer of Optically Assisted Winchester (OAW) technology. See OAW. of Westminster, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation in at least three polls, including USA Today USA Today National U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. . Clark was 5-0 as a sophomore, and in 10 innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. this season, the hard-throwing right-hander has given up a total of one earned run earned run n. Baseball A run scored without the aid of an error, used in computing earned run averages. Noun 1. earned run - a run that was not scored as the result of an error by the other team and struck out 16. Clark said he can't decide what he enjoys more: hitting or pitching. ``Actually, I have no idea. I guess I like both,'' he said. At 6-foot-4 and blessed with the kind of natural baseball skills most teenagers only dream about, Clark is among the most physically gifted underclassmen the region has seen in quite some time. But what makes Clark truly special, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Valencia coach Jared Snyder, is the youngster's gritty grit·ty adj. grit·ti·er, grit·ti·est 1. Containing, covered with, or resembling grit. 2. Showing resolution and fortitude; plucky: a gritty decision. determination and fortitude Fortitude See also Bravery. Fratricide (See MURDER.) Asia despite torture, refuses to deny Moses. [Islam: Walsh Classical, 35] Calantha fulfills wifely and queenly duties despite losses. [Br. Lit. . ``Jared simply doesn't like to lose. It really upsets him,'' Snyder said. ``You can see it in his eyes, the level of concentration he has when he's on the mound. His thinking is, he's going to get the hitter out no matter what it takes. He pitched in 11 games for us last year and kept us in every game. It's pretty uncommon to see a player like him who's 16 years old.'' Snyder said if Clark was a senior this season, he'd be drafted into the major leagues. ``Jared Clark is going to be playing baseball for a long time,'' he said. ``He's a good kid, he works hard, and he's very coachable.'' Clark fully intends to pursue baseball professionally. In fact, he admits he really has no other interests, expect for an occasional round of golf with his stepfather step·fa·ther n. The husband of one's mother and not one's natural father. stepfather Noun a man who has married one's mother after the death or divorce of one's father Noun 1. , Rex Ives. ``My best score on a par-72 course is an 80. I can drive about 290 yards off the tee, but keeping it straight is the problem,'' Clark said. There is reason to believe Clark will improve dramatically as a baseball hitter this season because he's just now beginning to hit outside pitches the opposite way up the right-field gap - and beyond. ``Now that's he's able to do that, all of sudden it's lights out,'' Snyder said. Meanwhile, Aidem swears none of Clark's success swells his ego. ``We all joke around a lot, but Jared is actually kind of shy,'' Aidem said. ``Then when it comes time for Jared to take batting practice, it's pretty impressive. People stop and watch. But Jared just keeps working hard. He never gets a big head.'' 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' : It's been Valencia's domain Vikings have ruled High Desert Classic in recent years VALENCIA - In the past two years at the annual High Desert Softball Classic at Lancaster City Park, a 32-team tournament that regularly features many of the region's top programs, no team has been more dominant than Valencia. After losing to Paraclete of Lancaster on an unearned run in the 2001 final, Valencia easily cruised to a victory in last year's tournament, scoring 31 runs in four games including a 13-1 championship victory over Burroughs of Ridgecrest. All but one of Valencia's starters are back, including ace pitchers Christina Ross and Tori Rocco, so the Vikings (5-1) figure to be solid favorites in the ninth High Desert Classic starting at 5 p.m. today against La Salle La Salle, city (1990 pop. 9,717), La Salle co., N Ill., on the Illinois River; settled 1830, inc. 1852. It forms a tricity unit with Peru and Oglesby. Corn, wheat, and soybeans are grown, and cattle and hogs are raised. of Pasadena. Ross, a left-handed junior with a variety of pitches, won three games during last year's tournament, and she appears more dominant than ever this season. She's 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, and in her past two starts she has given up one hit and struck out 24 in 14 innings. Foothill League rivals Hart (4-0) and Canyon (4-3) also are participating. Hart opens against Burroughs of Ridgecrest at 3 p.m., and Canyon faces Millikan of Long Beach at 5 p.m. Like Valencia, Hart has returned most of its starters from last season. The Indians are coming off a 7-0 victory over Highland of Palmdale on Wednesday. Canyon, under first-year coach James Hanger, has won three in a row, including a shocking victory over perennial perennial, any plant that under natural conditions lives for several to many growing seasons, as contrasted to an annual or a biennial. Botanically, the term perennial powerhouse A fourth-generation language from Cognos that was introduced in the late 1970s for midrange computers. It supports both character-oriented, terminal-based applications as well as Windows clients. Applications developed under PowerHouse can be imported into Cognos' Axiant client/server environment. Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. of La Crescenta. The tournament continues with two games Saturday, and the final round will be Monday. The teams are divided into two brackets: Division 1 and the less-competitive Division 2. All of the local teams are in Division 1. NINTH ANNUAL HIGH DESERT CLASSIC Where: Lancaster City Park When: Today, Saturday and Monday Final: Monday, 6 p.m. Local teams: Valencia, Hart and Canyon GAME OF THE WEEK Quartz Hill at Valencia Thursday, 3:15 p.m.: Can good pitching beat good hitting? That will be the issue in this game, especially when Quartz Hill slugger Jennifer Curtier steps in against either Christina Ross or Tori Rocco, both of whom rank among the Southland's best pitchers. Curtier, an imposing left-handed pull-hitter, is an awesome power hitter who batted .462 with eight home runs, four triples, 32 RBI and a .936 slugging percentage last year. She also walked 16 times and had an on-base percentage of .558. Last week, she committed to University of the Pacific. GAME OF THE WEEK Canyon at Valencia 3:15 p.m. today: Two of the Foothill League's favorites face one another right away, so there's no tip-toeing into league competition for either team. This game figures to be an excellent pitching matchup between Valencia's Jared Clark and Canyon's Joe Gault n. 1. (Geol.) A series of beds of clay and marl in the South of England, between the upper and lower greensand of the Cretaceous period. , so runs will be at a premium. COMING UP GIRLS TODAY Hart Chaminade at Chaminade Middle School, 3:30 p.m. Two of the region's most consistent and dependable programs go head-to-head in this attractive nonleague matchup. Hart, which doesn't have fences at its home field at Newhall Park, has a chance to hit over-the-fence home runs - especially now that Chaminade's longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective pitching standout, Christina Lupacchini, has graduated. Other games: --Today: High Desert Classic at Lancaster City Park, 3 p.m.: Valencia vs. La Salle; Hart vs. Burroughs of Ridgecrest; Canyon vs. Millikan of Long Beach. Saturday: Valencia, Hart, Canyon at High Desert Classic, TBA TBA See: To be announced ; Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Christian at Saugus JV tournament, TBA --Monday: Valencia, Hart, Canyon at High Desert Classic, TBA. --Wednesday: Canyon at Quartz Hill, 3:15 p.m.; Scott Academy vs. Montclair Prep at Franklin Field, 3:15 p.m. BOYS TODAY Hart at Burroughs, 3:15 p.m.; Saugus at Burbank, 1:30 p.m. Saturday: Centennial of Bakersfield at Valencia, 11 a.m. (DH); Hesperia Christian at Santa Clarita Christian, 11 a.m. (DH) Tuesday: Canyon at Hart, 3:15 p.m.; Valencia at Saugus, 3:15 p.m. Friday: Burroughs at Saugus, 3:15 p.m.; New Roads at Santa Clarita Christian, 3:30 p.m. Other games: --Hart at Valencia, 3:15 p.m., March 29 LOOK BACK Canyon's softball team came through with perhaps the biggest upset of the young season by defeating annual powerhouse Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta 6-3 on Wednesday. Sophomore Dani Thompson's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth 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. broke a 3-3 tie, as Crescenta Valley lost for only the ninth time over the past four seasons. ``I saw their team looked solid, but I had no clue how big this win was,'' Canyon's first-year coach James Hanger said. ``We didn't make any special preparations. We just hit the ball well.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1) Though Valencia's Jared Clark is striking a hitter's pose, he might be even better as a pitcher. The junior shines at both ends, making him one of the region's top future prospects. David Crane/Staff Photographer (2) Valencia's Christina Ross won three games at last year's High Desert Classic, and if her strong early-season form continues, she'll be just as dominant at this year's tournament. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News Box: (1) TIME OUT (2) NINTH ANNUAL HIGH DESERT CLASSI CLASSI Subsistence (US Army) (see text) (3) COMING UP (see text) (4) GAME OF THE WEEK - Quartz Hill at Valencia (see text) (5) GAME OF THE WEEK - Canyon at Valencia (see text) (6) STANDINGS (7) LOOK BACK (see text) |
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