BLUMFIELD DOES IT ALL FOR ECR : EL CAMINO REAL 2, GRANADA HILLS 0.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer There are many reasons why the El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
The Highlanders shouldn't feel bad. Nobody else has Blumfield, either. That's why El Camino Real (18-2) is favored to win its third consecutive City Section championship. Blumfield, a dynamic junior shortstop, nearly beat Granada Hills by herself Monday in a 2-0 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. win. As usual, she fielded her position splendidly splen·did adj. 1. Brilliant with light or color; radiant: a splendid field of poppies. 2. Imposing by reason of showiness or grandeur; magnificent: splendid costumes. , although she didn't manage any trademark spectacular plays. In addition, she delivered two clutch singles to drive in both Conquistadores runs. El Camino Real will play Banning on Wednesday in South Gate. ``We've really grown to depend on her,'' said El Camino Real coach Neils Ludlow. ``She's the anchor of our defense. And you saw what else she did, coming up with the two key hits. That's the difference in the game.'' The low-key Blumfield shows little emotion, choosing instead to let her skills do all the talking. But even she admits she gets a little more pumped in game-deciding situations. Especially when she can do the deciding. ``It's always exciting to come through and help the team any way I can,'' said Blumfield, whose run-scoring singles came in the first and fourth innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. . ``I feel good that we got this one out of the way. Now we can concentrate on the (semifinals) and get after it.'' Blumfield had plenty of help Monday. Defensively, El Camino Real was flawless and got some nice plays from second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker Jacqui Goodchild. ``We always play good defense,'' Blumfield said. ``When we make an error, it's almost like, `Oh my God.' '' Freshman catcher Christina Enea continued her torrid hitting, leading off the fourth with her third triple of the year and then scoring on Blumfield's single. Enea has eight home runs on the season and leads the Conquistadores in 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: . ``She's been quite a find,'' said Ludlow of Enea. ``She always seems to hit the ball hard.'' One other factor working in El Camino Real's favor is solid pitching. Junior Ashley Redlin continues to round into form, winning her third game while giving up two hits in five innings. Stephanie Frasco pitched two perfect innings in relief. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Granada Hills' Christina Baca blocks second base but can't get the tag down in time to retire ECR's Jacqui Goodchild. Terri Thuente/Associated Press |
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