EAST: VALENCIA ACE IS EAST STARTER.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer SUN VALLEY - Christina Ross, a four-year standout from Valencia High, has been named the starting pitcher Noun 1. starting pitcher - (baseball) a pitcher who starts in a baseball game baseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; for the East team in the annual Daily News All-Star Softball Game at 3 p.m. Monday at Glendale Sports Complex. Ross, a 5-foot-7 left-hander, has helped Valencia to four consecutive playoff appearances. This season, she was 14-7 with a 0.29 ERA and 184 strikeouts - and just 12 walks - in 143 innings. She threw three no- hitters. Pitching figures to be a key strength for the East, which has been practicing at Village Christian High in Sun Valley. The foursome of Ross, Lauren Nydam (Village Christian), Robyn Kontra (Hart of Newhall) and Kyla Sullivan (Saugus) all are headed to four-year universities on scholarship. Ross is going to Kansas, Nydam to Stanford, Kontra to Cal Poly Cal Poly may refer to:
 `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. and Sullivan to Western Michigan
Western Michigan, also known as West Michigan, is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. . ``It's going to be fun. Kyla is a good friend of mine, and I've known Robyn forever, too,'' Ross said. --Getting the big bats ready: A pregame home-run contest begins at 2 p.m., and the team with the most home runs will be the home team in the game. The individual with the most homers wins a bat. Among the East players expected to participate are Amanda Peek of 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. , Kortney Bell of Valencia, Cori Blanton of Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Shannon Doepking of Highland of Palmdale and Laura Stone of Village Christian of Sun Valley. A temporary fence will be erected 190 feet from home plate. Last year, Danyale Peterson of Valencia won the contest. She played at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. this season. --Next position, please: As usual, the teams are loaded at catcher, especially the East, which has fives: Peek, Stone, Doepking, Melissa Rodriquez of Quartz Hill and Michelle Summers of Hoover of Glendale. Several probably will switch to first base or the outfield for a few innings. --Nice warmup for Ross: Prior to the East's practice Wednesday, Ross participated in a much-anticipated exhibition game at Valencia between the softball and baseball teams. The softball team won 5-3, though Jared Clark, the Foothill League's career home-run leader, hit a home run off Ross. ``That's OK. I wasn't even throwing hard,'' Ross said with a smile. --Time to shine: The event figures to be a good chance for unde-publicized players such as Makenzie Smith of Desert Christian and Tori Beaudette of Littlerock to shine. Smith batted .640 with six home runs as senior, but mostly against small- school competition. However, she has signed with Illinois. ``This will be a good chance for me to show I can play with players from different levels,'' she said. --Kortney can: Coach Stone was quite impressed with Kortney Bell, who has signed with Tennessee. Her older sister, Heather, played in the Daily News All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games five years ago after a successful career at Calabasas. ``That Valencia girl Bell can play. She hits the snot snot n. Nasal mucus; phlegm. out of the ball,'' Stone said. Gerry Gittelson, (661) 257-5218 gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com DAILY NEWS ALL-STAR SOFTBALL GAME When: Monday, 3 p.m. Where: Glendale Sports Complex CAPTION(S): box Box: DAILY NEWS ALL-STAR SOFTBALL GAME (see text) |
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