SAUGUS ACE DEFINITELY AN ALL-STAR SENIOR PITCHER CELEBRATES A STELLAR SEASON FOR CENTURIONS.Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News Ashley Arnett is aware of the tradition of great 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' players from Saugus High who have played in the annual 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 . The 17-year-old considers it an honor to be recognized with past Centurions standouts, as she will compete for the East All-Stars in Tuesday's 4 p.m. game at Cal State The game will be preceded by a home run contest at 2:30 p.m. But in the aftermath of Tuesday's 2-1 nine-inning loss to Royal of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. in the Southern Section Div. I semifinals, the senior right-hander would trade her selection, and all other accolades she had received this season, to be playing against Foothill League rival Valencia in tonight's division final in Irvine. ``I really wanted that game,'' said Arnett (20-5), who tossed eight-plus innings, surrendering seven hits and 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 , against Royal. ``It always helps to keep busy, so the next thing I'll focus on is playing in the All-Star game. But one of our goals from the beginning of the season was to play in the championship game, so to not get there is tough.'' Arnett, one of four seniors on the Centurions' roster, said having the opportunity to represent Saugus one last time will help lessen the sting of the loss to Royal. ``This was one of my goals from the beginning of the year,'' said Arnett, who finished 165 strikeouts and 39 walks in 163 innings. ``I know that I did everything I could to help our team win, and I worked hard toward (accomplishing all of my goals). So, (the recognition) made me feel good.'' Arnett's selection to be one of 24 players on the East team, which is coached by Hart's Cathy Giordano and Glendale's Kris Kohlmeier, also means she'll join forces with Valencia's Courtney Baughman, Breanne Javier and Whitney Lowe, Hart's Karina Slauenwhite and Canyon's Dani Thompson. Montclair Prep of Panorama City's Kirsten Slouber, who lives in Canyon Country, also is on the East roster. ``We're all competitive. When we played each other, we all wanted to win because the games were so intense,'' said Arnett, who contributed to nine Saugus shutouts. ``But I've played with all of the girls from Valencia on tournament teams or in travel ball, so it's easy to play together. I think we'll mesh well.'' Arnett also hopes to mesh comfortably into the East's rotation, which features 10 girls who pitched for their teams this season, including Baughman and Slouber. ``(During the playoffs) I was averaging, like, nine innings per game, so, obviously, this is a little different,'' said Arnett, who pitched three consecutive extra-inning playoff games Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship , against Laguna Hills La·gu·na Hills A city of southern California southeast of Santa Ana. Population: 33,600. , Los Alamitos Los Alamitos (lôs ăləmē`təs, lŏs), city (1990 pop. 11,676), Orange co., NE of Long Beach, S Calif., in a suburban area; inc. 1960. Los Alamitos Racetrack and U.S. military installations are nearby. and Royal. ``I understand they have to get everybody in, so I can deal with it. I just want to try to keep calm and do my best.'' Although Saugus' lineup was one of the best in the region, it was Arnett who faced the daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin task of trying to shut down some of the best teams in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . She helped hand Valencia one of its three losses (3-2 on April 26) during the regular season and pitched 12 innings of five-hit, five-strikeout ball in a 3-1 victory over Laguna Hills - which had upset top-seeded Pacifica of Garden Grove Garden Grove, city (1990 pop. 143,050), Orange co., S Calif., a suburb of Long Beach and Los Angeles, on the Santa Ana River; founded 1877, inc. 1956. Many of its residents work in nearby aerospace and defense installations, and there is light manufacturing. - in the Div. I quarterfinals. ``The experiences I've had this season made me grow as a player,'' said Arnett, who gave up two earned runs and struck out 20 in 32 innings in the postseason. ``I'm going to take all the qualities I've learned during high school and carry them into the summer.'' Erik Boal, (818) 713-3607 erik.boal(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ASHLEY ARNETT Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion