SOFTBALL: PITCHING IN QUARTZ HILL RELIES ON TWOSOME ON MOUND FOR CHANGE.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne & Heather Gripp Staff Writers

The Quartz Hill High softball team never has had a problem scoring runs. Score five runs on the Rebels in the top of an inning and they will usually come back to score eight in the bottom half.

It's still early, but Quartz Hill seems a little different this season.

It's hard to say if it's just an early season hitting slump, or if pitchers Kristin Ware and Laura Calvert have just outshone the hitters. But through the first two weeks of the season, it looks as if pitching and defense will carry the Rebels this year.

``Our pitching is awesome this year,'' senior third baseman Kelsie Blankemeyer said. ``It's the best it's been since I've been at Quartz Hill. We've had great hitters here ... but lately, we haven't been consistent with our hitting. We're still getting back in the groove.''

Quartz Hill (4-4) has been shut out twice in eight games and lost two one-run games. The Rebels have outscored their opponents 23-17, but if you take out a 9-0 victory over Burroughs of Ridgecrest on Monday, their run-scoring struggles are a bit more pronounced.

Fortunately, Ware and Calvert have been solid and given the Rebels a chance to win close games.

Ware, a sophomore, has struck out 23 batters in 18 innings. She's 3-1 on the season, with the only loss coming Wednesday to Saugus, ranked No. 6 by the Daily News.

``It feels pretty good to know that we can rely on our pitching when we need to,'' said Ware, the younger sister of former Quartz Hill baseball standout Matt Ware. ``I didn't expect that I'd be pitching that much this season. But I'm happy to be doing it so that I can prove to the coaches and myself I can pitch against (older) girls.''

Ware pitched on junior varsity last season in order to gain experience. She always has played against older girls, though. Ware, 15, plays for the 18-under Southern California Spoilers travel team during the summer.

Calvert, a senior who shared time with Erica Ricker last season, is 1-2 this year, but has pitched well against tough opponents, such as top-ranked Valencia.

``There's always a lot of pressure on the pitcher,'' Calvert said. ``We've played a lot of tough teams and our pitching and defense have been really good.

``At Quartz Hill, you kind of have a comfort zone (as a pitcher), a safety zone. I don't have to worry about it as much as if it were a 0-0 game, because I know our offense will always come through. ... Our offense hasn't quite caught up with our defense yet but hopefully by league it will. ''

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

BASEBALL: Seeking redemption

Highland looks to avenge last season's losses to Q.H.

For the third year in a row, Golden League baseball teams have a special touch added to their league openers, which are being played at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, home of the Lancaster JetHawks.

No added flare was needed, though, for Highland to make a big deal about its league opener tonight against Quartz Hill. The Bulldogs have been looking forward to the 7:30 p.m. game against the three-time defending league champions long before they learned it would be the marquee game in the Varsity First Pitch event.

Gaining momentum in what is expected to be a tight league race would be a bonus for Highland, which is looking for payback against the Rebels, who dominated the Bulldogs last season. Quartz Hill won its three games against Highland last season by a combined 26-5 margin, but the game that stands out for the Bulldogs is their 9-0 loss in the league opener.

``It's still in the back of our mind,'' Highland coach Mike Van Cheri said. ``They embarrassed us last year. We want to redeem ourselves. The guys have talked about it in practice, they've been looking forward to this game.''

Quartz Hill (3-3) showed it was looking ahead to the league opener, too, when it tried to keep its entire pitching staff available for tonight by having seven pitchers - including a couple on junior varsity - throw just one inning each in Tuesday's victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.

``Highland, they're a good team,'' Quartz Hill coach Lance Pierson said. ``Highland and Palmdale have the most guys returning, they've got the experience. This year it should be close. ... For us to beat them, we're going to have to play a good game. We aren't expecting it to be easy.''

Highland (2-4) will be facing a much different Quartz Hill team than a year ago. The Rebels graduated eight starters, including pro draftees Matt Ware and Brian Chavez. Quartz Hill is led this year by a group of promising juniors such as Chase Tiget and Michael Champieux, who have been top hitters.

Junior right-hander Jon Birds (0-1) is scheduled to start for the Rebels tonight. He likely will be opposed by Bulldogs senior right-hander Luke Organ (0-1), who has a 3.50 ERA and eight strikeouts with six hits allowed in eight innings.

Highland is looking to end a streak of three consecutive losses, the latest a 7-0 decision against Serrano of Phelan on Tuesday.

Josh Hughes (.400), Evan Johnson (.364) and Tucker Mabee (.353) are the leading hitters for a Bulldogs offense that hasn't seen much production beyond the top of the order.

``We're a little disappointed with our record,'' said Van Cheri, whose team had to play five games in six days last week. ``But we're hoping for a fresh start. This will be a big game for us.''

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, 5 boxes

Photo:

Quartz Hill pitchers Laura Calvert, left, and Kristin Ware are keeping the Rebels in games when the offense isn't clicking.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) TIME OUT

(2) STANDINGS

(3) COMING UP

(4) BOYS: GAME OF THE WEEK

(5) GIRLS: GAME OF THE WEEK