SOFTBALL: CAN HIGHLAND SNAP STREAK? : Q.H. HAS HAD BULLDOGS' NUMBER.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer Quartz quartz, one of the commonest of all rock-forming minerals and one of the most important constituents of the earth's crust. Chemically, it is silicon dioxide, SiO2. Hill High already has beaten its arch-rival, Highland, five times in a row over the last two years. And considering the Rebels are 21-1 (7-0 in Golden League) and ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division I - compared to unranked Highland's 14-8 (5-2) - why is everyone talking about the teams' 3:15 p.m. matchup today at Quartz Hill? Because the past never matters when these two teams collide col·lide intr.v. col·lid·ed, col·lid·ing, col·lides 1. To come together with violent, direct impact. 2. - almost always the game comes down to the very end. A good example was Quartz Hill's 2-1 eight-inning victory April 20 at Highland. Jamie Booth's single to left scored Andrea Cabriales for the go-ahead run, and winner Jodie Cox silenced Highland on four hits with nine strikeouts. Three weeks earlier, Quartz Hill beat Highland 2-0 in the 32-team High Desert Classic tournament final, as Cox struck out 14 and scored one run and drove in the other with a double. A year ago, Cox homered in the 13th 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. and struck out 13 to carry the Rebels to a 2-1 victory. It was Quartz Hill's third straight triumph over the Bulldogs, who entered that game with a 19-4 record. ``This is going to be a big game. It always is,'' said Quartz Hill center fielder Kellie Cox, who leads the team with a .518 batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. . ``No matter who wins, it's always so big because it's Highland versus Quartz Hill.'' Quartz Hill, which won the Southern Section Division II championship last year, has no shortage of motivation: The Rebels will clinch Clinch, river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, formed by the junction of two forks in SW Va., and flowing generally SW across E Tenn. to the Tennessee River at Kingston. the league championship if they win. Highland figures its role is more than that of a spoiler spoiler: see airplane. 1. spoiler - A remark which reveals important plot elements from books or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article) the proper suspense when reading the book or watching the movie. 2. . Coach Glenda Potts hasn't discounted her team's chances of stealing away the title: The Bulldogs must win their remaining three games and the Rebels must lose today and one of their two final contests. ``There's a lot we're playing for. We want to win this game, and we're also hoping someone else can upset Quartz Hill next week,'' Potts said. ``You never know. But for now we definitely have our sights set on playing good 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' (today) and getting a victory.'' The lack of success against Quartz Hill has been particularly frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: because Jodie Cox has held Highland, a very good-hitting team, in check. The Bulldogs have been outscored 13-2 in the five losses, four of which were close games. The scores were 2-1, 2-0, 2-1, 2-0 and 5-0. ``We're right there with them every time,'' Potts said. ``I love playing Quartz Hill because the games always are so exciting. And we love to go against Jodie Cox because she always brings out the best in us and her teammates. I just love the competition.'' Highland, ranked eighth in Division I earlier this season, was surprised by a 1-0 league loss to Lancaster a month ago. However, the Bulldogs had rebounded by winning four of five before two one-run losses in the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. tournament Saturday. Sophomore right-hander Nichole Rawson (13-8, 1.28 ERA) is considered the league's second-best pitcher behind Cox (20-1, 0.54). Rawson has struck out Cox four times in six at-bats since Cox's game-winning home run last year. ``Nichole Rawson does a good job,'' Quartz Hill co-coach Coy Ray said. ``She offers a good contrast because she is constantly changing speeds.'' Highland, 24-6 last season, lost four all-league players to graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. , and All-Southern Section third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Katy Gonzales has not played all season because of a knee injury. Still, the team is again loaded with strong hitters, notably Melissa Rawson (.467 average, five homers, region-best 24 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 ), Ashlie D'Errico (.500, three home runs, 22 RBI) and Keri Pulcifer (.393). Quartz Hill counters with Jodie Cox (.485, region-best eight home runs, 23 RBI), Kellie Cox (.518), Olaya Salazar (.400, five home runs, region-best 26 RBI) and Sayoko Rutledge (.348). Q.H. (21-1, 7-0) Jodie Cox, P Kellie Cox, CF Jamie Booth, 3B Olaya Salazar, C Sara Moore, SS Sayoko Rutledge, RF Chelsey Hume or Amber Hilblom, DH Amanda Ricker, LF Andrea Cabriales, 1B HIGHLAND (14-9, 5-2) Natalie Rawson, SS Nichole Rawson, P Ashlie D'Errico, C Melissa Rawson, 1B Keri Pulcifer, RF Robyn Hauptman, 2B Meghan Stewart, LF Betsy Bartholet, CF Angie D'Errico, 3B CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, 2 Boxes PHOTO (1-2) Highland's Nichole Rawson, left, and Quartz Hill's Jodie Cox will go head-to-head today. The probable starting lineups For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes are below. Jeff Goldwater and Hans Gutknecht/Daily News BOX: (1) Q.H. (see text) (2) HIGHLAND (see text) |
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