SOFTBALL: FULL CIRCLE MUEGGLER BECOMES STANDOUT IN SENIOR SEASON.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer VALENCIA - Always one of the region's top defensive players, Natalie Mueggler has improved dramatically as a hitter. The senior 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 is batting .364 with 12 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 - compared to .238 with six RBI as a junior - to help Valencia High's 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' team to the Foothill League title and a likely top-two seeding in the Southern Section Div. II playoffs beginning May 23. ``I think defense has always been her cup of tea, but now Natalie is an awesome all-around player,'' Valencia coach Donna Lee Donna Lee is a bebop jazz standard itself based on the chord changes of the traditional jazz standard "(Back Home Again in) Indiana".[1] It is named after the now-obscure bassist Donna Lee. said. ``Actually, I think she always had the ability to be a good hitter, just not the confidence. But now she's got that confidence.'' Mueggler's development has been so dramatic, she recently committed to UC Davis, surprising some who believed she probably wouldn't continue her softball career after high school. ``It's true - I am more confident,'' Mueggler said. ``All of us have worked really hard in practice, we're getting along better, and I think all of those things show in the games.'' Mueggler's coming-out party came during an early nonleague showdown against high-powered Camarillo. Her deep run-scoring double against All-Pacific View League pitcher Stephanie Byrne was the difference in a 2-1 victory. ``I think that was the point when I figured, `Hey, I can really do this,' '' Mueggler said. Her 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. has been around .400 much of the season but has fallen recently after tearing open the skin on her knee while sliding into second base during a victory over rival Hart on May 1. ``I looked down and blood was squirting squirt v. squirt·ed, squirt·ing, squirts v.intr. 1. To issue forth in a thin forceful stream or jet; spurt. 2. To eject liquid in a jet. v.tr. 1. out. There was a big hole in my knee,'' Mueggler said. ``I haven't done too well ever since. It still hurts, and it still bleeds.'' Mueggler never came out of the lineup, however. Valencia was in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a 16-game winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" , and she wouldn't stand for sitting on the bench. In fact, Mueggler was able to dance up a storm at the school prom two days later - with her knee heavily bandaged under her gown. ``She's definitely a tough kid,'' Lee said. BASEBALL: His rivals rate him high Hart's Williams quietly stands out in Foothill League Rival baseball coach Jared Snyder of Valencia High calls Hart's Danny Williams Danny Williams may refer to:
Williams isn't always mentioned in the same breath with the league's elite players - such as teammate Chris Valaika, Valencia's Matt Aidem and Jared Clark, and Canyon's Joe Gault n. 1. (Geol.) A series of beds of clay and marl in the South of England, between the upper and lower greensand of the Cretaceous period. - but nobody can dispute Williams' performance. He's batting .471 with four home runs, 18 RBI and a .662 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: entering Hart's final regular-season game against visiting Saugus at 3:15 p.m. today. Williams, for one, doesn't mind being an afterthought af·ter·thought n. An idea, response, or explanation that occurs to one after an event or decision. afterthought Noun 1. . In fact, he finds the situation beneficial. ``That just adds so much fuel to my fire,'' Williams said. ``All I want to do is baseball and not worry about publicity and all that stuff, and it's been a great senior year.'' He played well last year, too, batting .328 with 14 RBI in 58 at-bats. Williams enters today's game with a .407 career average. ``He's a wonderful player and a great first baseman,'' Snyder said. ``There's just something about him where you know you're not going to be able to completely shut him down. We go into our games with Hart hoping that somebody like Danny Williams won't be in a situation to hurt us too much.'' Colleges have shown some interest, but none have offered scholarships except for Pratt College in Kansas, a high-powered junior college program willing to pay Williams' tuition, room and board. So Williams will go to Pratt and hopefully move to a four-year program, as have many of Pratt's prominent starters over the years. For now, Williams is focused on finishing his high school career. Hart, 13-12 overall after winning at least 20 games 12 times since 1988, has proved less consistent than usual. For a while it looked as though the team might finish below .500 for the first time since 1979, but it won 10 of 14 league games and clinched second place by beating Saugus 12-11 on Tuesday. The Southern Section Div. II playoffs begin next Friday Next Friday is the 2000 sequel to Friday , which depicts the neighborhood of South Los Angeles in a comedic sense. The hero, Craig Jones (Ice Cube), leaves home and moves in with his lottery winning and sex-crazed Uncle Elroy (Don "D.C." Curry) in Rancho Cucamonga. , and Williams believes Hart might sneak up Verb 1. sneak up - advance stealthily or unnoticed; "Age creeps up on you" creep up advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" on some people. ``I'm not ready to call it a season,'' Williams said. ``I think a lot of teams will look at our record and say, `Oh, Hart's not that good.' But we've played a lot of tough teams, and we just might bite somebody on the butt.'' LOOK BACK Hart's 12-11 eight-inning baseball victory Tuesday over Saugus was among the most exciting games of the season, as host Saugus fought back from a 10-0 deficit. Kyle Boggio singled in the winning run and got the save in a game that included 29 hits, including 13 for extra bases and three home runs. Hart's Ian Feldman was 4 for 4 and hit his third home run over the past three games. ... Valencia's baseball team, powered by freshman Casey Mulligan's two home runs, defeated Burbank 15-3 Tuesday to 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. its second consecutive Foothill League title. ... Valencia's softball team clinched the Foothill League title outright - its third consecutive league championship - by defeating Saugus 2-0 in eight innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. Tuesday. Breanne Javier's two-run double was the decisive hit. Valencia has won 25 games three seasons in a row. ... Canyon's softball team won its first league game of the season by defeating Burbank 9-2 Tuesday. Right-hander Jen French held Burbank scoreless through six innings, finishing with a complete-game seven-hitter CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 7 boxes Photo: (1) Valencia's Natalie Mueggler's strong senior season helped Valencia win the Foothill League title John Lazar/Staff Photographer (2) Hart's Danny Williams doesn't get as much attention as some other players in the Foothill League, but rival coaches know his value to the Indians. David Crane/Staff Photographer Box: (1) TIME OUT (2) COMING UP BASEBALL (3) GAME OF THE WEEK: GAME OF THE WEEK--Saugus at Hart, 3:15 p.m. today (4) LOOK BACK (see text) SOFTBALL (5) GAME OF THE WEEK: Hart vs. Village Christian at Newhall Park, 3:15 p.m. today STANDINGS: FOOTHILL LEAGUE (6) BASEBALL (7) SOFTBALL |
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