SOFTBALL: SAUGUS GETS BEST OF TAYLOR HOOPER'S 3-HITTER LEADS CENTURIONS SAUGUS 2, VALENCIA 0.Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer SAUGUS - Valencia High right-hander Jordan Taylor walked away in a huff, her competitive spirit affronted af·front tr.v. af·front·ed, af·front·ing, af·fronts 1. To insult intentionally, especially openly. See Synonyms at offend. 2. a. To meet defiantly; confront. b. . When a pitcher strikes out 13 in a seven-inning 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' game, it's not often you come out as the loser. But Saugus' softball team didn't care how many batters Taylor fanned in its Foothill League showdown Thursday, just so long as Saugus got the win. Saugus scored all the runs it needed in the first 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. as Melissa Koutz drove in two runs with a soft single to center field. The Centurions held on for a 2-0 victory over Valencia, the top-ranked team in Southern Section Div. I, at Central Park. "This wasn't about beating Jordan Taylor," Saugus High first baseman Tiffany Tiffany, Tiffanie (UK) a semi-longhaired version of the Burmese cat. It has a fine, silky coat in many colors. Huff said. "It's about beating Valencia. That's all that mattered." Senior right-hander Sarah Hooper (13-4) tossed a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts to earn the win. The Centurions capitalized on two walks and a passed ball in the first inning, as Taylor seemed uncomfortable with the home-plate umpire's tight strike zone and her new catcher, freshman Amy Moore. Moore began catching three games ago when starter Paige Smith fractured her hand. The Centurions (15-9, 4-2) made a conscious effort to make Taylor throw strikes. "We learned a lot from the first time we played them," said Hooper, who was 3 for 3 on the day. "We picked better pitches. When she gets ahead, she makes you hit her pitch. So we were trying not to hit her pitch." Tiffany Huff, who will play for Tennessee next fall, walked in all four of her plate appearances. Taylor (20-4) finished with five walks and gave up seven hits. Other than that, she was her usual dominant self, pushing her season strikeout strike·out n. Baseball Abbr. K or SO An out made by a batter charged with three strikes and credited to the pitcher who threw the strikes. Noun 1. total to 319 in 168 1/3 innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. . But she didn't get much offensive support, as Valencia (21-4, 4-1) managed just six baserunners. Afterward, Taylor, a dogged competitor, seemed frustrated 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: with the loss. "You can learn from losing, but it still sucks," she said. "Defense keeps you in the game, but it doesn't work if you don't hit." ramona.shelburne@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Saugus players celebrate as the Centurions score two runs during Thursday's game against Valencia. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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