SOFTBALL: SAUGUS PITCHER THROWS NO-HITTER.Byline: Gideon Rubin Special to the Daily News LANCASTER - Saugus High senior Sarah Hooper hoop·er n. A maker or repairer of barrels and tubs; a cooper. is a converted first baseman who would have seemed to be an unlikely source for advice on pitching a no-hitter at the start of the season. She now qualifies as an expert on the subject after pitching her first career no-hitter in a mercy-ruled, 8-0 Lancaster High Desert Classic championship game victory over Quartz Hill on Monday on a cold rainy night at Lancaster City Park. ``Don't think about it, you'll only jinx jinx n. 1. A person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck. 2. A condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by a specific person or thing. tr.v. yourself,'' Hooper said. ``Just go out there and have confidence in yourself and your teammates. That's pretty much it.'' Truth be told, Hooper (4-1), did not dwell on the no-hitter because she did not know she had one. She struck out nine batters and allowed four walks and hit a batter. Hooper closed the deal on her pitching gem with her bat, singling in two runs with no outs in the bottom of the fifth, triggering the mercy rule A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule (or, less commonly, knockout rule and skunk rule), brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. . Saugus (7-3) won its third consecutive High Desert tournament title. Quartz Hill (6-3-1) was appearing in its first High Desert tournament championship game in five years. ``Nobody knew what to expect from (Hooper),'' Saugus coach Rich Perez said. ``I told her she was going to get a lot of pitching time and she took it on herself to work really hard and she's pitched very well for us. She was up for the challenge tonight.'' Saugus 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 Victoria Kemp was 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs and two runs scored. Quartz Hill's best threat came in the top of the first, when it had runners at second and third with two outs on two walks, an error and a wild pitch when Hooper struck out junior pitcher Kristin Ware. Ware (6-3-1) left the game in the fifth with an unspecified leg injury. Saugus junior 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 Alex Cueva made a diving A DIV Associate of Divinity play on a Traci Wolf popup leading off the third 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. . ``That was a great play,'' Hooper said. ``That pumped me up, definitely.'' Gideon Rubin, (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com |
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