SOFTBALL: SUPPORT SYSTEM TWO PARENTS OF HIGHLAND TEAMMATES BATTLE CANCER.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE AND HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writers

Breanna Morales tries to keep her fear in control, something she can usually do on the softball field.

But it's difficult for her to do when she comes home and sees her mother, Sheri, who has been battling breast cancer since September.

``It flips your world upside down. At 17, you think the world is one way and then you hit a brick wall and realize it's completely different. There's no way to explain it,'' she said. ``I don't really dwell on it, but when I come home it's there.''

But Morales has two teammates who understand what she is going through. One is her twin sister, Bridgett, and the other is Highland junior pitcher Lauren Tantlinger, whose father, Kevin, has had cancer for more than five years and recently survived an experimental surgery to remove malignant tumors from behind his right ear and jaw.

``All the girls are very supportive, but it's a lot easier to talk to someone who actually knows what you're going through and Lauren really does,'' Bridgett Morales said. ``At first, when we heard my mom was sick, I didn't want to believe it. The hardest part for me was to talk about it, but my teammates, they're like a family. I know if we ever needed any of them to do anything, they'd be there.''

Before each game, the Highland softball team says a prayer for Kevin Tantlinger and Sheri Morales. It's an emotional experience for teenage girls to deal with having two people close to the program with such serious diseases, but it seems to have brought the team closer together.

Highland is poised to win its first Golden League championship since 2000.

``We're a really close team,'' senior shortstop Shannon Doepking said. ``We always say a prayer for the twins' mother and Kevin. ... It's tough for us. But it's made us stronger.''

Sheri Morales and Kevin Tantlinger have approached cancer with a positive attitude.

Breanna Morales said her mother's positive attitude has helped her tremendously.

``My mom has never once been depressed,'' she said. ``My parents have always instilled in us never to let anything mentally defeat you. And they can speak those words, but when you see them go out and do it, it sinks in so much more.

``We all say our goals before games and talk about how we want to play each game like it's our last. Because it really could be. For us, that means more because we see what's happened to our mom and to Kevin. And you just have to have this attitude that you're going to beat it. So much of life is about mentally defeating something.''

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

BASEBALL: HIS FORTE IS FEARLESSNESS 

Confidence, hard work let Littlerock's Haynes get most out of senior year

LITTLEROCK - Billy Haynes rides motorcycles and survived an accident involving stunts on a trampoline. Don't think the daredevil will be intimidated by a ball being thrown his way.

Haynes' confidence at the plate, combined with a passion for the game that kept him going after back surgery, has made the Littlerock High senior a leading hitter for the Lobos baseball team this season.

Haynes entered the week batting a team-high .578 with seven doubles. He has struck out only three times.

``I've been on varsity for three years, so I've seen most of the pitchers a few times,'' Haynes said.

``It's all a mental game, I think I have a good idea what to expect and I'm not intimidated. If they want to try to throw it past me, let them try.''

Haynes' fearless attitude is one of the few things that has prevented him from doing even more for the Lobos. In the league opener at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, the second baseman aggravated his back by running into the stands attempting to make a catch.

Haynes initially injured his back in a trampoline accident that required surgery in the eighth grade and left him unable to play baseball for nearly two years.

The lower-back pain prevented Haynes from playing in the field much of this season, but the Lobos were thrilled to have at least his hitting.

``He said, `When I swing, it feels OK,' '' Littlerock coach Dennis Henderson said. ``So we let him DH. He's one of our best hitters.''

Haynes resumed playing second base about two weeks ago.

He has committed only one error and exhibits hustle and a knowledge of the game that make him an ideal leader. The work ethic he uses to maintain a GPA better than 4.0 carries over to the field, where he doesn't let his 5-foot-9 frame hold him back.

``I work hard all the time,'' said Haynes, who tries to emulate his favorite players, David Eckstein and Adam Kennedy of the Angels. ``I like to lead by example and show the younger guys how you should play.''

Haynes grew up in a family that loves baseball and includes relatives who played in the minor leagues. He used his senior project as an opportunity to pass on his knowledge of the game, holding a clinic for younger players.

``He's one of those kids you look at and say, `That's why I coach,' '' Henderson said. ``He's got a great attitude and has things in perspective.''

Haynes has been accepted to Cal Lutheran, where he plans to pursue a career in physical therapy and walk on to the baseball team.

His career with the Lobos ends next week because Littlerock was eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday. Just being in contention this late for the program's first playoff berth was exciting for Haynes and the Lobos, who are regulars at the bottom of the Golden League standings.

``I'm pretty happy with my season,'' Haynes said.

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

SOFTBALL: GAME OF THE WEEK

Paraclete vs. La Reina of Thousand Oaks, Lancaster City Park, Saturday, 2 p.m.

These teams had a great rivalry during the late 1990s as two of the top small-school programs in the Southern Section. Paraclete coach Margaret Neill is looking forward to renewing that rivalry in the semifinals of the Paraclete tournament.

``It's been so long since we've played La Reina, I don't even think my kids know they used to be a big rival for us,'' Neill said.

BASEBALL: GAME OF THE WEEK

Palmdale at Quartz Hill, Wednesday, 3:15 p.m.

Barring an upset today, Quartz Hill will have already secured a share of the Golden League title, but Palmdale could earn a piece of the title for itself. The meeting between two of the league's top teams will be an ideal tuneup for both heading to the postseason. The teams meet twice next week.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 5 boxes

Photo:

Bridgett, left, and Breanna Morales' mother and a Highland teammate's father are battling cancer.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) TIME OUT

(2) STANDINGS

(3) COMING UP

(4) SOFTBALL: GAME OF THE WEEK (see text)

(5) BASEBALL: GAME OF THE WEEK (see text)