SOFTBALL BEAT; THOUSAND OAKS TOURNAMENT PREVIEW.

It's become one of the top softball tournaments in Southern California over its 13-year existence. The Thousand Oaks tournament brings together the best teams in the region each year.

This season is no different. When the tournament kicks off Saturday, eight teams from the Daily News Top 10 will be there, as will Cerritos, the top-ranked team in Division II and the favorite to unseat Chaminade of West Hills as the tournament champion.

``They're the team to beat without a doubt,'' said Thousand Oaks coach Gary Walin. ``They're very good.''

Walin took over the tournament eight years ago. By then it had grown from 16 teams to 24 and was played over three weekends. Now there are 32 teams splint into two brackets playing over two weekends.

Although it was always highly regarded, the tournament became even more prominent once Mater Dei of Santa Ana came aboard a few years ago.

``That really took it to another level, it gave us a real boost,'' Walin said.

Although Mater Dei decided to pull out this year, the field is no less impressive than in seasons past. A big reason is the local flavor, especially among the higher-level teams in the region.

``I'd say this field rivals any other that we've had in the past,'' Walin said. ``There's a lot of talent from top to bottom. I could go on and on talking about who's got a chance because a number of teams have a shot at winning.

The tournament is split into two brackets. The 16-team Green bracket, which includes host Thousand Oaks, is the top field.

Here's a look at the teams with the best chances in the Green bracket:

--Thousand Oaks. Forget what Walin says about Cerritos being the clear favorite. Yes, the Conquistadores are the top-ranked team in Division II, but the Lancers have played consistent ball all year, combining terrific defense with a potent offense that puts together decisive innings when it counts. The hitting leader is third baseman Sheridan Fowler. But this team gets it done with an airtight infield that rarely gives away outs. Michelle Spencer and Jenni Cochran anchor the middle of the infield, with Fowler and Shawna Lane providing help on the corners. Lane is terrific at first base, especially on shaky throws or making long stretches. Pitcher Nicole Angelo is steady.

--Hart. The Indians are the deepest team in the region, featuring three pitchers who could be No. 1 starters on just about any other club. Amanda Fortune has been key all year, compiling a 7-1 record and 0.14 ERA. She doesn't get many strikeouts - 39 in 50 innings - but she doesn't need to with a solid defense behind her. Casey Pickard (1-1, 1.22) and Lindsey Kontra (4-1, 1.93) are also available. Sara Dean (.357) and Stacey Holbrook are the top hitters.

--Camarillo. With Merideth Nevard rounding into form and joining twin sister Kathryn for a potent one-two pitching punch, the Scorpions can play with anyone. The problem is a lack of consistent offense. Too often, Camarillo has to scratch out slim-margin wins, which puts pressure on the Nevards and defense. Still, if the Scorpions can get timely offense, they can go far.

--Chaminade. The Eagles are getting hot after one of their typical slow starts, winning four consecutive Mission League games. First baseman Lindsey Weinstein and shortstop Courtney Whale are two of the better infielders in the region, and pitcher Christina Lupacchini has done a nice job replacing Maureen LeCocq. Chaminade's played the toughest schedule in the region, so it won't be intimidated by anyone it sees in this tournament.

--Valencia. The Vikings have been a solid second to first-place Hart in the Foothill League all year, although a loss to the Indians on Tuesday likely ended their hopes of winning the league title. Still, Valencia has what it takes to make a serious run in this tournament behind pitcher Michelle Smith (6-5, 1.07) and hitting star Lauren Watson (.413).

--El Camino Real. The best team in the City Section gets a chance against the best the Southern Section has to offer. One disadvantage for the Conquistadores is they don't see the quality pitching during their conference schedule that they'll face here. They need to make the adjustment quickly, opening against Cerritos, with star Jessica van der Linden throwing. But ECR hitters such as Christina Enea and Jacquie Goodchild have enough travel-ball experience that it should not be a difficult transition.

DESERT DIAMOND CLASSIC

Saturday and May 6, Lancaster City Park

Historically, host Paraclete has used the Desert Diamond Classic, beginning Saturday in Lancaster, as its turning point. The Spirits have always loaded their schedule with quality nonleague opponents and high-profile tournaments - and usually they enter this 16-team, two-Saturday affair with a record hovering around .500.

But they've won the Desert Diamond Classic four of the five years, including a victory over La Reina of Thousand Oaks in the 1999 championship game.

This season, Paraclete is 9-8 but has won six in a row since shortstop Jackie Kolesar returned from a stomach injury. She's batting .556 with eight RBI in 18 at-bats.

The hosts have the advantage of two excellent pitchers: Senior Lauren McDonald is 6-4 with a 1.47 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 66 innings, and sophomore Sara Gonzales is 3-4 with a 2.78 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 40 innings.

McDonald leads the team with a .400 batting average and five doubles. Leadoff hitter Tami Ortiz is batting .328 with 15 runs and 14 stolen bases, Gonzales is batting .318 and freshman first baseman Catherine Buttrey has three home runs and 15 RBI.

Others to watch:

La Reina (10-4), ranked No. 1 in Division V, features catcher Mackenzie Vandergeest, one of the region's top sluggers in any division.

Vandergeest hopes to lead the Regents to their third consecutive tournament-title-game appearance. They won in 1998. This season, she's batting .581 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 43 at-bats. Thirteen of her 25 hits have been for extra bases, and her slugging percentage is an out-of-sight 1.236.

Vandergeest isn't La Reina's only dangerous hitter. Tracey Clark is batting .457 with 10 RBI, Kristen Ward is hitting .432 with 12 RBI and Monica Thompson has 19 stolen bases.

Meanwhile, pitchers K.C. Robertson is 5-0 with a 0.55 ERA and Ward is 6-4 with a 1.01 ERA. . . .

San Fernando (16-4) is the region's winningest City Section team and might make an impact. Sunshine Gallardo, one of the City's most prominent shortstops, is batting .377 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 61 at-bats.

Teammates Ariel Galaviz (.333), Lorena Arreguin (19 RBI), Nancy Esqueda (.333) and Michelle Raigoza (15 stolen bases) are the other primary offensive threats. But the Tigers' biggest strength is pitching. Raigoza is 9-3 with a 1.42 ERA and 12 complete games. She's allowed 45 hits in 84 innings. Gabby Baragan is 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 22 innings, and Michelle Molina is 3-1 with a 0.95 ERA. . . .

Alemany (9-7) and Notre Dame (5-9) both aren't as strong as usual, but their Mission League status gives them clout in this particular group, which features mostly small schools.

Alemany's Kaitlin Reiss is batting .476, Vanessa Rodriguez is hitting .475 and Rosalie Ramirez is at .381. Notre Dame's Amanda De La Cerda is 5-7 but has an 0.71 ERA. Cheryl Acosta is batting .465 but has scored just three runs because the rest of the lineup isn't giving much support. . . .

Palmdale (8-9) has an outside shot because the core of its lineup is as strong as any team's. Third baseman Monique Saldana is an All-Southern Section candidate who's batting .474 with one home run, 11 extra-base hits and 21 RBI in 57 at-bats. She had three hits and three RBI in Tuesday's 16-5 victory over Littlerock. Shortstop Jennifer Albertson, a sophomore, is batting .364 and first baseman Sierra Shinkle is at .345 with 14 RBI.

NOTES

Sometimes it pays to be lucky and good at the same time. Just ask Lancaster High's Tara Jensen. The region's leading home run hitter with five, Jensen's short pop-up Tuesday against Quartz Hill fell in for a three-run double and propelled the Eagles to a surprising 9-7 victory.

It was Quartz Hill's first Golden League loss in two years. The loss put Lancaster, Quartz Hill and Highland in a three-way tie for first.

Jensen, who briefly transferred to Quartz Hill in the fall before returning to Lancaster, is batting .309 with a 13 extra-base hits and a .782 slugging percentage. She entered the Quartz Hill matchup with three home runs in the last four games and she's batting .636 in league.

``Tara is doing really, really well,'' coach Kara Johnson said.

--Add Quartz Hill: Quartz Hill co-coach Coy Ray was still scratching his head the morning after the Lancaster loss.

``I don't want to make it sound like we're whining,'' he said, ``but we made four errors in one inning. I've been here 13 years and haven't seen anything like that. I give Lancaster credit because they earned the win, but we played terrible.''

--Add Lancaster: By beating Quartz Hill, the Eagles did a nice job rebounding from the day before, when they were no-hit by Highland's Nicole Rawson in a 4-0 loss.

``Against Highland, we just couldn't hit the ball,'' coach Johnson said. ``I thought going in that playing Highland right before Quartz Hill could go either way for us and would either help us or hurt us. It helped because Nicky (Rawson) is a fastball pitcher and (Quartz Hill's Amanda) Ricker is fast, too, and we hit her really hard. We had our timing.''

--Mickey Mouse excuse: The Antelope Valley is a long way from Disneyland, but Quartz Hill pitcher Amanda Ricker says she can't get enough of the Happiest Place on Earth.

``Going to Disneyland is my favorite thing to do,'' Ricker said. ``We get there really, really early so we don't have to wait in line all day. I went there last weekend and we did 18 rides.''

--Do or D'Errico: Highland's Ashlie D'Errico, whose team was coming off Thursday's emotional 1-0 loss in eight innings to Quartz Hill, said beating Lancaster on Monday was crucial.

``We had to win that game because it was really important,'' said D'Errico, who is batting .395 with two home runs and three doubles. ``I honestly think we did well against Quartz Hill, but we needed to get our confidence back. We can't afford any more losses from here on in.''

D'Errico, a junior, figures to be one of the region's most-sought-after catcher next year. She plans on taking a businesslike approach to recruiting: ``I plan on going on at least three trips. I really like Arizona, Washington, UCLA and Stanford, but I don't want to leave anyone out. Academics is important, but I'm gonna go to wherever I get the best offer.''

--For the record: Viewpoint's Elisa Smith is batting .724 (21 for 29), making her the region's leading hitter by 143 points. If she keeps the pace, Smith will break Karen Breshears' regional single-season hitting record (Cornerstone Christian, 1995).

--Cervenka serves strikes: Crescenta Valley's Meredith Cervenka's streak of 292 innings without an earned run came to end in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Glendale. However, almost as remarkable as the streak is this: The junior right-hander entered the week with just six walks - and 214 strikeouts - in 117 innings.

--On the run: Stolen bases aren't as common as they once were in softball, mainly because catchers have improved every year. However, Van Nuys loves to run. Center fielder Nancy Lopez has 32 stolen bases, but she isn't the Wolves' only effective basestealer. Veronica Castillo has 15, Marisa Mochizuki and Veronica Valencia both have 13 and America Medina has 10.

--Twiddling their thumbs: It already feels like a long season for Bethel Christian and not just because the Eagles are 1-12. Because of cancelations caused by weather, site problems and the school's annual senior trip to Washington, D.C., the girls haven't played since a loss to Joshua Springs on April 6 - and they won't play against until May 9, when they host Trona at Lancaster City Park.

That's more than a month off.

``Yes, it's sure a long time,'' coach John Haggerty said. ``Usually the senior trip doesn't cost us any games because we only have one or two seniors, but this year we have five.'' . . .

Desert Christian, in the midst of a three-game winning streak, is 7-6 (3-1 in Desert Mountain League) and already has surpassed last season's victory total.

Coach Devin Thomas credits shortstop Traci Schramm (sister of standout baseball pitcher Dustin) and freshman pitcher Amanda Wolfenstein. Schramm is batting .500 with nine RBI and 14 runs, and Wolfenstein is 6-6.

SQUEEZE PLAY

DAILY NEWS TOP 10

No. Team................Record

1...Crescenta Valley....15-1

Cervenka's earned-run steak ends, but Falcons are the best team

2...Thousand Oaks.......14-3

Rare loss to Camarillo

3...Hart................14-3

Indians now control Foothill League

4...Camarillo...........12-6

Nice to see Meredith Nevard back

5...El Camino Real......14-2

Conquistadores hyped for T.O. tournament

6...Harvard-Westlake....12-2

Chaminade comes calling next week

7...Kennedy.............15-3

Getting ready for the playoffs

8...Westlake.............9-6

Can help confidence with good showing at T.O. tournament

9...Quartz Hill.........11-5

It took awhile, but Rebels crack the top ten

10..Calabasas...........12-3

Another team hoping to do well at T.O.

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

Top game: Hart vs. Newbury Park, 8:30 a.m., Saturday at Thousand Oaks tournament. The Panthers have struggled against better teams this year, but they have the talent to play with anyone and this will be a good test, especially with the playoffs just a few weeks away. Hart is deeper and more consistent, featuring pitcher Amanda Fortune, but in a close game, Newbury Park's Oli Keohohou can win it with one swing.

Potential upset: Thousand Oaks can't afford to look past Valencia in an opening-round game at 8:30 a.m. The Vikings are coming off a loss to Hart on Tuesday and would like nothing more then to get back on track with an upset of the Lancers, who are now ranked No. 2 in the Daily News poll after losing last week to Camarillo in the second game of a doubleheader. For the Vikings to win, they must crack the Lancers defense, string together a few timely hits and score at least three runs.

Bound to happen: Simi Valley will score two runs, get a well-pitched game, stay close to Atascadero but suffer one bad inning and lose in the opening round of the Thousand Oaks tournament. It's been that way for the hard-luck Pioneers all year. They've been competitive but unable to close out the better teams they play.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Thousand Oaks pitcher Nicole Angelo.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box: DAILY NEWS TOP 10 (see text)