SOFTBALL BEAT : PLAYER SPOTLIGHT.

Armed and dangerous: Tamra Freedman has a request of all third base coaches: just keep sending those runners home.

As a hitter, Montclair Prep's junior center fielder is five home runs shy of the state career mark of 29. So, please, don't stop her at third.

Defensively, she also likes to see baserunners sent to the plate.

``More than anything, I want them to send her,'' said Freedman, who threw out three Antelope Valley runners at home during a 10-inning victory Saturday. ``I think to myself, `If he sends her, she's gone.' ''

Freedman's favorite baseball player is Ken Griffey, Jr. because, ``He can do it all,'' she says. ``I love watching him play.''

Montclair Prep fans have had a great time watching Freedman, as well.

She has seven outfield assists this season - four on plays at the plate - for the Mounties (17-3), who have won 12 straight. Freedman also is batting .431 with five home runs, 27 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Said coach and athletic director Greg Reece: ``I know she'd be starting on our varsity baseball team right now.''

TREND WATCH Streak city: Monroe's 3-0 victory over Reseda marked the Regents' first loss since joining the Valley Pac-8 Conference, a streak that had grown to 16 games.

Alemany's 3-2 loss to Chaminade last week ended the Indians' 26-game Mission League winning streak.

Three other local streaks remain very much alive, however.

Verdugo Hills has won 18 straight Northern Conference games. Rian Standley has seven home runs, two short of the City 3-A record, pitcher Melanie Wood has tossed two no-hitters and catcher Jodi Kent has been an offensive force for the Dons (15-3).

Boron extended its Desert Mountain League streak to 41 games on Tuesday, a skein that dates back to 1993. Senior pitcher and three-time league MVP Lindsay Dugan, who has committed to Cal State Bakersfield, entered the week with 3-1/2 consecutive no-hitters. In her past four outings, she has thrown three of her own and combined with Summer Richardson for another.

Paraclete is poised to capture its 18th consecutive High Desert League championship. Pitching also has been a key for the Spirits (13-4), who have won six straight including a perfect game last week by Vicki McKay.

Tournament time: The final rounds of the Paraclete tournament will be played Saturday, with Paraclete meeting Montclair Prep in one semifinal and Notre Dame facing Dos Pueblos in the other.

The Thousand Oaks tournament also continues Saturday with quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

Marmonte League rivals Westlake and Simi Valley meet in one quarterfinal, while other matchups include Hoover-Camarillo and Thousand Oaks-San Marcos.

Off-day: Birmingham, unable to field a varsity team Tuesday because of player suspensions, forfeited its West Valley League game to scheduled host Taft.

The official score in a forfeited softball game is 7-0, which is a far cry from the 43-1 Taft victory reported to local newspapers.

``Our varsity team never got on the bus,'' said Birmingham coach Jose Friere. ``I don't know what happened over there.''

The JV's did get on the bus, however, and ended up losing by 42 runs in five innings to Taft's varsity.

Dances with Panthers: Newbury Park will be missing six starters on Saturday for its consolation games in the Thousand Oaks tournament because the players will be attending their school prom.

Knowing his upcoming predicament, coach Mike Morgan experimented during last Saturday's opening rounds, using a lineup sans his dancing starters. The result was a 7-1 loss to Louisville.

Ratings game: Local teams currently rated by the Southern Section:

Division I: Newbury Park (3), Camarillo (4), Thousand Oaks (6), Simi Valley (10); Division II: Saugus (3), Crescenta Valley (7); Division V: La Reina (2), Paraclete (4), Oak Park (7), Flintridge Prep (9), Moorpark (10); Division VI: Cornerstone Christian (2), Boron (3), L.A. Lutheran (6).

KEEPING TABS Le master of hitting: Former Canyon player Keri Lemasters is batting .424 for Michigan State, which has won 12 games in a row. She recently hit a game-winning home run against Michigan's Sara Griffin (Simi Valley) in a Big Ten Conference showdown of state rivals.

Honor roll: Former Glendale infielder Cyndee Bennett was named the Western Athletic Conference's Player of the Week earlier this month after a record-setting performance for Utah.

The junior second baseman had a conference-record seven RBI in a game against New Mexico and tied the WAC mark with two home runs against the Lobos.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Chart

Photo: FREEDMAN

Chart: PITCHING LEADERS

Don't walk:When facing these pitchers, opposing batters better be ready to swing the sticks. Following is a collection of precision pitchers who rarely issue bases on balls.