SOFTBALL BEAT WHO'S HOT.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

Amanda Peek, Crescenta Valley 

Peek leads the area with 40 RBI and 13 doubles and is among the area leaders with a .467 batting average and six home runs. She still believes she has a lot to learn after switching from baseball to softball as a junior last season.

``It's still difficult,'' Peek said. ``I feel like I haven't reached my peak as a softball player yet. I think it's just a matter of experience.''

Despite her lack of softball experience, Peek is being heavily recruited by several colleges, including Big West Conference champion Long Beach State.

Megan Miller, El Camino Real: The sophomore right-hander lowered her ERA to 0.72 with a shutout of Birmingham of Lake Balboa in the City Section quarterfinals Tuesday.

Miller (16-6) has 149 strikeouts in 155 innings and, perhaps more impressive, has allowed only 25 walks. That's an average of 1.14 walks per game.

Vicky Brown, La Reina: The sophomore ace is a key reason why La Reina of Thousand Oaks earned the top seed in the Southern Section Div. V playoffs. Brown has an 0.63 ERA, mostly because of five earned runs she allowed to Camarillo in the first game of the season. Since then, La Reina coach Don Hyatt said Brown has been solid.

``This has really been a breakout-type season for her,'' Hyatt said. ``Her rise ball has been pretty spectacular this season.''

Brown has 179 strikeouts in 111 innings and has yielded only 10 walks. She has 10 shutouts, one perfect game, four one-hitters, four two-hitters and eight double-digit strikeout performances. Her season strikeout high was 16 against Oak Park.

CITY SECTION SEMIFINALS

Since 1983, only three teams have won a City Section softball title: El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, San Pedro and Sylmar. And not coincidentally, those three teams will play for another chance at the title today at 2:30 p.m. at South Gate Park.

El Camino Real, which has won 12 City titles (1983-86, 1988-91, 1994, 1996-97 and 1999) will take on San Pedro, the four-time defending City champion with 11 titles overall (1976-77, 1979, 1992-93, 1995, 1998, 2000-03), in one semifinal.

Sylmar, which won the only City title in school history in 1987, will take on Carson in the other semifinal. Carson, seeded second in the 32-team bracket, has lost to San Pedro in each of the past four City championship games.

The City championship game will be Tuesday at UCLA at 4:15 p.m. There hasn't been an all-San Fernando Valley championship game since El Camino Real defeated Kennedy of Granada Hills in 1997.

The Invitational Bracket semifinals match Taft of Woodland Hills against Kennedy of Granada Hills and Bravo of Los Angeles against Marshall of Los Angeles. The Invitational final is Tuesday at 2 p.m. at UCLA.

TRACK RECORD

Oaks Christian of Westlake Village's victories over Royal of Simi Valley and Newbury Park last month at the Daily News Victory Spring Classic went a long way toward silencing critics who said the Lions played a ``soft schedule.''

But even with those victories, many had the same complaint. One of the main criticisms of Oaks Christian was that it played in two out-of-state tournaments, which some perceived to have inferior competition.

But of the teams that Oaks Christian played at tournaments in Utah and Nevada this season, all are playing in their respective state tournaments. In both states, the schools play double-elimination tournaments. The teams that Oaks Christian beat that are still playing include Murray High (Utah), which is in the semifinals of the winners' bracket of 4A, Bingham High (Utah), which is in the semifinals of the winners' bracket of 5A, and Freemont (Utah) which is in the losers' bracket of 5A.

Douglas High of Nevada is in the winners' bracket of 4A.

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Div. I

First-round matchups (Friday at 3:15 p.m.): Agoura at Highland of Palmdale; Hueneme of Oxnard at Saugus; Oxnard at Royal of Simi Valley; Thousand Oaks at Millikan of Long Beach; Quartz Hill at Valencia; Hart at Camarillo (Saturday at noon).

Second-round matchups (Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.): Highland/Agoura winner vs. Hueneme/Saugus winner; Royal/Oxnard winner vs. Loara/Laguna Hills winner; Millikan/Thousand Oaks winner vs. Camarillo or Hart; Valencia/Quartz Hill winner vs. Wilson or Marina/Rosary winner.

The past few seasons, Valencia has entered the Southern Section Div. I playoffs with the talent to win a championship or at least advance deep into the postseason. The Vikings had three players who went on to play for NCAA Division I colleges and another, Danyale Peterson, who was offered a scholarship to Cal State Northridge.

But each year, the Vikings fell short of their expectations and last season might have been the cruelest as they were upset 1-0 in the second round by Lakewood.

This year, Valencia began with considerably lower expectations. Senior pitcher Christina Ross was back, and senior third baseman Kortney Bell was coming off a big summer season. But the Vikings have overachieved and ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Daily News poll.

Perhaps lowered expectations are what Valencia needed to find postseason success?

Div. II

First-round matchups (Friday at 3:15 p.m. unless noted): Glendale at Santiago of Corona, today, 4 p.m.; La Serna at Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta; Hoover of Glendale at Diamond Ranch.

Second-round matchups (Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.): Glendale/Santiago winner vs. Redlands East Valley/Yucaipa winner; Crescenta Valley/La Serna winner vs. San Luis Obispo/Peninsula winner; Hoover/Diamond Ranch winner vs. Fontana/Chapparral winner.

Crescenta Valley is the area's best hope in Div. II, and the Falcons seem to have a favorable first-round draw. Crescenta Valley defeated La Serna 6-0 at the Arroyo tournament in March. In the second round, Crescenta Valley would most likely face San Luis Obispo (21-3), which has a tough pitcher in Katie Burkhart (20-2).

``There was a lot of doubt about this season because of who we lost, but our pitching came through and our hitting was really good,'' Crescenta Valley senior Megan Luna said. ``I'm really proud of the season we've had.''

Glendale opens against top-seeded Santiago of Corona today at 4 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Friday but was moved because Glendale has its senior prom that night.

``They were nice enough to change it for us because we would've never made it back for prom from a 4 p.m. game,'' Glendale shortstop Priscilla Lopez said.

Div. IV

As expected, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village (29-1) and Dos Pueblos of Goleta (25-1-1) were the division's top seeds. But if either team looks ahead to a showdown in the championship game, it could create the conditions for an upset.

Oaks Christian could face a tough quarterfinal game against Harvard- Westlake of Studio City, and Dos Pueblos could have a hard time with third-seeded Chaminade of West Hills in the semifinals.

Div. V

La Reina of Thousand Oaks (17-5-2) was a mild surprise as the division's top seed. The Regents were expecting to receive a No. 2 or 3 seed until L.A. Baptist of North Hills upset defending champion Village Christian of Sun Valley in the final regular-season game Thursday.

LAB then won a coin flip and was seeded No. 2, and Village Christian dropped to the fourth seed.

``You get to see your character in times of adversity, and I really believe that our girls have the character to respond to the challenge,'' Village Christian coach Jim Stone said.

La Reina and Village Christian could meet in the semifinals if the seeding holds, but neither team is looking ahead. La Reina was the third seed last season but lost to Western Christian of Pomona in the first round.

``We're not looking past anybody,'' La Reina coach Don Hyatt said.

CAPTION(S):

photo, 4 boxes

Photo:

Crescenta Valley's Amanda Peek leads the area with 40 RBI and 13 doubles. She has a .467 batting average.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Daily News TOP 10

(2) SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

(3) KEEPING TABS

(4) FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS