SOFTBALL BEAT WHO'S HOT.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

--Danielle Ellement, Newbury Park: The Panthers have scored one run in their past three games, but Ellement, who is deaf, has sparkled on the mound. She struck out 27 in an 18-inning scoreless tie against Thousand Oaks on Tuesday.

The 27 strikeouts in a game is the eighth-highest in Southern Section history.

--Mandy Kilionski, Thousand Oaks: She had a one-hitter in 3-0 victory over then-No. 1 Valencia on Friday. Matched Ellement with 27 strikeouts in a 0-0 tie against Newbury Park on Tuesday night.

--Katie Gustaveson, L.A. Baptist Led her team to two victories in the Daily News Victory Spring Classic tournament. She had eight strikeouts in three innings of an 8-1 victory over Calabasas and struck out 12 in eight innings of a 3-1 win over El Camino Real of Woodland Hills.

Gustaveson has struck out 51 in 32 innings this year and allowed just one walk, eight hits and no earned runs.

--Stacy Milne, Canoga Park: It's hard to say whether Milne is a faster pitcher or baserunner. She has 23 stolen bases in Canoga Park's 12 games and is 10-2 with a 0.31 ERA as a pitcher. She's hitting .457 and has 109 strikeouts.

--Cori Blanton, Notre Dame: Second baseman is 8 for 10 with five home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored in her past three games.

``She's fast as lightning, and she's just been hitting it over their heads and it's light's out,'' Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks coach Rob DiMuro said.

--Heather Hamasaki, Glendale: She's hitting .500 (17 for 34) and is 6-1 with an 0.63 ERA as a pitcher, including 85 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.

QUICK HITS

--Not you: It seemed like a routine pitching change when Agoura third baseman Michelle Smith was switched to pitcher with the Chargers trailing Valencia 3-0 in the third-place game of the Hart tournament on Friday.

Smith, a junior, is being recruited by the likes of top-ranked UCLA as a hitter and third baseman but also has seen time on the mound this season.

Her first batter, Valencia catcher Jaisa Creps - who is a close friend and teammate of Smith's on the Orange County Batbusters - threw off her focus a bit and both cracked a smile before Creps dug into the box.

``It was very weird,'' Smith said of facing Creps. ``I didn't realize where they were in the order, but of course, she's the first one up.''

Smith got the UCLA-bound Creps to ground out to third base.

--Hard to say goodbye: Newbury Park catcher Robyn Wike got her money's worth in her final high school game Tuesday night against Thousand Oaks. Wike was 4 for 9 in the 18-inning game, which ended in a scoreless tie at 10:30 p.m., when the lights at Borchard Park in Thousand Oaks had to be turned off.

Wike was scheduled to have surgery today on the labrum in her right arm and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

``She's a great kid, a great competitor and we're going to miss her a lot. She's all heart,'' Newbury Park coach Lynn Baum said. ``She's going to work with my catcher and call pitches for us. I'm going to let her because she calls them now.

``It's going to be tough for her. She's already ... saying, `Well, I think I can hit in a week.' I was like, `No, I don't think that's going to happen.' She's going to have her arm in a sling and I told her, `You're not going to have that thing off for one day. You're going to listen to the doctor.' ''

Wike has signed to play at Washington next year.

KEEPING TABS

Former La Reina of Thousand Oaks standout Mackenzie Vandergeest returns to Southern California as the starting catcher for No. 2 Arizona (34-3, 3-0 Pacific-10 Conference) against top-ranked UCLA (31-2, 3-0) Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Easton Stadium.

Vandergeest has started every game and is batting .286 with nine home runs and 43 RBI.

AROUND THE LEAGUES

Delphic: Grace Brethren of Simi Valley is 9-3 behind senior pitcher Jamie Palacios, who is 8-2 and hitting .364.

Foothill: League play begins Tuesday with the two favorites - Hart and Valencia - playing at Valencia.

But don't count out darkhorses such as Burroughs of Burbank. Pitcher Dani Regan has been solid, with a 1.72 ERA through 10 games, and the Indians' offense has been hot. Senior Ryanne Hodgins is hitting .462, junior Val Rico is batting .548 with a .677 slugging percentage, and Regan is batting .414.

Horizon: Santa Clarita Christian (4-5, 1-2) upset defending Southern Section Div. VI champion Faith Baptist of Canoga Park 11-10 on Tuesday.

Faith Baptist is ranked second in the Div. VI poll but has lost its best player, Devina Quintero, to a season-ending knee injury.

Shannon Malone sparked a five-run fifth inning for Santa Clarita Christian with a three-run double.

Marmonte: Simi Valley is the league's only undefeated team after playing its first five games at home. The season gets a lot tougher with its next six league games on the road. The Pioneers' only remaining home game is against Thousand Oaks in their season finale.

Mission: Harvard Westlake of Studio City's Shelly Madick looks to be the league's dominant pitcher. The Wolverines open with Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks on Friday at 2:45 p.m. at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park.

Notre Dame (5-6) is on a four-game winning streak under first-year coach Rob DiMuro.

Chaminade of West Hills started slowly but nearly upset No. 1 Hart of Newhall on Thursday, losing 2-1. Veronica Barth is hitting .435 (10 for 23) and has a 1.93 ERA in 40 innings.

Chaminade opens league play Friday against Louisville of Woodland Hills at Mid Valley Softball Complex at 3 p.m.

Pacific: With Glendale, Hoover of Glendale, Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta and Arcadia playing well, the league title is up for grabs.

Hoover's Anna Schnitger (10-3) is a crafty pitcher, according to coach Kirt Kohlmeier. ``She doesn't try to blow it by people,'' he said. ``She's just real smart and sets people up.''

Rio Hondo: Danielle Mellin and Courtney Turner have combined to allow 10 earned runs in La Canada's first nine games. La Canada's defense has been shaky, leading to 10 unearned runs.

Mellin was the starting first baseman the past three years and backup pitcher behind Kelly Kalish. She struck out 10 in a 1-0 victory over Monrovia, a perennial cellar-dweller, on Tuesday.

Junior third baseman Ciri Bryan is batting .560 (14 for 25) with three doubles, a triple and a home run.

DAILY NEWS VICTORY SPRING CLASSIC

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Semifinals at 1:30 p.m.

L.A. Baptist (6-0) vs. Granada Hills (8-2), Field 1; Crescenta Valley (7-2) vs. Burroughs (7-5), Field 4

Championship/3rd Place at 3:30 p.m., Field 1/Field 4

Silver Bracket at 1:30 p.m.

Westlake (7-4) vs. El Camino Real (10-4), Field 2; Newbury Park (8-4-1) vs. Birmingham (11-3), Field 3.

Bronze Bracket at 9 a.m.

Highland (3-9) vs. Oaks Christian (8-2), Field 1; Verdugo Hills (6-11) vs. La Canada (6-3), Field 4.

Copper Bracket at 9 a.m.

San Fernando (10-3) vs. Calabasas (1-7), Field 2; Kennedy (5-5) vs. Village Christian (4-2), Field 3.

(Records through Tuesday night)

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, 3 boxes

Photo:

(1) NEWBURY PARK'S DANIELLE ELLEMENT

(2) L.A. BAPTIST'S KATIE GUSTAVESON

(3) KAT WALSH

Granada Hills ace has 79 strikeouts in just 42 innings this season and has put her team into the Daily News Top 10.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) Daily News TOP 10

(2) SEVEN-DAY FORECAST

(3) DAILY NEWS VICTORY SPRING CLASSIC