SOFTBALL BEAT.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer FREE SPIRITS There might not be a more free-spirited team in the region then Kennedy High of Granada Hills. Maybe it's the Cougars' youth - they have just three seniors - and a handful of freshmen and sophomores play prominent roles. More likely it is the tone set by Monique Acedo. Kennedy's senior third basemen and team goof, likes to have fun. And that seems to rub off to clean anything by rubbing; to separate by friction; as, to rub off rust s>. See also: Rub on the rest of the team. Acedo's credentials on then field are unquestioned. She's a four-year starter and leads the region in RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in with 17. But Acedo's off-field contributions make just as much impact. Between innings she gathers the Cougars for an inspirational meeting. She challenges them when they're lackadaisical lack·a·dai·si·cal adj. Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: "There'll be no time to correct lackadaisical driving techniques after trouble develops" William J. Hampton. and she consistently makes them laugh. When Kennedy (12-3, 3-0) beat Sylmar 2-1 Tuesday to move a game ahead of the Spartans in the Valley Mission League, Acedo was a constant presence along the team bench. At one point she commented that the umpire ``must have binocular binocular, small optical instrument consisting of two similar telescopes mounted on a single frame so that separate images enter each of the viewer's eyes. As with a single telescope, distant objects appear magnified, but the binocular has the additional advantage eyes or something,'' when he spotted a small piece of debris on the field and stopped the game to pick it up. After the Cougars stranded a number of runners in the early innings, Acedo pulled them together and said: ``OK, let's start a new game right now. It's called we're not going to leave any more runners on base.'' Incidentally, Kennedy pushed across the winning run the next inning to help freshman pitcher Ryane Montes mon·tes n. Plural of mons. win the Valley Mission game. Cougars coach Barbara Rodrique appreciates the fun-loving atmosphere, but she cautions that Kennedy can sometimes go a bit overboard. ``When we're focused, we're fine, I really like the way this team has bonded and come together,'' Rodrique said. ``But sometimes they have too much fun.'' IF YOU BUILD IT . . . For Valencia, there's (finally) no place like home. After all the hard work and effort from parents, coaches, players and the community, the Valencia girls' softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' team finally has a field of dreams. The Vikings renovated and repaired their field just in time to host their first league game this week. ``I'm really happy that it's finally done and that I get to see it my senior year and at least get one year of it,'' said first baseman Michelle Maibon. ``The freshman are lucky because they get it for four years.'' It was a collaborative effort to created the best softball field in the Foothill League. Most of the work was done by volunteers, and the supplies were donated. The scoreboard was donated by the Coca-Cola Co. Most of the construction and labor was done by coach Donna Lee's father, who works for American Landscaping. New spectator bleachers, batting cages and a press box were built. The dirt that makes up the infield was donated by Castaic Brick. A fence with windscreens surrounding the field was put up by with the help of some of the players' parents. Last season the Vikings had a typical softball field, where the boys' soccer and football teams practiced. Six years ago the Vikings didn't even have a home field and had to play at a park. It's a different story this season and the Vikings feel they have something they can call their own. ``More than anything it's ownership and a sense of pride,'' said Lee. ``They helped build it and take pride in that. The parents and community have been really supportive and gave 110 percent. ``We still have to build the dugouts, but when you get a new house, you can't furnish it right away.'' A PAIR OF SO CAL GEMS Two of Southern California's brightest freshmen prospects, Jennifer Curtier and Catherine Buttrey, both hail from the High Desert. Curtier, of Quartz Hill, is batting .364 with two home runs, and Buttrey, of Paraclete, also has two homers with nine RBI. Curtier has a done a nice job filling in for first baseman Andrea Cabriales, who was expected to be one of Quartz Hill's top returnees before deciding not play softball this year. ``I was struggling in the beginning, but I was just happy to be on the team,'' said Curtier, who bats sixth. ``I didn't even think I would be in the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes . But everyone has slumps and I worked on keeping my eye on the ball. I'm hoping to hit a lot more home runs.'' Teammate Amanda Ricker said she always had faith in Curtier. ``I've been playing Little League and travel ball with Jen for a long time and I just think she was nervous at first,'' Ricker said. ``But she's important because you really need a power hitter like her on the team.'' Buttrey's home runs have included an over-the-fence shot at Quartz Hill and a blast Saturday against visiting Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame that Paraclete coach Margaret Neill said was one of the longest she's seen. ``Catherine just crushed that ball against Notre Dame,'' Neill said. ``It was at Jane Reynolds Park (in Lancaster) and it went all the way to the street. She's a great kid and she's working really hard.'' The biggest reason why Quartz Hill (9-5) has compensated for the departure of Jodie Cox, the Daily News two-time Player of the Year: Ricker, a junior right-hander, has won five of her last six decisions, the only loss a 1-0 nod at Saugus last week. At the 32-team High Desert Classic she was 4-0, including a championship victory over Harvard-Westlake. For the season she's 8-3 with a 1.94 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 72 innings. ``Things are going great. This is just what I was hoping for,'' Ricker said. ``Nobody can fill Jodie's shoes. She was awesome. I'm just trying to do the best I can and get our team through it.'' ETC ETC - ExTendible Compiler. Fortran-like, macro extendible. "ETC - An Extendible Macro-Based Compiler", B.N. Dickman, Proc SJCC 38 (1971). ./BAD BREAKS Paraclete is off to a 5-8 start, but there are extenuating circumstances Facts surrounding the commission of a crime that work to mitigate or lessen it. Extenuating circumstances render a crime less evil or reprehensible. They do not lower the degree of an offense, although they might reduce the punishment imposed. , particularly a rash of injuries to key starters. ``We still haven't had a single practice with every one of our girls,'' coach Neill said. However, infielder Jackie Kolesar, out since basketball season with stomach injury, made her first appearance last Saturday and responded with four hits in a doubleheader against Notre Dame. Infielder Jennifer Arroyo Jennifer J. Arroyo (Born March 20 in Staten Island, New York) is an American bassist. She is best known for her tenure in the Canadian alternative metal group Kittie. While living in the Washington, D.C. area, she was the bassist for the rap metal band Spine. (hand) also has returned after missing nine games. Meanwhile, outfielder Heather Brown is finally able to bat again after injuring her hand in Game 2; she had only been playing defense in the interim. READY TO SOAR Watch out for Palmdale, if not this year then certainly next. The Falcons are 7-6, but seven starters are nonseniors, including Jennifer Albertston, who's hitting .463, and power-hitting Sierra Shinkle, who has eight RBI. Pitcher Michelle Lee Michelle Lee may refer to:
MAKING HER PITCH Pitching was supposed to be a big problem for Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley this season because last year's ace, Kelly Bleyl, pitched every inning. However, sophomore Amanda Mathias, a converted shortstop, is performing well. She's 2-3 with a 1.12 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25 innings. BORON boron (bōr`ŏn) [New Gr. from borax], chemical element; symbol B; at. no. 5; at. wt. 10.81; m.p. about 2,300°C;; sublimation point about 2,550°C;; sp. gr. 2.3 at 25°C;; valence +3. IS BACK After reaching the Division VI final last season, Boron started 0-3. However, the Bobcats have since won seven straight, including Tuesday's 11-2 victory over Desert Christian. Right-hander Jennifer Jenkins (6-3), who led the region with 24 victories last year, pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Desert Christian. SQUEEZE PLAY Daily News TOP 10 1. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. 9-2-1 Unbeaten after six games in league 2. Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. 11-1 Offensive struggles? How about 20 runs against Muir 3. Hart10-3 Easily took care of surprising Burbank on Tuesday 4. Camarillo11-3 Meredith Nevard finally healthy 5. El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
Watch out, Enea getting hot again 6. Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. 9-4 Couldn't crack Westlake's Voeltz 7. Harvard-Westlake9-2 Russell steps up big time in the circle 8. Westlake7-4 Thousand Oaks is within sight 9. Saugus10-4 Holden has 12 RBI 10. Kennedy12-3 Bunch of kids, but they can play SEVEN-DAY FORECAST Top game: Valencia at Saugus, today at 3:30 p.m. The Centurions (10-4, 2-0) need as many wins as possible before playing Hart, figuring they might not get much help from anyone against the Indians. This is one of those games Hart is expected to win, but anything is possible against Valencia, which continues to improve. The Vikings need a win to avoid being buried in the Foothill League race. Potential upset: It's obvious now that Simi Valley (9-4, 4-2) must win today against Thousand Oaks (9-2-1, 6-0) to keep alive its fading league-title hopes. Here's the problem: The game is on the road and the Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. are, well, the best team in the region. Solution: The Pioneers better find one quick. They have the talent to do it, but they have to find a way to get at Lancers pitcher Nicole Angelo, who is stingy stin·gy adj. stin·gi·er, stin·gi·est 1. Giving or spending reluctantly. 2. Scanty or meager: a stingy meal; stingy with details about the past. on the hits and steers clear of walks. The Pioneers were shut down 1-0 by Westlake's Erin Voeltz on Tuesday. It's bound to happen: Viewpoint of Calabasas hitting star Elisa Smith will continue to torment opposing pitchers. She's batting a whopping .857, getting 18 hits in 21 at bats. That's called productivity. And when she's on, she figures out a way to get home, scoring 16 runs. EXTRA INNINGS Noun 1. extra innings - overtime play until one team is ahead at the end of an inning; e.g. baseball extra time, overtime - playing time beyond regulation, to break a tie The list of players from the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Valley-based Stealth 18 gold team to make oral commitments continues to grow. Jocelyn Evans (Hart) will play at Cal State Fullerton and Kelly Harris (Louisville) will play at Wesleyan (Conn.). In addition, Chaminade shortstop Courtney Whale is leaning toward Cal State Northridge, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Stealth 18 gold manager Don Harris. CAPTION(S): 2 photos (1) Pitcher Ryane Montes is a key part of Kennedy's fun-loving bunch. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (2) Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith (born December 16, 1969 in Rathcoole, County Dublin), now more commonly referred to by her married name, Michelle de Bruin, is an Irish former swimmer. and Valencia finally have a field of their own. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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