SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS: EXPERIENCE, EMOTION KEY TO SEMI MATCHUP.Byline: Jim Inghram Daily News Staff Writer It quite possibly will come down to that oft-used cliche of who wants it more. Senior-laden Mater Dei Mater Dei is Latin for "Mother of God", referring to the Virgin Mary. The term has been used to name various institutions, often Catholic, including:
Santa Ana (sän'tä ä`nä), city (1993 pop. 129,873), W El Salvador. It is the second largest city in the country and the commercial and processing center for a sugarcane, coffee, and cattle region. is seeking its third championship appearance in the past four years. Camarillo is honoring a stricken teammate. The teams meet today at Foothill High in Santa Ana for the opportunity to play in the Division I title game Saturday at Mayfair Park in Lakewood. The top-seeded Monarchs (28-3) have 12 seniors on their 18-girl roster and eight of them have signed to play Division I collegiate col·le·giate adj. 1. Of, relating to, or held to resemble a college. 2. Of, for, or typical of college students. 3. Of or relating to a collegiate church. 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' . Camarillo (21-5), seeded fourth, doesn't have the same numbers - two players have signed letters of intent - but they have emotion on their side. The Scorpions want a championship for sophomore catcher Erika Francis, who is out for the season after having been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Getting past the Monarchs, however, will not be easy. When this group at Mater Dei was freshmen it lost to Marina in the championship game. The Monarchs defeated Camarillo in the finals as sophomores and lost in the semifinals last year to Foothill. A return championship engagement would make them one of the most successful groups in the Southern Section in recent memory and would solidify so·lid·i·fy v. so·lid·i·fied, so·lid·i·fy·ing, so·lid·i·fies v.tr. 1. To make solid, compact, or hard. 2. To make strong or united. v.intr. their hold on the best four-year run at Mater Dei. ``It's something we talk about,'' catcher Courtney Ryan said. ``You know every game you play could be the last time you play with all these players. It gives you that extra push, because you want to go out on top.'' The core group of Ryan, Kelsey Kollen, Briana Lemos, Robin Walker, Monica Lucatero and Jodi Shicker has a record of 113-15. Kollen, Walker and Ryan are the most decorated. Kollen, who signed with Michigan, broke the Southern Section career-hits record in the middle of the season with a single against Camarillo's Cindy Ball. The second baseman second baseman n. Baseball The infielder who is positioned near and to the first-base side of second base. Noun 1. second baseman - (baseball) the person who plays second base second sacker is hitting over .500 with 52 hits, 30 runs and 25 stolen bases. Walker, the shortstop, signed with Stanford where she will be a teammate of the Scorpions' Jessica Mendoza Jessica Mendoza (born 11 November 1980) is an American softball player who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was a four-time first team All-American at Stanford University from 1999-2002. Mendoza was named Softball player of the year in 2006. . Ryan, an honor student, selected Texas over Harvard and Princeton. The five other Division I signees are: Lucatero (Cal State Fullerton), Jamie Bagnall (Illinois State), Shicker (New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). State), Nicole Edelbrock (Loyola Marymount) and Sabrina Smith (Florida International). Edelbrock and Smith are reserves, which gives an excellent indication of the Monarchs' depth and ability. The position players that Mater Dei has are impressive enough, but the pitching is even better. Junior right hander Marissa Young is 12-2 with a 133 strikeouts. She's allowed just two runs and both were unearned. Sophomore right hander Tia Bollinger is 16-1 with an 0.11 ERA. The two have given up just eight runs, two of them earned. As potent as the Monarchs arsenal is, Mater Dei coach Doug Myers expects a close game with the Scorpions. This despite handling Camarillo 5-1 earlier in the season. ``That game was played during spring break for both teams,'' Myers said, ``and you could tell both teams played without the intensity they normally do. (Today) will be different. I know Camarillo is playing very well right now. Their pitchers are throwing well, and they've played with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm. They've been rolling and every game we've been involved in during the playoffs has been a dogfight. It's going to be a heck heck interj. Used as a mild oath. n. Slang Used as an intensive: had a heck of a lot of money; was crowded as heck. [Alteration of hell. of a game.'' Myers was unsure of who he would start in today's game. Bollinger pitched in the team's 2-1 quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. victory against Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, city (1990 pop. 53,691), Orange co., S Calif.; inc. 1957. Chiefly residential, Fountain Valley also has diverse manufactures, including apparel, computer equipment, semiconductors, and medical equipment. A U.S. navy helicopter facility is there. on Thursday. ``I'll name someone that day and then we'll see how they do in warmups,'' he said. ``If someone doesn't look right in warmups we'll go with the other.'' It's the teams' pitching that has kept Mater Dei alive. The Monarchs have survived three one-run victories in the playoffs, including a 1-0, 10-inning victory over Los Alamitos Los Alamitos (lôs ăləmē`təs, lŏs), city (1990 pop. 11,676), Orange co., NE of Long Beach, S Calif., in a suburban area; inc. 1960. Los Alamitos Racetrack and U.S. military installations are nearby. in the second round. Camarillo, conversely con·verse 1 intr.v. con·versed, con·vers·ing, con·vers·es 1. To engage in a spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, or feelings; talk. See Synonyms at speak. 2. , has outscored its opponents 13-1 in the first three games. ``It's not that we've been playing bad,'' Ryan said. ``We've just faced some tough teams. We know Camarillo is another one and we'll have to play our best to get by them.'' SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION I SEMIFINALS 7 Who: Camarillovs. Mater Dei Where: Foothill High in North Tustin When: 3 p.m. today What's at stake: The winner earns a berth in the Division I championship game at Mayfair Park in Lakewood. The game will be played Friday or Saturday against the winner of Ayala of Chino Chino (chē`nō), city (1990 pop. 59,682), San Bernardino co., S Calif.; founded 1887, inc. 1910. It is the business and processing center of a diversified farming (notably dairying) area. Hills and Irvine. Probable Lineups: Pos. Camarillo Mater Dei 1B Kim Kasper Monica Lucatero 2B Jessica Mendoza Kelsey Kollen SS Lana Mendoza Robin Walker 3B Allie Taverner Jamie Bagnall LF Priscilla Trejo Courtney Betleyx CF Jill Borchard Jodi Shicker RF Shannon Zigner Ruby Rojas C Jenny Byrne Jenny Byrne (born February 25 1967) is a former professional tennis player from Australia, who turned professional in 1987 and retired from the tour in 1997. Her career-high world rankings were World No. 45 in singles (in 1989) and World No. 27 in doubles (in 1988). Courtney Ryan P Kathryn Nevard Marissa Youngxx DH Niki Sutton Young Sabrina Smithxxx x = or Briana Lemos xx = or Tia Bollinger xxx = or Nicole Edelbrock CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO Camarillo's Cindy Ball and her team are playing for a title in today's game against Mater Dei. Phil McCarten/Daily News BOX: SOUTHERN SECTION DIV. I SEMIFINALS (See text) |
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