SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS: DIV. I: SURPRISE HIT LIFTS VALENCIA BELL'S DOUBLE GETS BEST OF WESTLAKE VALENCIA 1, WESTLAKE 0.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Considered the region's top 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, high-powered Valencia High entered this week's Southern Section playoffs with five starters committed to four-year universities - including UCLA-bound sluggers Ashley Herrera and Jaisa Creps. But with a first-round upset loss staring the team in the face, Valencia uncovered an unlikely hero Friday against visiting Westlake. Kortney Bell, batting just .190 with 18 strikeouts in 63 at-bats, lined a double to score Natalie Mueggler in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Valencia to a 1-0 Div. I victory. ``Well, I struck out my first two at-bats, so I was just really concentrating on hitting the ball,'' Bell said. ``I just hung in there and tried to do my best. For me, it was big because I haven't been able to contribute that much.'' Second-seeded Valencia (27-3), which has won 18 in a row, will play Lakewood (18-8) in the second round at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday at a site to be determined. ``Kortney did a great job,'' Valencia coach Donna Lee Donna Lee is a bebop jazz standard itself based on the chord changes of the traditional jazz standard "(Back Home Again in) Indiana".[1] It is named after the now-obscure bassist Donna Lee. said. ``We kept Westlake from scoring, and she came through; that's what it's all about.'' Freshman left fielder Taylor Minas Minas may refer to:
``That was a freshman mistake, but what I am going to do? Coach her not to be aggressive?'' Westlake coach Garry Fetman said. Valencia left-hander Christina Ross hadn't pitched in 10 days. But she held Westlake to four singles - one over the final 4 2/3 innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. - and struck out three. Westlake (17-11) stranded eight runners, including four in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on . ``We didn't capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. our opportunities to score,'' Westlake's Stephanie Savre said. Ross (13-1), who has nine shutouts, lowered her ERA to 0.27 with 113 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. The junior is 35-5 over three seasons. Westlake loaded the bases with one out in the third inning. But Ross got cleanup hitter In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Strategy Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name. Megan Shie on a short popout to right, then finished the inning by getting Megan Ackerman to pop out. ``Westlake is a strong team and definitely a legitimate first-round opponent, but I think today was kind of a wake-up call for us,'' Ross said. ``I definitely didn't want to go 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 and go back out there in the sun some more.'' Perhaps a dramatic last-inning victory is just the kind of push start Valencia needs after one-run quarterfinal losses in each of the past two seasons. ``I think if we would have played a weak team today, our bats would be slow for the next game,'' Lee said. ``We've been practicing for seven days without a game and that's a long time. I think things got to a point around the fifth inning today where we said, `Hey, we're in a game.' '' Right-hander Ava Amini (4-4), ordinarily Westlake's No. 2 pitcher but pressed into action because ace Michelle Rehm injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. her shoulder, allowed four hits and two walks and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings. She didn't allow a runner past second base until the final inning. ``Ava hit her spots and pitched very well by shutting them out the whole game, but we just didn't get the timely hit today,'' Fetman said. ``I thought we outplayed them but never got the key hit. We could have won this game 4-1.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Valencia's Kortney Bell (left) was the surprise here for the Vikings on Friday. Joe Binoya/Staff Photographer |
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