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Warriors make run at softball title
Prospect baseball team wins four in a row
By Dick Sparrer
Play is rather competitive for softball teams in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
And Westmont softball coach Jon Hennig is looking for his Warriors to be rather competitive themselves as they chase a division pennant this spring.
"We look to be very competitive in the division," said Hennig, who returns for his fourth season as the head man in the Westmont program. "This year our pitching is young, but we have excellent returning offensive and defensive players."
Three comeback all-leaguers top that list, including seniors Jennifer Brown and Bonnie Huggett and junior Katherine Bamford.
Brown and Huggett both return for a fourth varsity season this spring. Brown will move from second base to shortstop and Huggett returns to her post at third base. They'll join with first sacker Bamford to make up three-fourths of Westmont's solid infield.
Michelle Salmiery is a junior returning for her third year as the starting catcher for the Warriors.
"We have three returning all-league players who will lead us," said Hennig of Brown, Huggett and Bamford. "We're strong at catcher, third base, shortstop and first base."
Westmont also boasts experience in the outfield with senior Jessica Parola heading up the cast. Parola is back for her fourth season as the center fielder for the Warriors.
Junior Victoria Alexander is back for her third varsity season in right field and junior Kyle Soden in a varsity returner in left field.
Sophomore pitcher Danielle Chapman is back for her second season at Westmont. She started in center field when she wasn't pitching last year.
Newcomers expected to help the Warriors this spring include sophomore middle infielder Michelle Desmet and junior outfielders Jennifer Quinn and Shelby Chapman, all up from the junior varsity. Freshmen Allyson Carrothers, Breanna Kuhny and Lisa Parola are other top prospects. Carrothers and Kuhny are both pitchers and L. Parola will start at second base.
The Warriors, 7-4 this year and 1-0 in the division, are coming off of a 20-10 season and have been to the Central Coast Section semifinals in each of the last two seasons.
Hennig picks Mitty and Presentation as the teams to beat in the division this year, but rates his own club as a title contender and figures the Warriors for a top-three finish.
Westmont beat one of those teams to finish last week with a tight 3-2 win over Presentation.
Kuhny tossed a 5-hitter to pick up her first varsity win. Brown, Salmiery and D. Chapman ripped two hits each for the Warriors and Salmiery knocked in two runs.
Westmont takes on another league powerhouse this week. The Warriors visited Mitty on March 26, 3:30 p.m., and head to Oak Grove on March 28, 3:30 p.m.
Prospect, meanwhile, lost a tough Santa Teresa Division decision, falling 3-2 to Valley Christian in 10 innings.
Senior Cassie Gilford was tagged with the tough pitching loss when Valley scored a run in the 10th to end the marathon.
Prospect had scored two runs in the first to take the early lead, but Valley tied it with two in the fifth, then won it with the run in the 10th.
Junior Stephanie Nichols doubled to account for one of Prospect's three hits in the game.
The Panthers, 1-1 in the division and 3-3 for the year, visited Independence on March 26 and will host Pioneer on March 28 for a couple of 3:30 p.m. games.
Del Mar lost twice last week in Santa Teresa Division play, losing 4-0 to Independence and 6-2 to Willow Glen.
Track
Ashley Mamola raced to wins in the 100 and 300 hurdles, but the Westmont girls track team could manage just a split in a double-dual meet with Gunderson and Independence last week.
Mamola won the 100 hurdles in 16.31 and the 300 hurdles in 49.37 to lead the Warriors past the Grizzlies 106-15, but Westmont lost 67-60 to Independence.
The Westmont boys lost 67-57 to Gunderson, despite a couple of wins by Todd Bethke in the hurdles. Bethke won the 110-meter high hurdles in 17.83 and the 300 intermediates in 47.28.
Burt Codera sprinted to a win in the 100 in 11.62 and Westmont won the weight events with Aremon Habibi first in the shot put at 49-9 3/4 and Robert Jennings first in the discus at 148-6.
Baseball
Prospect opened the season with a loss in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
But that was a few weeks back... and the Panthers haven't lost since.
Prospect picked up two more wins last week to run its record to 4-1 in the division, and the Panthers won the two games in impressive fashion--with back-to-back shutouts.
Prospect blanked Mt. Pleasant 10-0, and backed that up with a 3-0 win over Overfelt.
David Lenske went the distance on the hill for the win over the Royals and scattered eight hits as he blanked Overfelt.
Ted Piggins and Kyle Bonvechio led a 12-hit assault for the Panthers with three hits apiece. Piggins doubled twice and singled, and Bonvechio had three singles in the win.
Kevin McPeck singled and doubled in the game and J.D. Mazzuca had two hits. Steve Kong also ripped a double for Prospect.
Steve Vidal blanked Mt. Pleasant on five hits to pick up the mound win in the five-inning win over the Cardinals. Vidal ran his mound record to 3-0 with the victory.
Steve Kinney was the hitting star of the day for the Panthers with a home run and a double to knock in three runs.
Andrew Meade singled and doubled to plate two runs and Bonvechio doubled home a pair.
Mazzuca and McPeck added two hits apiece and Brent Maselli doubled in the win.
Over in the Mt. Hamilton Division, Westmont lost twice last week, dropping a tough 4-3 nod to Valley Christian and falling 9-5 to Santa Teresa.
Mike Sato ripped two hits and Jimmy Stevenson singled home a pair of runs to spark a three-run rally in the second, but the Warriors lost 4-3 to Valley.
Mike Haynes was tagged with the pitching loss, despite whirling a solid game for Westmont.
Haynes doubled twice and Josh Herzbrun doubled, but the Warriors lost a 9-5 nod to Santa Teresa to slip to 1-3-1 in the division and to 5-6-1 for the year.
The two clubs each scored two runs in the first, but the Saints broke the game open with a six-run rally in the third. Santa Teresa picked up another run in the fourth before Westmont fought back for three in the sixth. But that was as close as the Warriors could get.
Del Mar split a pair of Santa Teresa Division decisions last week, pounding Overfelt 10-1 but losing a tight 2-1 nod to Independence.
The Dons, 2-2 in the division and 4-6 for the year, beat Overfelt on a no-hitter by Shaun Amelia.
The Royals scored a run without benefit of a hit in the second inning, but Amelia held Overfelt scoreless over the final five frames and hitless through the game. The senior right-hander struck out eight as he ran his mound record to 2-0.
Seth Williams ripped two hits to lead the Dons offensively, and Mike Stary, Nick Vega and Amelia drove in two runs each.
Williams came back to toss a 1-hitter at Independence, but Del Mar lost a 2-1 heartbreaker. Williams doubled in the game for the Dons.
Tennis
Jerome Heckley won twice at No. 1 singles to lead the Del Mar boys tennis team to back-to-back wins over Valley Christian and Piedmont Hills last week in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL.
Heckley's 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 sparked the Dons to a 6-1 win over the Pirates, and another 6-1, 6-1 victory led Del Mar to a 6-1 win over the Warriors.
Del Mar is now 4-0 in the division.
In other local tennis action, Westmont won twice in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, beating Lincoln 4-3 and Willow Glen 5-2. The Warriors are now 5-2 in division play.
Prospect dropped a pair of matches in the Santa Teresa Division last week, falling 5-2 to Branham and 4-3 to Oak Grove.
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Campbell, California
