Photograph by George Sakkestad
Homestead's Natalie Corral returns to throw for the Mustangs again this spring. Corral is one of the many experienced players on the Homestead girls' softball team.
By Dick Sparrer
Sometimes experience can be deceiving.
Take Homestead girls' softball coach Mickey Cook for example.
On the surface, it would appear that Cook is a relative newcomer to the game, since she is in her first year as the varsity head coach for the Mustangs.
But that "first-year coach" tag is deceiving. Cook has been coaching for eight years, the last two at Homestead on the junior varsity level.
So Cook isn't inexperienced. And neither are the Mustangs.
Homestead boasts a talented crop of returners for the 1997 spring season, headed by senior slugger Angela Difenderfer, who led last year's club in batting average, runs batted in and on-base average.
Difenderfer leads an experienced Homestead crew. The second sacker has 11 years of softball experience, including time played for the Strikers in tournament competition.
Leann Cook, Natalie Corral, Caryn Liniak, Erin Skitt and Julie Speckels are other top returners from last year's Homestead club.
Cook, a junior who splits time between first base and the outfield, has played softball for nine years. She was a member of a summer league team that finished second in the nation last year.
Corral, a sophomore pitcher, brings nine years of softball experience into the 1997 season.
Top young prospects for the Mustangs include freshman catcher Shawnti Bortoli, who comes into the season with six years of softball experience, and junior Kacie Huguenin, who played for the Strikers last summer.
Cook is also looking for help from seniors Amanda Seguin and Amy Wellersdick and junior Eileen Tram, who are moving up from the junior varsity.
"We have an enthusiastic group this year," said Cook. "Our goals are to build relationships and build skills."
"Our team goal is to be disciplined in our practices and games," Cook said, adding that "I think this team can finish in the top three for our league."
The Mustangs dropped a pair of games last week, falling 5-3 to Palo Alto and 4-0 to Leland in nonleague action.
Homestead had beaten up on Aragon early in the Twin Creeks Tournament, rolling to a 7-0 victory. The Mustangs broke the game open with a 5-run rally in the third.
Corral tossed a two-hit shutout for the victory, and she also singled and doubled to drive in two runs for the Mustangs. Cook, Wellersdick and junior Janel Ahrens had two hits each for the winners.
Homestead opens play in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this week, hosting St. Francis on March 19 and Los Gatos on March 21 in a pair of 4 p.m. starts.
In other local girls' softball action last week, Sheila Hess led Fremont to a 4-1 win over Leigh in a nonleague game.
Hess tossed a two-hitter to spark the Firebirds to the win over the Longhorns. Just a lone Leigh run in the fourth cost Hess the shutout.
That run actually gave the Longhorns a 1-0 lead, but the Lady Birds battled back to tie it with a run in the home half of the fourth, then won it with a three-run rally in the fifth.
Hess doubled to lead a five-hit attack for the Firebirds, who improved to 4-3 with the win.
Hess was brilliant in a 5-0 win over the King's Academy earlier in the season. She blanked the Knights on one hit as a pitcher, and she homered and drove in five runs to account for virtually all of her team's offense.
Hess came back with a one-hitter in a 10-4 win over Piedmont of Oakland in the Twin Creeks Tournament. She struck out eight in the five-inning game.
Terri Ahlmann doubled and drove in two runs for Fremont in the win. Ana DeCastro also doubled.
King's Academy improved to 4-3 for the year with back-to-back wins over Pinewood (16-3) and San Jose Academy (18-9) last week. King's also nailed wins over Wilton Christian (22-0) and Berean Christian (13-3). The Knights have lost to Fremont, Sequoia (13-1) and Turlock (7-3).
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, March 19, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.