Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Reach for the Sky: Westmont's Lisa Chapman tossed the Warriors to a 3-1 girls softball victory over Santa Teresa last week in the tough Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Chapman tosses Westmont win

By Dick Sparrer

It took the Westmont girls softball team a while to get down to business.

Sure the Warriors already had a half dozen victories. And they had already played 13 softball games.

But they finally opened up league play last week in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, and they did it in impressive fashion with a 3-1 win over Santa Teresa.

Sophomore Lisa Chapman tossed a 4-hitter, striking out six along the way, to lead the Warriors to the win over the Saints.

Laura Phillippe doubled home a couple of runs for Westmont, and Jessica Davis also doubled in the win.

Westmont broke up a scoreless tie with a three-run rally in the fourth. The Saints picked up a run in the sixth to spoil Chapman's shutout, but that was as close as Santa Teresa would get.

Westmont stretched its season record to 7-8 for the year with the win, and a very important win it was for Jon Hennig's club since it came in league play.

The coach rates Mitty as the team to beat in the Mt. Hamilton Division this spring, but figures his Warriors to be contenders with seven varsity starters returning, including all-leaguers Chapman, Davis and catcher Jessica Cobillas.

Sophomores Brittany Hennig, Diana Mazenko, Tiffani Thompson and Phillippe, and junior Veronica Sifuentes are other top returners on a senior-less squad.

"We have a good defensive squad that will hit better with a year's varsity play under their belts," said Hennig. "And we have solid pitching."

Westmont's four experienced hurlers are Chapman, Hennig, Phillippe and junior Jessica Sisneros, a transfer from Texas.

"Westmont will give a good account of themselves with good, solid play," added the coach.

Dons win two

Del Mar posted a pair of impressive wins last week to improve to 3-1 in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL and to 11-3 for the year.

Junior Emily DeLong fired a 2-hit shutout to lead the Dons to a 9-0 win over Gunderson.

Darcy Houts singled and tripled, and Jennifer Nixon singled and doubled to lead an 11-hit attack for the Dons. Brooke Charland had two hits for Del Mar, Tonya Honoré doubled, and Kandice Lynch and Heather Saugen knocked in two runs apiece.

Saugen had flipped a 2-hitter earlier in the week to lead the Dons to a 6-2 win over Valley Christian. The junior hurler struck out seven in the win.

Nixon had four hits, including a triple and two doubles, and Lynch singled and tripled. Rosie Garcia doubled twice, DeLong had two hits, and Saugen tripled.

The Dons had posted a couple of impressive victories a week earlier in the Miguel Tournament, blanking Independence 7-0 and Mt. Pleasant 11-0.

DeLong fired a five-inning no-hitter against the 76ers, and Charland singled and homered to drive in a pair of runs. Lynch had two hits, and Nixon doubled and drove in three runs. Honoré and Kathleen Kammerer each doubled for the winners.

Saugen whirled a 3-hit shutout in the 11-0 win over MP. Honoré tripled twice to drdive in two runs. Saugen, DeLong and Houts had two hits each and Nixon doubled.

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