Campbell Bowls Over Ventura With 2-Hitter

Shireen Campbell looked more like a bowler than a pitcher.

And even the senior right-hander could not help laughing at a couple of the pitches she threw in the late innings of the Thousand Oaks High softball team’s Southern Section 4-A Division first-round playoff game Thursday against Ventura.

Campbell, who has been working recently on the development of a drop pitch, had a big lead and was given the green light by Coach Chuck Brown to try the new pitch.

So she dropped a few balls, all right--and wound up rolling them along the ground all the way to the plate.

But if Campbell looked like a bowler a few times, it was Ventura (14-6) that got bowled over in the Lancers’ 5-0 victory at Thousand Oaks.

Other than the dropped drop pitches, Campbell turned in a strong performance with a two-hitter against the Cougars, the third-place team from the Channel League.

The Marmonte League champion Lancers improved to 23-7 and will advance to the second round Tuesday against Long Beach Wilson, the No. 2 team from the Moore League.

“We feel really confident now,” said Campbell (10-6), who struck out six and benefited from single runs in each of the first two innings.

“I love it when our team gets a run in the first inning because it keeps the pressure off, gives us something to lean on.”

Things have been leaning the Lancers’ way a lot lately. Thousand Oaks has won 17 of its past 19 games.

And in keeping with such a positive theme, no Lancer struck out against losing pitcher Debbie Simpson (5-3). Amy Chellevold opened the game with a single and eventually came home on a hard base hit to left by her sister, Julie Chellevold.

In the second inning, Sabrina O’Beirne hit a two-out single, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a base hit to left by Marsha Bour.

The lead increased to 4-0 in the fourth on a walk and two hits, including a double by Shani Smyth.

The final run was scored in the fifth as Amy Chellevold (3 for 3) bunted for a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on an error.