West Stars Walk Into Buzz Saw : Lindstrom, Alves Team for 3-0 Win

It’s an old saw: Good pitching will beat good hitting any day.

Windmill whippers Heather Lindstrom of Crescenta Valley and Christy Alves of Burroughs proved it true Saturday, sawing off the bats of West batters to lead the East to a 3-0 victory in the 2nd Daily News All-Star softball game at Cal State Northridge.

The game featured 30 of the best City and Southern Section high school seniors from the Valley-area and was won by the East for the second consecutive year. And among the stars, Lindstrom and Alves, who combined on a three-hitter, stood out.

“They pretty much dominated,” said Hart Coach Al Weil, who coached the East along with Crescenta Valley Coach Dan Berry. “That’s what we were hoping they would do.”

Lindstrom, who was 20-2 and the Pacific League Player of the Year, pitched the first five innings of the nine-inning game. She struck out five, surrendered three hits and allowed only one batter to reach second base to earn the win.

Alves, who was 15-3 and the Foothill League Player of the Year, pitched four perfect innings with six strikeouts. Neither pitcher walked a batter.

“I think we had the better pitching and they had the better hitting,” Alves said. “At least, that’s what I heard. It was just a matter of who did better.”

Sylmar second baseman Cindy Campbell, however, provided some hitting for the East and was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player. Campbell was 2 for 3, including a triple and a run batted in.

“I’m very surprised,” said Campbell, who batted .370 this season. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this. I just wanted to come out here and do my best. I’m just so proud to be here.

“I did want to get a hit off Silverman.”

Campbell was retired in the first inning by El Camino Real ace Beth Silverman (21-4 this year), who was charged with the loss. But she knocked a triple in the fourth off of Chatsworth’s Christina Roopenian.

In the sixth inning, Campbell bounced a Roopenian pitch over the head of third baseman Zettie Honore of Chaminade to score Hart’s Kris Yeates from second base. When the ball got past left fielder Robin Donish of Taft, Campbell came all the way around to score and give the East a 3-0.

The East scored a first-inning run when Burroughs catcher Karin Knoop tripled to score Yeates, who had walked.

Campbell is the second consecutive Sylmar player to be selected the game’s MVP. Last year, shortstop Teri Klement was honored after the East’s 10-1 win.

“We hit the ball hard, but we hit it right at people,” said Simi Valley Coach Suzanne Manlet, who coached the West along with Granada Hills’ Carolyn Gunny. “Then their second pitcher just shut us down.”