Wolverines, Blasters Advance in Softball : Anaheim, Laguna Hills Fastpitch Teams Win to Reach Quarterfinals

No one could ever accuse Carl Whitson of being selfish. For three years, Whitson has taught girls hitting from a home-built batting cage at his Fullerton residence. For free.

Whitson, who organized and runs the Anaheim Wolverines girls’ fastpitch softball organization, has seen marked improvements in players who have asked for help from him and Coach Ron Borrell.

The performance of the Wolverines’ 18-and-under team supports that assessment. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the American Fastpitch Assn. fifth International Friendship Tournament with two victories Sunday at Maxwell Park in Anaheim.

They defeated the Upland Wildfire, 2-0, behind Ali Tatman’s complete game. And in their second game, they defeated the Downey Vikings, 2-0, on a five-hitter by Carrie Swartz. They will play the La Crescenta Condors at 9:45 a.m. today at Maxwell Park.

For the Wolverines, it is their first championship-round appearance in five tournaments.

For the Laguna Hills Blasters, who also advanced to the field of eight with a 4-0 victory over the Shizuoka All Stars, it will be a more difficult assignment today when they face the Camarillo Breakers, one of two undefeated teams remaining in the tournament. The Breakers, who went 3-0 in pool play, defeated the Huntington Beach Marauders, 11-1. Laguna Hills will play Camarillo at 9:45 a.m. today.

“We are concerned with playing our style of ball,” Blasters Coach Robert Melendrez said. “If we do it, we can win.”

“Little ball” is the Blasters’ style, said Melendrez. “Bunts, slaps, hit-and-runs. Speed’s the name of our game.”

Which just about describes the Blasters’ game Sunday.

In the first inning, the Blasters bunched three singles and a sacrifice bunt for a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, they added two runs on two singles, a sacrifice bunt and two groundouts.

The Texas Illusions, the only other undefeated team, remained a favorite to win the title with a 1-0 victory over the Texas Silver Streaks. The Illusions play the Shizuoka Stars today.

“No one expected us to be in the field of eight,” said Whitson.

“This is the farthest we’ve advanced,” said Borrell. “We’ve never turned a girl away. We ask two questions: Do you want to play, and, two, will you come to practice? If the answers are yes, they’re on.”

Player development also is important.

“It is part of our philosophy to provide a learning situation for the kids,” Whitson said. “Not only with softball, but how to learn to get along in life.

“We feel developing kids into decent human beings is more important than winning,” Whitson said.

But they wouldn’t mind a chance to win a title either.