SOUTHERN SECTION 1-A DIVISION SOFTBALL PREVIEW : Paraclete Faces Nemesis Agoura for Title

Paraclete High Coach Margaret Neill has instructed her team to ignore the revenge factor in today’s Southern Section 1-A Division softball championship against Agoura.

Agoura (24-5) beat Paraclete, 10-4, in last year’s semifinals and went on the win the championship. But Neill is more concerned about returning to Lancaster with the school’s first softball championship.

The teams will meet today at 2:30 p.m. at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

“We’re not really talking about last year’s loss,” Neill said. “We wanted to meet Agoura, but it’s more coincidence than anything.”

Paraclete (25-4) has relied on a balanced attack to reach its third title game. The Spirits lost in the finals in 1981 and 1986.

Laura Staats (15-2) and Shannon Peterson (10-2) have shared the pitching duties. Staats, a junior right-hander, will start today. Stacy Mulcahy, a senior center fielder, leads the team with a .480 batting average, and four other players are hitting better than .400.

“The nice thing is that it’s not just one or two people doing the job,” Neill said. “Each game, it’s somebody different.”

Paraclete will face Agoura’s Melissa Thatcher (23-5), a junior right-hander who has shut out three of four playoff opponents. Thatcher, who has struck out 150 and walked 48 in 193 1/3 innings, has an earned-run average of 0.80.

Thatcher (.447) is also Agoura’s leading hitter. Freshman third baseman Rachel Clarke and senior center fielder Leslie North are each hitting .386. Defensively, the Chargers have received strong play from senior shortstop Jill Hartwig.

“Having won it last year helps us experience-wise,” Agoura Coach Linda Moule said.