Icing Opponents Is Ortega’s Way to Beat the Heat : Softball: Winning helps La Habra pitcher, who has nine victories, ease self-imposed pressure.

She’s off to a resounding start with four no-hitters among her nine victories, but La Habra pitcher Danielle Ortega still can’t stop worrying.

Despite her success this season and last, Ortega, a junior right-hander, says she is so concerned about keeping the Highlanders’ softball team in games that she hasn’t been able to relax.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” she said. “I think I shouldn’t let people on base. It bothers me to lose because I feel I should have done something. I feel responsible for it . . . I’m a stress ball. I worry so much about everything.”

Fortunately for Ortega, she wins a lot more than she loses.

This season, for instance, she opened with a 5-0 no-hitter over Los Altos in a nonleague game March 7. Three days later, she combined with Meagan Mirth on a 19-0 no-hitter over Edison. Her third no-hitter, 4-0, came March 14 against Katella, one of the top teams in the county, at the Brea-Olinda tournament.

She threw her fourth one of the year Saturday in a five-inning, 14-0 victory over Estancia in the Garden Grove tournament. Later that day, Ortega shut out Ocean View, 4-0. She has earned all the decisions for La Habra (9-2) and has allowed only six runs--in a 4-1 loss to Mater Dei and a 2-1 loss against El Dorado last week.

The loss to Mater Dei, the county’s No. 1-ranked team, almost sent her nervous system into a meltdown.

“We made too many mistakes (three errors), including myself. I let two runs in with a throwing error,” said Ortega, who had a 0.23 earned-run average and 19 of La Habra’s 20 victories last season, including three no-hitters. “I’ve had a real hard time adjusting to losing.”

With Ortega pitching, the Highlanders don’t figure to lose many more games this season. La Habra has a well-balanced team that should repeat as Freeway League champion, according to first-year Coach Sue Briquelet.

“It’s hard on her sometimes, because she’s always expected to perform well,” Briquelet said. “She’s such a dedicated pitcher with such incredible pitching fundamentals. Dani has been a consistent, sturdy rock this year.”

On the outside, maybe. On the inside, Ortega struggles with her emotions every game. But when her nerves head for overload, Ortega says she thinks of a La Habra basketball player who is battling a far tougher opponent.

“I have an inspiration. His name is Wendell Wickersham,” Ortega said. “He had cancer. I have his initials and number (32) on my sleeve. He comes to our games. He picks me up if I’m down. I’ve dedicated this season to him. I’d like to be as strong as he is.”

Which wouldn’t be good news for her opponents. Ortega already dominates batters with her control and an assortment of pitches that she refined over the winter while playing with the Orange County Athletics traveling team. Her catcher at La Habra, Stephanie Bakke, sees a marked improvement.

“We counted on her drops more last season,” said Bakke, who has been Ortega’s close friend since they both played in La Mirada’s Little Miss league several years ago. “This year her rise is working much better and she has a great screwball. It’s way easier to catch her. She makes me look good because everything I call and the location is always right there.”

Ortega says she can’t tell whether she’s throwing harder than last season, but she knows her control and pitch selection is better.

“I’m more of a ‘junk’ pitcher,” she said. “I don’t throw the ball by hitters a lot. Sometimes I’ll come in with a hard pitch, which is my screwball. It catches them by surprise. It’s all a mental game. It’s all how you can set up your pitches.”

She obviously has been doing an outstanding job, but Ortega doesn’t believe the glory of all the no-hitters belongs only to her.

“People give me too much credit,” she said. “Our defense is awesome. My teammates are a big part of my no-hitters.”

Those no-hitters, Ortega says, are always in her mind when she starts a game. Her thoughts and approach change according to the situation, and she says she often losses track of how she’s doing during a game.

“At first, I go for the perfect game,” Ortega said. “If I lose that, then I go for the no-hitter. If someone gets a hit, then I try not to dwell on it, because I could get down and maybe end up losing the game. Sometimes I don’t know I have a no-hitter because I’m just looking to win.”

And, in most cases, trying to relax so she can get to that point.

“Sometimes I listen to piano music before I pitch,” Ortega said. “I like soft instrumental music. It calms me down.”