Kohlmeier to Bid Evans Adieu in Valley All-Star Softball Game

Kirt Kohlmeier has coached softball pitching ace Nancy Evans in nearly 100 games over the past four seasons at Hoover High and has cherished every one of her 675 innings and 1,253 strikeouts.

In Game No. 99, today at 4:30 p.m., Kohlmeier will get one last hurrah coaching the Arizona-bound right-hander when East meets West in the seventh San Fernando Valley All-Star softball game for the area’s standout seniors at Cal State Northridge.

Kohlmeier and Grant’s Ruben Zepeda will coach the East team, which is comprised of 15 players from 12 eastern-region schools.

Evans, a hard-throwing rise-ball pitcher who has more perfect games (14) than any other pitcher in Southern Section history, will be teamed once more with battery-mate Kelly Christiansen.

Glendale’s Cyndee Bennett will pitch in relief for the East, which also features Canyon’s Keri Lemasters, who signed a letter of intent to play for Michigan State next season.

Camarillo’s Laura Richardson, who pitched four shutout innings for the West in the inaugural Ventura County all-star game last week, will start for the West.

Richardson, state player of the year in 1991 who will pitch for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next season, will get relief from Brandy Brennan of Granada Hills and Julie Kawamoto of Taft.

The West has 15 players from eight western-region schools and will be coached by Simi Valley’s Suzanne Manlet Donna Hetman.

Standouts from the West include three players from Division I champion Simi Valley: Lisa Church, Kris Lufkin and Dayna Skinner.

Featured sluggers include Thousand Oaks’ Nicole Ochoa and Keri Borzello of Taft.