How the West Could Win High School All-Star Softball

Ace pitchers Sara Griffin of Simi Valley and Jennifer Gould of El Camino Real will team up in the Daily News high school all-star softball game today at 4:30 p.m. at Cal State Northridge.

The game pits the region’s top 15 seniors from the West against their counterparts from the East.

Turnabout appears imminent for the West team behind Griffin (21-2) and Gould (20-4). Last year, former Hoover right-hander Nancy Evans, now playing for top-ranked Arizona, pitched a two-hitter and struck out 15 in the extended nine-inning game to pace the East’s 4-0 victory.

A new rule this year restricts pitchers to a maximum of five innings.

Still, the dominant pitchers belong with the West this year.

Michigan-bound Griffin threw 16 shutouts and struck out 252 batters in 183 innings this season. Gould, who will attend Princeton on an academic scholarship, pitched 14 shutouts and struck out 175 in 164 innings.

Griffin and Gould, however, will face a powerful East lineup that includes eight players who batted .400 or better this season. Village Christian’s Jeanne Beauchamp (.646), Paraclete’s Ashley Gayer (.484), Hoover’s Shannon Feliz (.481), Quartz Hill’s Cindy Sims (.481), and Saugus’ Kim O’Leary (.470) headline the cast that will be coached by Ron Hilton of Saugus and Ken Smith of Montclair Prep.

Canyon’s Kristin Mills (19-5), Paraclete’s Jamie Johnston (18-6) and Glendale’s Darleen Anderson (12-8) will pitch for the East, which leads the series, 5-2.

The West lineup includes Granada Hills’ Brede Nivens (.471), Monroe’s Alanna Torres (.467) and Dimara Haymond (.417), and Royal’s Tricia Polhert (.415). The West coaches are Carolyn Gunny of Granada Hills and Neils Ludlow of El Camino Real.