Saugus Has Look of Title Contender : Softball: Top-ranked Centurions show increased intensity as they prepare for Friday’s first-round Southern Section playoff against Bishop Montgomery.

Coach Ron Hilton didn’t have to look at his calendar this week to know the Southern Section playoffs have arrived.

All he had to do was look into the eyes of his Saugus High softball players.

“It was the first time all season I saw real intensity in practice,” said Hilton, coach of the Centurions, the top-seeded team in Division II.

Saugus has Jamie Gillies, a 1994 Times’ All-Valley pitcher, and hitters that have rewritten the school record book. Saugus might be one of the best teams in the state.

But the Centurions (21-4), who open the playoffs Friday at home against Bishop Montgomery, have never won a section championship.

The two-time Foothill League champions lost to Woodbridge, 2-1, in eight innings in the 1992 final, and reached the semifinals on three other occasions, including last season.

“I think we’ve enjoyed the whole season,” Gillies said. “But now that we’re in the playoffs, we want to prove how good we are/

“I think a lot of people doubted us after the four losses.”

Two of the defeats came against good competition--Lakewood and Marina, then the top-ranked team in Division I. But the Centurions say they were caught napping against Highland and Crescenta Valley.

If Gillies has a concern, it is that his team is overconfident.

“Sometimes we would just show up [for games],” Gillies said. “ Saugus is here.’ ”

Saugus flexing its muscles can be a scary sight. San Fernando and Canyon were on the receiving end of 22-0 and 22-1 defeats.

But any time the Centurions fall, it stings.

“It’s kind of a good thing we got those losses, because we did learn what we can improve on,” said shortstop Kelli Kranz, who is bound for Southwest Texas on scholarship. “In the Crescenta Valley game, we couldn’t get the intensity up.”

The Centurions lost, 2-1, in eight innings, Hilton said, because they weren’t challenged.

“Do not ask my girls to show up at nine o’clock on a Saturday morning to play for fourth place,” he said. “They didn’t want to be there. There was no enthusiasm on either team. If we have a chance to meet them again, I’d bet lots of money there will be more intensity.”

The Centurions, who have seven starters batting above .300 and average 11.5 hits a game, dearly want to make amends for last year’s 2-1 loss to Fullerton in the Division II semifinals. Saugus was the No. 1-seeded team with a record of 27-2-1. Fullerton entered the playoffs with a 13-15 record, but went on to win the title.

“That was really disappointing,” Kranz said. “We overlooked Fullerton.”

Saugus shouldn’t be disappointed again if it continues to perform the way it has most of the season.

Leadoff-hitter Nicole Giordano is batting .504 in 101 at bats and has 18 stolen bases.

No. 2 hitter Jill Passafiume is batting .476.

No. 3 hitter Kranz is batting .483 with five triples and 38 runs batted in.

No. 4 hitter Christine Gill is batting .411 with 11 doubles and 37 RBIs.

No. 5 hitter Jeanine Giordano, who has a scholarship to Washington, is batting .364 with 23 RBIs.

Gillies, who is batting .303 in the No. 7 spot, has a 17-4 record and an earned-run average of 1.00.

Backup-pitcher Nicole Giordano hasn’t given up an earned run in 49 2/3 innings.

To top it off, Saugus does not have a weak link in its defense.

“We were at a point early in the season where we were scoring in every inning,” Hilton said. “You give them a 3-0 lead and they think the game is over.

“The biggest thing I try to convince them on is every pitch they see at bat or on defense could be the last.”

If complacency is Saugus’ greatest foe, Kranz thinks her team has a good chance of winning the section title.

“No predictions,” she said. “That’s really dangerous.”