Creeger Pitches a Shutout, Laguna Hills Stays in First

To fully appreciate senior Melissa Creeger’s performance Thursday, one must appreciate how far she has progressed since last season.

Laguna Hills softball Coach Cary Crouch said that back then, “she was our No. 3 pitcher with no chance of pitching.”

But when Laguna Hills defeated 10th-ranked Aliso Niguel, 1-0, Creeger’s record improved to 15-2 and the Hawks seized control of first place in the Pacific Coast League.

Laguna Hills is 16-4-2, 4-0 in league, and Aliso Niguel dropped to 11-8, 3-1.

“It means a lot to me,” Creeger said, “to know I have an effect on the game.”

Creeger gave up six hits and struck out six while outdueling Danielle Heath (9-5), whose only misfortune was getting hammered by Julie Davison.

Davison, a junior third baseman batting sixth, was down two strikes in the second inning before slamming a 3-2 pitch well over right fielder Alissa Cunningham’s head.

“That fielder would have to be two Michael Jordans to catch that ball,” Crouch said of Davison’s line drive. “I knew when she hit it, it wasn’t coming back.”

Davison scored easily on the opposite-field home run, one of only five hits against Heath. Davison said she had a premonition.

“I can almost call my home runs--I’ve done it before,” said Davison, who moved to Laguna Hills after living in Oregon the last five years. “I know that sounds cocky. I just wish I could do it every time. But I could feel it. Plus, everyone was telling me, ‘These are our rivals, we have to beat them,’ and I felt I had to rise to the occasion.”

But Aliso Niguel Coach Joe Miller said the difference was Creeger, who exploited a wide strike zone and cut down the good-hitting Wolverines. She prevented all five baserunners who reached second base (two to third base) from scoring.

She came up especially big in the seventh inning as Shannon Anderson singled and took third on a successful two-out hit-and-run by Lindsay Martin. Chezare Sievers, the Wolverines’ leadoff batter, worked the count to 3-1 before Creeger battled back with a strike, a foul ball and a fly ball to left field to end the game.