STRIKE FORCE

Softball is a pitcher’s game, and no team relied on one pitcher, relied on one person, as much as Mater Dei did this season.

No one carried her team further than Tia Bollinger, who not only lifted Mater Dei to the upper echelon of Orange County softball, but also to California’s highest ranks as well.

A right-hander with pinpoint accuracy and a penchant for the strikeout, Bollinger was the county’s central figure in her final high school season. Next year, she will be playing for an NCAA power, Washington, that graduated both its senior pitchers.

But this year, Bollinger’s singular value--and her impressive on-field contribution--made her The Times’ Orange County Player of the Year.

She bordered on perfection.

Bollinger went 30-2 and had an earned-run average of 0.03, allowing just one earned run in 230 1/3 innings. She allowed only six runs all season.

In her first loss, she pitched a two-hitter against Rosary and struck out 19 in eight innings. The next time she faced the Royals, Bollinger beat them.

Opponents batted only .066, averaging 1.5 hits per seven innings. Of her 2,815 pitches, 74.8% were strikes.

And while Internet newsgroups argued the validity of her ERA--were team statisticians protecting her ERA?--the last coach to defeat Bollinger made a pretty compelling argument for her dominance: “You can pad your stats all you want,” Foothill’s Joe Gonzalez said, “but you can’t pad 389 strikeouts.”

Nearly as impressive as Bollinger’s 12.9 strikeouts per game were her other numbers. She walked only 15 batters and hit four. Remarkably, her first loss came when she hit two batters in the same inning. Combined with a wild pitch and passed ball, Mater Dei’s 22-game winning streak was history and Bollinger stepped up to take the blame.

She wasn’t keen on excuses. Even after losing the Southern Section championship game to Foothill on a teammate’s eighth-inning throwing error, Bollinger said the game should never have reached that point in the first place.

She was an easy leader to follow, and that’s what teammates did. Bollinger pitched them to the title of the prestigious Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz., where she was named most valuable player.

In one of the more highly anticipated section finals, Mater Dei was No. 1 and Foothill No. 2 in one national ranking when they faced each other for the Division I championship. It was Bollinger, the best pitcher, against Foothill, the best team.

She lost that game--her only playoff loss in nine career decisions--despite allowing only two hits over eight innings.

As gracious as she was graceful, Bollinger acknowledged her often-forgotten teammates--her catchers--when she recently accepted an award for being the best high school player in the nation.

She praised those who went with her to pitching practices, both past--Sabrina Smith and Courtney Ryan--and present--Michelle Hoffmann and Jessica Gonzalez.

“If you don’t have a catcher who can call a good game, who can handle your pitches . . . ,” Bollinger said. “A catcher can make you look good or bad.”

Bollinger almost always looked good. She was 75-8 over her career with a 0.12 ERA, allowing 24 runs, 10 earned. She struck out 826 and walked 48.

Composure was one of her trademarks during four years at Mater Dei, the last three of which ended with the Monarchs playing for the section title. They won in 1998.

“My biggest disappointment was losing CIF this year,” Bollinger said. “Only three or four girls on our team got a championship ring when I was a sophomore.”

She said she felt partly responsible that her current teammates didn’t also win a title, “because I’m a senior and I’m the pitcher.”

Yes, she is the senior, the pitcher, the leader.

She is also the best at what she does.