Verdugo Hills Tries to Plant Some Seeds

Few softball teams in the region have dominated league competition more than Verdugo Hills High this season.

The Dons (15-3-1, 6-0 in league play) have outscored Sunset Six League opponents, 70-3.

But that’s no guarantee of a favorable seeding for the City Section playoffs.

Last season, Verdugo Hills marched through league undefeated and was 14-4 overall but was seeded No. 14 in the Championship playoffs and sent packing for a first-round road game.

“Last year, I wasn’t at the seeding meeting,” Coach Darren FitzGerald said. “I’ll be there this time and say what needs to be said.”

While the Dons don’t figure to be seeded above perennial powers El Camino Real, Banning or San Pedro, FitzGerald figures he has plenty of ammunition to push his team ahead of many of the region’s other playoff contenders.

Verdugo Hills has defeated Taft, 10-2, and Granada Hills, 5-4, teams tied for second place in the stronger West Valley League. It has split two 2-1 decisions with Sylmar, second in the Valley Mission, and defeated third-place Van Nuys, 6-0. Eagle Rock, seeded No. 3 last season, fell to Verdugo Hills, 14-2, in a season opener.

“I’m just hoping to get an eighth seed or better and get a home game,” FitzGerald said. “But they’re still going to say our league is the weakest.”

Verdugo Hills, which has outscored opponents, 153-45, has seven starters batting better than .307, five with at least 13 runs batted in.

Laura Hovestreydt is batting .508 and has 16 stolen bases, Jennifer Lombardo is batting .471, and Crystal Dingman is batting .416 and is tied with Jessica McGivney with a team-high 21 RBIs.

McGivney (9-1) and Danielle Burch have combined for a 1.31 earned-run average and five shutouts.

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Alemany will dedicate its softball field to Dudley Rooney, former coach and athletic director, on May 8 before the Indians’ Mission League finale against Chaminade, Coach Charlie Briere said.

Rooney, an administrator at Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian, was 350-123 in 18 seasons and won 13 league championships at Alemany.

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Montclair Prep will start right-hander Marissa Brassfield in the circle on Thursday in a Delphic League game against Crossroads.

Big deal?

Brassfield is a left-hander.

The junior pitcher can throw either way, but mostly uses her left.

She always wanted to try to throw an entire game with her right, and got her coaches to agree to it.

It won’t be the first time Brassfield has thrown right-handed. In certain situations, coaches Ken Smith and Greg Reece have had Brassfield switch in the middle of an at-bat to confuse hitters.

Having an ambidextrous pitcher helps with depth.

“Instead of bringing in a new pitcher, we just give her a new mitt,” Reece said of Brassfield (6-2), who defeated Buena, 2-1, last week in the Arroyo Grande tournament. “Not too many kids can do that.”

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Sara Gonzales of Paraclete notched her season-record 13th shutout Tuesday in a 2-0 victory over L.A. Baptist.

Jamie Johnston had 12 in 1994.

A junior, Gonzales (15-1) is a big reason the Spirits (17-2) are ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division V.

“She’s pitched awesome,” Coach Margaret Neill said of Gonzales, who has blanked Highland once and Quartz Hill and Alemany twice each.

Those larger schools each share first place in their leagues.

Gonzales will get another challenge on Thursday, when she figures to duel Lauren Nydam of Village Christian (15-2) for first place in the Alpha League.

Paraclete is ranked No. 1 in the Division V poll. Village Christian is No. 4.

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The safest place in the Antelope Valley on Thursday was the softball field at Highland.

An L.A. County Sheriff’s vehicle was parked on a practice field, overlooking the first-base dugout, and a county fire truck was stationed beyond the center-field fence.

When Highland took an early lead, the sirens from the sheriff’s vehicle blared. When Quartz Hill finished off a 9-4 Golden League victory, the fire engine’s horn blasted.

The reason for the special attention?

The father of Highland player Shannon Doepking is a sheriff. The father of Amanda and Erica Ricker of Quartz Hill is a fireman.

“I told the girls that if anyone got injured, we were in good hands,” Highland Coach Glenda Potts said.