Tornadoes, Nitros are tournament-bound

Charles Rich

GLENDALE -- The advantages are enormous.

There’s plenty of ideas to jot down and compare with the different

schemes employed by the 24 squads who will battle for a tournament

championship.

Expect the parameters to be covered when the Thousand Oaks Softball

Tournament begins today at Los Cerritos Intermediate School. Hoover and

Glendale are the local teams expected to compete.

The Tornadoes and Nitros will play in the event’s White Division.

Hoover will be teamed with Granada Hills Kennedy, Oxnard and Highland in

the Pool A group. Glendale will be fitted with Village Christian, Gahr

and San Marcos in the Pool B bracket.

Let the preparations begin for a tournament that’s been considered one

of the elite in Southern California for the past decade. There’s extra

incentive: Hoover and Glendale are jockeying for playoff spots with two

weeks left in the regular season.

“The tournament comes at a perfect time,” Hoover Coach Kirt Kohlmeier

said. “You find out who the cream of the crop is and where you stack up

with similar teams come playoff time. Plus, I use it to prepare for

[Pacific League] games against Crescenta Valley, Arcadia and Glendale.”

Kohlmeier’s teams have fared well in the tournament, which will

conclude May 4. In the 1995 edition, Hoover pitcher Tina Kinney helped

the Tornadoes top Santa Maria St. Joseph, then ranked among the top three

in the state.

Kohlmeier will attempt to lead Hoover (7-11) to a pair of pool-play

wins today against Kennedy at 8 a.m. and Oxnard at 9:45 a.m.

The Tornadoes will be without starting third baseman Daisy Barcena,

who will take an advanced placement Spanish exam today.

Glendale (12-7) will meet Village Christian and San Marcos in

pool-play contests. The Nitros will face the Crusaders at 11:30 a.m. and

will then take on San Marcos at 3 p.m.

The Nitros will have a cognizant idea about competing against Village

Christian, which posted a 4-0 nonleague win over the Nitros in a

nonleague game March 28.

Village Christian sophomore pitcher Lauren Nydam allowed a

seventh-inning walk to spoil her bid for a perfect game. Nydam, a La

Canada Flintridge resident, tossed a no-hitter and struck out five.

Glendale starting pitcher Heather Hamasaki (11-6) will battle Nydam

again.

“It’s helpful when you go against the known,” Glendale Coach Kris

Kohlmeier said. “We’ll be going up again against one of the top two or

three pitchers we’ve faced all season. You have to use this tournament to

sharpen your skills and as a final push toward finishing league.”

Other teams who are expected to participate are Thousand Oaks,

Westlake, Righetti, Hueneme, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, West Hills

Chaminade and Royal. Rio Mesa defeated Westlake in last year’s tournament

championship game.

IF YOU GO

WHO: Hoover and Glendale softball teams.

WHAT: White Division bracket pool-play games in the Thousand Oaks

Tournament.

WHEN: Hoover meets Granada Hills-Kennedy at 8 a.m. and Oxnard at 9:45;

Glendale faces Village Christian at 11:30 a.m. and San Marcos at 3 p.m.

today.

WHERE: Los Cerritos Intermediate School, 2100 E. Avenida de Las

Flores, Thousand Oaks.

DIRECTIONS: Take Ventura (134) Fwy. west to Ventura (101) Fwy. north

to Conejo Valley (23) Fwy. north. Exit Avenida de Los Arboles and turn

right. Make right on Erbes Road. School is at corner of Erbes and Avenida

de Las Flores.