Hamlet Nalbandyan
MONTROSE PARK -- At the end of each season, Crescenta Valley High
softball Coach Dan Berry assigns captains for his team for the upcoming
season.
It's no surprise that at the end of the 1999 campaign, Berry turned to
the trio of Jessica Crownover, Annemarie Blodgett and Ally Webber for
leadership as three of his four captains this year.
One could say the three are the glue that holds the Falcons together.
Pitcher Meredith Cervenka has garnered much of the spotlight thanks to
her dominance in the circle, but Crownover, Blodgett and Webber -- the
three starters in the outfield and all seniors -- have been instrumental
in bringing success to CV.
"We do the little things," says Crownover, a 17-year-old left fielder.
Adds right fielder Webber, 18: "We basically keep everyone together.
We make sure the younger girls have someone to talk."
Their leadership on and off the field goes a long way for CV, but it's
what the three bring to the table as athletes that makes them priceless
commodities.
All three are superb fielders and are the focal points of CV's
offense. Cervenka might pitch a shutout nearly every time she's out there
-- doing so 23 times in 29 starts -- but CV still needs runs to win.
The Falcons get their runs using a simple strategy: Get Webber on,
move her over, and have somebody drive her in.
The person who usually drives Webber in is Crownover. She is the No. 3
hitter in CV's lineup and is third on the team with 14 runs batted in and
is hitting .303.
The rare times Crownover doesn't get Webber -- who has an on-base
percentage of .400, batting average of .382 and scored 31 runs -- home,
the rest of the Falcons will one way or another get the job done.
Following Crownover in the lineup is catcher Lindsay Ray, the fourth
captain on the team, and the batter after Ray for much of the season had
been Blodgett, who is hitting .272 and is second on the team with 16
RBIs.
The 18-year-old has been recently moved to the No. 9 spot, due to her
switch-hitting abilities and speed. During the later stages of the game,
Berry usually gets Blodgett and Webber to get on base in the same inning,
spelling trouble for the opposition.
"The idea offensively is get Webber on and have someone drive her in.
Jessica has done a tremendous job stepping in as the No. 3 hitter and
she's our big punch in the lineup," said Berry.
"With Annemarie, she's a great switch hitter and brings a lot to the
table. She's also a tremendous motivating player for the other girls."
