College
"It's the second game of a doubleheader on a
warm March afternoon as Lisa Fernandez takes the
mound at UCLA's Sunset Field, a rustic
eucalyptus and pine circled encampment on a hill
near Sunset Boulevard. The bare-bones facility -
the concessions are a popcorn machine and a card
table with UCLA souvenir hats, the bathroom a
single Port-a-John along the left-field line -
is a sharp contrast to the splendors of nearby
Brentwood. A Black Forest-style mansion,
seemingly, just a long home run away, dominates
the view toward right field. Fernandez wastes
little time - no pawing of the dirt or shaking
off the catcher's signs or examining the ball.
The first batter from UC Santa Barbara is a
quick strikeout. The second stumbles 10 feet
forward after not swinging at a wicked Fernandez
change-up. The ensuing fastball looks blinding
by comparison. Two strikeouts. Fernandez
windmills three more unstrikeable strikes by the
third victim. End of the top half of the first."
Excerpts from "In the Zone: The World's Best
Female Softball Player" by Michele Kort, Los
Angeles Weekly |
