LJ softball: 'P'sha'

By Ed Piper

P'sha.

Fo' shame.

A ninth-grader at La Jolla High, Emmy Cardenas, gave up a hit.

And she only struck out 13 Parker batters, half of those she faced.

I'm being facetious, but the previous Tuesday, the freshman pitcher for Coach Andrea Denham's Vikings twirled a no-hitter at Coronado in her first high school competition ever.

But apparently that doesn't count. Even though the Islanders' game was in a tournament, it goes down as a practice game. So said Kevin Hurt, assistant coach for La Jolla.

This time around, in the official season opener Tues., Feb. 25, the 5'7" Cardenas, with her father warming her up and keeping official game statistics nearby, went for all the gusto: She led a ferocious Viking offensive attack that piled up 16 runs against Lancer ace Katy Austin, a senior with tons of experience. And on the other side of the ball, Emmy pounded two doubles and drove in four of La Jolla's 16 runs with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate.

Not bad for a debut for a ninth-grader playing against varsity competition.

Emmy doesn't turn 15 until June 7, so she's not a "holdback"--the current rage with parents keeping their kids back one, even two years, so that they're older for sports. Sounds insane to me, but lots are doing it in pursuit of the "Holy Grail" of an athletic scholarship to college; the pros even?

"I hit my hip with my glove on every pitch delivery," explained Emmy as I roamed the Parker field before Tuesday's opener, an hour before game time, snapping photos of all the Viking players.

"Some pitchers don't have a rise pitch like Emmy, they actually have a diagonal pitch that they throw upwards," said her dad. "With a rise, the ball slows down, then the seams catch the air and the ball rises."

Club ball and travel ball also come with their unique sports culture. Before team members played catch to warm up, they each laid their bat down, perpendicular to the third base foul line, and placed their glove over the knob of the bat--each hat facing toward the middle of the field.

The bats, all different colors, made for a vibrant display. I commented on this to Emmy. I had never seen it before. She: "I think it keeps things organized." She smiled and went to warm up with her teammates.