Prep softball: Sea Kings and Sailors get along in summer ball

Steve Virgen

Who would have ever thought that Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor

high school softball players could coexist? They are Back Bay rivals.

But, don’t tell that to CdM catcher Amy Tyson and Newport Harbor pitcher

Kim Moore, who played on the same softball travel team, the Orange County

Blaze, this summer.

Sea King standout Alissa Zoelle and Sailors’ star Athena Vasquez also

played and excelled this summer, for different teams.

While improving their softball skills, Tyson and Moore strengthened a

friendship that had developed before the summer started.

On trips to Kansas and Colorado, they shared a room and stayed up

until midnight, laughing and sharing jokes.

“The fun was nonstop,” said Tyson. “On the flight to Wichita, Kim

decided to get on the intercom and she said for everybody to wish us luck

in our tournament. She introduced our coach as available to all the

single ladies in the airplane. There was so many funny stories that

happened.”

But, the real fun started when they took to the field. Moore said she

felt more comfortable with Tyson catching. The two worked their magic in

a national tournament in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Moore finished with an

ERA of 1, Blaze coach Shawn Turner said.

Moore also battled back from heat exhaustion, which she suffered on

July 1, while in Colorado.

“Her mental strength picked up this summer,” said Turner, who is

called “T-bone” by his players. “She’s just a warrior on the mound. You

can call her fearless when she’s on the mound.

Tyson also improved throughout the season, Turner said. When a finger

injury took out one of the Blaze’s catchers, Tyson served duty throughout

the tournament in Colorado. She also completed a smashing performance

when it came to her hitting.

She went 14 for 16 in the tournament and never struck out.

“She really stepped up for us,” Moore said of Tyson. “She did very

well.”

Meanwhile, CdM’s Zoelle was opportunistic as she stepped up her play

in the Louisville Slugger Independence Tournament, a national college

scouting tournament that is by invitation only.

Zoelle, who played first base, was the offensive leader for her team,

the Irvine Sting. She batted .571 in the tournament with seven RBIs.

There were over 260 college scouts representing universities. The

Sting finished seventh out of 77 teams.

“That’s the tournament the college scouts come to,” Zoelle said.

“That’s the tournament you need to shine.”

When she ended her summer softball season two weeks ago, Zoelle had

but a week of rest before she began training with the CdM volleyball

team.

Newport Harbor’s Athena Vasquez hardly rested this summer as she

played shortstop for the American Athletics Gold squad, an Orange County

club team coached by Jim Bollinger, who is also the head softball coach

at Orange Coast College.

Vasquez batted .253 and excelled in her fielding as she made only

three errors in 119 chances (.965).

She was also one of the captains on the team and Bollinger said she

led by example.

“She had a great summer,” Bollinger said of Vasquez. “She really

played some great shortstop for us. She’s very consistent and a fierce

competitor. She made some really fine plays for us and got some nice

outs.”

Vasquez said she improved this summer.

“I’ve improved in my fielding,” she said. “I learned a lot about

teamwork. I had good experience with leadership because I was one of the

captains, so that took a lot of responsibility.”

Vasquez said she spent her vacation while playing in a tournament in

Chicago. She visited Wrigley Stadium and Soldier Field.