THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606050105
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 58 lines
THE WESTERN BRANCH and Great Bridge softball seasons came to an abrupt end in last Wednesday's Eastern Region semifinals.
But after promising showings in the playoffs, both Bruins coach Chris Ake and Wildcats coach Noble Palmer see a bright future for the Chesapeake squads.
Western Branch, which has qualified for the region tournament the last four years, should be strong again next season, despite losing six starters to graduation.
``We've been there every year,'' Ake said. ``The girls are used to winning. We have a good feeder program and the community works real well getting the girls ready for me. And of course, the JV team went undefeated again (13-0).''
The Bruins will lose the meat of their lineup with the graduation of clean-up batter Calee Morris and No. 2 hitter Jaci Morris. The pair are also considered among the best defensive players in the area.
Another key loss is Nicole Belote, who's carried the Bruins on the mound for the last four years. But Melanie Dembowski, a hard-throwing sophomore who's pitched relief, should fit right into the starting spot. Catcher Cathy Arnette has a year of experience and should help Dembowski develop into one of the league's best hurlers.
Speaking of top-notch pitchers, Great Bridge, which will lose only three seniors, has Denise Wack back in 1997.
Wack, under the wing of her pitching coach and father Tim Laws, has become one of the area's smartest pitchers. She keeps batters off-balance with a variety of pitches and speeds.
Also back for the Wildcats next season will be Whitney Temple, who could move into Great Bridge's power spot in the batting order. Temple got key hits in the region quarterfinal win over Bethel. Clean-up batter Heather Ward will also return, as will first baseman Melissa Wooldridge and outfielder Melanie Robertson.
Another Chesapeake team that promises to be strong next year is Greenbrier Christian.
With Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools power Nansemond-Suffolk Academy graduating pitcher Sarah Putnam and catcher Lea Wilson, the Gators could move right into the top spot.
Greenbrier made a good showing in the Virginia Independent Schools state tournament despite falling to eventual champion Bishop O'Connell in the semifinal round.
Ginny Fletcher, only an eighth grader, will return as the Gators' ace. Fletcher is also one of the team's best hitters. She broke up a no-hitter in the state playoffs with her team's only hit against a 60-plus mph pitcher.
Tara Garlow and Alyson Mazur will also return to make the Gators top TCIS favorites. MEMO: CORRECTION: Captions under All-TCIS picks Tara Garlow and
Alyson Mazur were wrong in the May 31 edition of The Clipper. The names
listed under each players name should have been reversed. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Dawn Bell of Bayside tags out Aron Richardson of Western Branch in
region playoffs. by CNB