THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 6, 1996 TAG: 9608060313
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 60 lines
Shannon Moore did it all as a high school athlete at Princess Anne - basketball, soccer, field hockey, track and field.
But her only interest in softball was occasionally going to watch her father play.
That changed as athletic opportunities started to dwindle during her collegiate years, giving softball a much greater appeal.
``It started to look like a fun sport,'' said Moore, a recreation specialist in the Virginia Beach Department of Parks and Recreation youth activities department.
``So I started playing my last two years of college and now I wish I would have taken an interest in it back in high school.''
Despite only five years of experience, Moore has climbed to elite status among South Hampton Roads women's softball players.
She was named the Beach's female player of the year last year and plays for Cummings/Easton - a team that last year finished fourth in the nation in the U.S. Slo-Pitch Softball Association's Class B division.
Wednesday will mark the beginning of an effort to continue a run of post-season good luck when Cumming's/Easton puts its reputation as the area's top women's team on the line by attempting to defending its women's championship in the 15th annual Tidewater Softball Championships at Princess Anne Park.
Competition between the top teams from the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth gets under way this evening with play in the church men and coed divisions. Men and women's teams play Wednesday evening, with finals in all four events set for Friday night.
Moore is confident that her team will successfully retain area bragging rights, and she is equally sure that her teammates will take the tournament seriously enough to ensure it.
``I'm not sure if we're actually a better team than last year,'' said Moore, a 27-year-old left fielder who sports a .677 batting average. ``But we know each other better than last year and we're really starting to jell. We have more confidence in each other now.''
And it's shown.
The team has an overall record of 55-8 and is 19-1 in Beach league play. The team went 9-0 in winning the paid bid to this year's national class B tournament in two weeks in Tennessee and has won several other weekend events. They will add an appearance in the National Softball Association's national tournament to the post-season lineup.
From top to bottom, the Cummings/Easton lineup features talent equal to Moore's.
``It's time to get busy,'' coach and team founder Buddy Cummings said. ``But we've got the athletes to do it. That's what we look for and Shannon is the kind of well-rounded athlete we have.''
While Moore's skill at the plate is obvious, her reputation lies more with her defensive play. And despite several injuries suffered during play, she said she can still run down most shots to the outfield as well as anyone.
``And she has that ability to read what's happening,'' Cummings said. ``Good anticipation. Defensively, she's second to nobody.''
She's also a team player - showing little concern that she isn't having the award-winning season she did last year.
Just so long as the team follows her lead - second to nobody. by CNB