RallyNorth.net

Pitching trio not fazed by rule changes

Thursday, May, 15 By Nick Curcuru
Correspondent

The 2008 softball season was built for offense.

With the pitcher's mound moved from 40 to 43 feet, hitters can now tee off on opposing pitchers.

Despite the changes in the game being to their disadvantage, the pitching on Cape Ann has still been stellar. Gloucester, Rockport and Manchester Essex each have an ace pitcher they send to the mound every game in Jill Lukegord, Tia Nelson and Lindsey Cambridge, respectively. Collectively they have put up impressive pitching numbers in a sport all of a sudden dominated by offense.

"It was a tough transition because it gives the batter more time to see the pitch," Lukegord said of the move from 40 to 43 feet. "Now my main focus is to hit my spots and I've gotten used to the change as the season has gone on."

Lukegord has handled the adjustment well, slowing down offenses in the hitter friendly Northeastern Conference. She does so with a hard fast ball, a drop and a change-up which has led to one shutout and a high strikeout total on the season.

"Jill is very important to our success," said Gloucester head coach Julie Ferguson, whose team appears to be headed for a state tournament berth with a 9-7 record. "She pitches her heart out every night. We haven't had great defense behind her but she always stays strong and pitchers her way out of tough situations, she is one of the top pitchers in the Northeastern Conference."

What separates Lukegord from other top pitchers is her off-speed pitches. Lukegord throws her change-up for strikes and will throw it any time in the count, which keeps hitters off balance. While most pitchers telegraph their off-speed pitches, Lukegord's arm motion on her change-up looks just like it does on her fastball.

"She can really control a game by mixing up her pitches," Ferguson said. "When she has hitters off balance and hits her spots, she is really tough to hit."

Manchester Essex's Cambridge also brings a strong resume to the table. Cambridge is following up a junior season in which she fanned 182 batters, with an equally impressive senior campaign. The Hornets captain regularly eclipses the 10-strikeout mark, and her most notable performance came earlier in the season when she fanned 16 against Rockport and out-dueled Nelson in a Hornets win.

"Lindsey has been huge for us this year," Hornets head coach Mike Mullarkey said. "It doesn't matter if we are playing a big school or a small school in the Cape Ann League, she is going to give us a chance to win the game."

Cambridge keeps hitters off balance with a fastball, change-up, curveball and drop. According to Mullarkey, besides her electric stuff, her best attribute is her determination and will to win.

 What is most amazing about Cambridge's success is that she started pitching as a sophomore. Cambridge was a catcher in her youth leagues, and decided to pitch after her freshman season, she has been a starter ever since.

"She's a great athlete," Mullarkey said. "She could play anywhere on the field. She is just a fighter, very determined."

Nelson has put up impressive numbers this season for the Vikings, without a lot of offensive help. The Vikings are averaging close to three runs a game, but that hasn't stopped Nelson from pitching her heart out. The junior right-hander is equipped with a picture-perfect delivery, and throws a hard fastball, a curve, a drop, a riser and a screwball (which she seldom uses).

"She has a very heavy fastball,"  Vikings head coach Dianne Parisi said. "Opponents have a hard time hitting her. With Tia on the mound, games usually come down to small ball and manufacturing runs because they don't get a lot of hits off her."

Sometimes teams don't get any hits, as Nelson has two no hitters on the season, the most recent coming yesterday against Pentucket.

In addition to the trio's pitching, they are all equally valuable hitters to their teams. Lukegord hits second for the hard-hitting Fishermen, while Nelson and Cambridge hit third and fourth respectively for their teams.

Whether they are hitting or pitching, Cape Ann's aces will find a way to beat you.