Published: May 12, 2008 11:00 pm            

HS SOFTBALL: Twin guns having double the fun for Kenmore West

It’s a not a competition, it’s about teamwork.

Just ask Kaley Vazquez and Lexy Santa Maria of the Kenmore West softball team.

Both on their first full seasons of varsity, Vazquez, a sophomore, and Santa Maria, a freshman, have been pivotal reasons for the rise of the young Blue Devils squad to the top half of the Niagara Frontier League standings.

Flying in the face of conventional wisdom that dictates teams must roll with one clear-cut No. 1 pitcher, Vazquez and Santa Maria have shown that it’s not only possible for two girls to share the load, but also to succeed in the process.

“It takes a lot of pressure off knowing that if we get into trouble, we both have someone else who can go in for us,” Santa Maria said. “We really don’t look at it like a starting position, it’s equal. It’s just nice to know we have someone who can go in for us if we get into trouble.”

In fact, both girls feel that the alternating system is a plus because it gives them both a little more time to rest between starts and to prepare for their next opponent.

“You don’t have any pressure (if) you do bad because you always have someone to back you up if you’re not doing so well,” said Vazquez, who usually starts at third base when Santa Maria pitches. “We have so many games in a row that it’s tiring, so this makes it a lot easier.”

Both possessing good command and control, they each have their own distinctive styles. Santa Maria’s strengths lie in her wide range of pitches, while Vazquez is more about movement on her pitches and raw power. Both also posses the mental toughness to attack the game with everything they have.

But the key to it all is their easy-going, unselfish personalities.

The reason this partnership works is because they allow it to. Neither girl is consumed with the desire that they have to be the main girl in the pitching circle. It’s about what’s best for the team and supporting each other.

“If you have two awesome pitchers and they can rotate in and out and play other positions then why not?” Blue Devils pitching coach Christine Keleher said.

A former Blue Devil herself, Keleher, who also pitched for St. Bonaventure, knows full well the mental approach to pitching and is impressed with how the Blue Devils’ twin guns have balanced the work load without letting it effect their confidence or question their value to the team.

“They’re both focused and they both know they’re a team and that’s what makes them pitch real well, too. They can go in (and) have their time, but they always know they have someone to back them up if they need help.”

Backing each other up, Santa Maria and Vazquez have found that perfect balance. And with the sectional playoffs fast approaching, they make the Blue Devils a double tough team to face.

        

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