Topps, Vasquez part of softball team that finishes fifth in

Canadian tour

Bryce Alderton

It was a long way from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, but two area

high school softball players made their marks in Canada for a recent

travel-ball tournament in Surrey, British Columbia.

Both seniors in the fall and members of the 2002 Daily Pilot’s

Softball Dream Team, Anne Marie Topps from Costa Mesa High and Athena

Vasquez from Newport Harbor represented Newport-Mesa on the American

Athletics, an 18-and-under traveling softball team made up of Orange

County high school softball players that finished fifth out of 36

teams from the United States, Canada and Australia at the Canada Cup,

July 15-21.

The Athletics went 7-2-1 in the tournament with temperatures

hovering in the mid-70s with no rain, said Athletics’ Manager Dale

Durham, who was surprised with the team’s success.

“We did much better than our expectations,” Durham said.

Topps played shortstop and left field and led the Athletics with

two home runs and was named the Most Valuable Player for the two

games she hit home runs, Durham said.

Durham described Vasquez as a team player who hustled every play.

“Athena puts on the glove and the cleats and goes out there not

looking for notoriety or for herself,” Durham said. “(Vasquez) is the

absolute team player and that’s the only stat I need.”

Topps was named as a second-team All-CIF Division IV performer for

the second consecutive year this past season and was named first-team

All-Pacific Coast League for the first time this spring after leading

Newport-Mesa with six home runs, 28 RBIs, 36 hits and 21 runs.

Vasquez played shortstop for Newport Harbor and was named

first-team All-Sea View League this past season, hitting .355 (17 for

76) with one home run, nine RBIs and 16 runs. She had one four

doubles, one triple and nine steals.

The Athletics were the only team to finish in the top 10 that was

made up of entirely of high school players that played up a division,

competing in the 19-and-under age bracket.

The Athletics competed in the pre-Olympic bracket, as the

tournament is one of several Olympic-level tournaments to help teams

prepare for the Olympics and softball’s World Cup, Durham said.