Tolfa’s tough on opponents

You know you are pitching well when a teammate complains about not having an opportunity to field the ball.

Such was the week for Corona del Mar pitcher Michelle Tolfa, who was approached between innings by an outfielder who said, “I don’t get any balls out there.”

Tolfa has been striking out batters in bunches, much to the boredom of the defensive players behind her. In the past week Tolfa has started four games and completed all four, pitching 29 innings.

In the four games, she averaged 11 strikeouts to less then one walk. She allowed two earned runs and Corona del Mar (4-1) won all four games.

The highlight of the year came in the second game of the season, when the Sea Kings started the winning streak. Tolfa struck out 14 against Newport Harbor in a 1-0 complete game shutout. Newport Harbor had only three hits in the game.

Tolfa’s earned run average of 0.39 is a big improvement, even over last season’s more-than-respectable 1.08. Her 53 strikeouts in five games are also tops in the league.

“I’ve been playing pretty well. Yesterday’s game wasn’t that great,” said Tolfa referring to her 14-strikeout performance against San Clemente in which she allowed one earned run. “I wasn’t focused I hung a couple of pitches. I could have hit better.”

Despite appearing in four games in a week, including pitching 15 innings over two games on March 18, Tolfa insists she can handle the workload.

“After the second game, I was a little tired,” said Tolfa, who has yet to require a trip to the circle from Corona del Mar Coach Nichole Thompson. “But I just keep going.”

Tolfa has been moving right through opposing batters with an effective rise ball and change up. When she has two strikes on a hitter, she likes to go with a drop curve or a rise ball.

“I just try to keep it away from the strike zone, but make it look good so they’ll swing at it,” Tolfa said.

Tolfa said the reason for her high strikeout totals was “probably my experience. The opponents we’re facing are not used to a 55-mile per hour fastball. They aren’t used to a good rise ball.”

Tolfa said she does see areas for improvement in her pitching. Her change up has been bouncing around on her a little uncontrollably.

“My change up has been up and down,” she said. “A rise ball is the hardest for any pitcher to throw.”

As for the few times opponents have been able to get the sweet part of the bat on her pitches, it doesn’t bother her.

“It doesn’t effect my mindset,” Tolfa said. “It just makes me want to get them out even more.”

With her pitching going well, Tolfa has renewed her focus on improving at the plate. While a .313 batting average ? third best on the Sea Kings ? is solid, it is not good enough for Tolfa, who hit .467 last season.

Tolfa is improving, batting .333 in the past two games, and has a season long five-game hit streak.

“I didn’t bat that much in travel ball,” Tolfa said.