Elk Grove pitcher hopes to write joke of her own

Allie Crump can laugh about it now, but a year ago the situation wasn't funny.

The Elk Grove High School senior softball pitcher gave up a game-winning home run to Jolene Henderson in a 3-0 loss to Sheldon in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I final, a single pitch that became a painful punchline.

Crump played on a traveling club team last summer, and some of her teammates were Sheldon players who kept reminding her about the riseball that determined the season's outcome.

"They'd say, 'Hey, Allie, you know what happens when you throw riseballs?' " Crump said. "Then everybody would start laughing, including me. But trust me, I wasn't smiling when it happened."

The memory lingered into this season, and Crump says one way to ease that sting is to lead the Thundering Herd to this year's section championship.

"What happened last season is part of the reason why I'm so determined now," said Crump, a member of The Bee's 2007 All-Metro second team. "Plus, I'm a senior now. I want my legacy to stand. My teammates and I really want that (championship) ring."

Crump's quest starts at 10 a.m. today when Elk Grove (23-2) plays West of Tracy (15-12) in a first-round Division I game, part of a full day of playoffs at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

She hopes her regular-season accomplishments – a 12-2 pitching record, a 3.18 ERA and the third-best batting average on the team (.429) – translate into playoff success.

"I think Allie was affected in positive way by the (Sheldon) home run situation," Thundering Herd coach Jeff Alexander said. "A lot of kids would have let (it) rattle their confidence, but not Allie. She showed a lot of character and came back stronger."

Thundering Herd senior center fielder Megan Suitos agreed.

"We've played together since we were 10 years old, and Allie has always been competitive," Suitos said. "But this season, I think Allie has more hunger and fire to win. Everything she has done this season has been with winning in mind."

Crump got in better shape, dropping 25 pounds from her 6-foot frame.

"I won't tell you how much I weighed," she said. "But let's just say I was a pretty beefy girl. Now, I feel lighter on my feet when I pitch."

Because she was in better condition, Crump suffered no injuries this season. That was a contrast to 2007, when a sore shoulder caused her to miss six games.

As important is her growing confidence. She has digested the home run by Henderson, The Bee's 2007 Player of the Year, and moved ahead.

"Now, the confidence I have is because of maturity and experience," Crump said. "Playing (in the Amateur Softball Association) this past winter and summer really helped because that is a higher level of competition in which you have to grow."

Opponents learned that this spring. Crump struck out 132 batters in 88 innings and had six games in which she struck out 11 batters or more. Those performances helped her earn a scholarship to Boise State next season.

But Crump said she has unfinished business. She wants to make up for losses this season to Delta Valley League rival Franklin (22-3) and Sheldon (25-1).

"There's nothing I want more than to win the championship," she said. "It will show we're truly a really good team and prove that what happened last year is truly a thing of the past."

More importantly, she might get the last laugh.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Quwan Spears, (916) 326-5517.