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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2004 Crater�s Jenni Bittle, left, and Janelle Cristofaro have the Comets atop the SOC standings heading into today�s showdown with North Medford. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Crater’s dynamic duo Pitchers Jenni Bittle and Janelle Cristofaro have pitched the sixth-ranked Comets to a 12-0 start By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — As far as superhero tandems go, Crater High’s version is a little lopsided. Two Batmans and no Robins. The rest of the Southern Oregon Conference softball world might have a complaint, but the Comets are more than pleased to have Jenni Bittle and Janelle Cristofaro as their leading ladies. "They keep getting stronger as the season goes," third-year Comet coach Chris Arnold says of his pitching tandem. "They’ve been tremendous leaders for us." Neither Bittle, a senior, nor fellow junior hurler Cristofaro has earned the sidekick label this season. Advertisement Heading into today’s showdown with North Medford at Fagone Field, the dynamic duo has yet to give up an earned run in SOC play and has boosted sixth-ranked Crater to a 12-0 start overall and 6-0 mark in conference play. Bittle, who set the school single-season strikeout record with 104 last year, has posted a 7-0 record with 79 strikeouts and a microscopic 0.16 ERA. Cristofaro has been just as effective, fanning 69 to go with a 0.68 ERA and 5-0 mark. "They both have developed multiple pitches this season," says Arnold. "They’re very smart. They each look at the count and know the weakness of the hitters. "The ability to set up the hitter is their strength. It’s the next step they’ve taken." The roles have reversed this season, but the production has been phenomenal. Bittle usually started the second game of doubleheaders last year but was given the No. 1 slot this season, while Cristofaro mows down the competition in Game 2. "They’re both comfortable in their roles," says Arnold, who credits pitching coach Greg Winner with the girls’ development. "We know they are both very capable of throwing two games — because they’re so talented — but we don’t need them to do that." Cristofaro, a first-team all-SOC performer last season, has added a curveball and rise ball to her repertoire. The 17-year-old spent the summer honing her two new pitches. "I just worked a lot over the offseason," says Cristofaro, who also joins Bittle as one of Crater’s top hitters. "I played in an 18-under league. I was pretty young (compared to the other girls). "When I did pitch I got hit some, but it was still a good experience for me." Bittle credits offseason weight training and working with her dad, Jim, and personal trainer Charlie Lepari. She has also found improvement with her rise ball and feels the greater confidence she has in her pitches allows for more effectiveness. "It’s totally a mental game out there," says Bittle, who will play softball at Northwest Christian College in Eugene next year. "I’m always trying to find what pitch is going to fool this batter. "My ball has a lot of movement. It’s not all about power, it’s about changing speed and location." The improvement both have made and the different pitching approaches each has to offer has paid dividends — most notably in SOC play. The duo posted back-to-back shutouts in a doubleheader sweep of Grants Pass to start conference play and held Ashland to one hit in each game the following week. Last Saturday, the pair each tossed no-hitters against Eagle Point to go with double-digit strikeouts. "They’re just so precise with their pitches," marvels Arnold. "They don’t miss in locations where the batters can hurt you." Bittle, who throws a drop ball to set up her strong rise ball, sets a pretty high standard with her performances in the openers of SOC doubleheaders. But Cristofaro, more of a change-of-pace style pitcher, doesn’t feel the pressure to equal her teammate’s outings. "It’s not like a hate competition or anything," says Cristofaro, who’s played with her pitching partner off and on since she was 10. "I just want to push myself further. Mostly I want to help us get a win." Bittle admits to some friendly competition between the two, but thinks it’s what makes them so effective. "It’s always been friendly," she admits. "I wouldn’t be as good as I am without Janelle and Janelle wouldn’t be as good without me. She throws down and mixes speeds and I’m more of a rise-ball pitcher. "We’ve made each other who we are." Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers