Tolfa tangos for Corona del Mar

Chris Yemma

Some softball players are natural pitchers, relying on strength and

finesse to influence a game. Some are natural sluggers, providing an

offensive power that leads to runs.

Corona del Mar High sophomore Michelle Tolfa is both, keeping the

Sea Kings in contention for every game they play with her arm and,

well, her arms.

“It’s not that uncommon to have someone good at both [hitting and

pitching],” Corona del Mar Coach Nichole Thompson said. “For us, it’s

a really good thing to have.”

It’s not as uncommon as, say, in baseball. But when a pitcher

doubles as the team’s leading slugger, it’s like a two-for-one deal.

Tolfa leads the Sea Kings’ battery attack with a 1.07 ERA through 124 innings with 159 strikeouts, good for a 12-7 record. She leads

the team in hitting with a .466 average and has six home runs on the

season, topping the Pacific Coast League list.

And she leads the team with 15 RBIs, elevating her to elite status

at Corona del Mar.

“She’s the backbone of our team,” Thompson said. “She’s a great

competitor on that field. She keeps us in every game we play.”

Tolfa threw a complete-game one-hit shutout and accounted for the

Sea Kings’ only two hits in a 1-0 win over Calvary Chapel of Santa

Ana April 12 to garner Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week honors.

She was 2 for 3 at the plate against Calvary, putting Allie

Duernberger in position to score the eventual game-winning run in the

first inning. Tolfa singled her to third on a line drive to center

field, and Duernberger scored on a bobbled fielding play on the next

batter.

Tolfa also tossed a season-high 14 strikeouts while retiring the

side in order three of the seven innings. Calvary’s lone hit came in

the bottom seventh inning, in between three strikeouts.

“[Corona del Mar] has had the best pitching we have seen so far

this season,” Calvary Chapel Coach Sarah Herrera said after that

game. “Overall, pitching-wise, they’re been one of the best teams

we’ve faced.”

Tolfa has also had more recent standout performances, though she

said she considers the Calvary game her best outing this season.

She struck out nine and allowed five hits, while going 2 for 4 at

the plate with an RBI in a 3-2 victory over Calvary Chapel again last

Friday. And she was 4 for 4 with three RBIs and a perfect ERA in an

11-2 win over University Thursday.

“I feel like we have a shot to win every time we play because of

her pitching,” Thompson said. “When she’s on, there’s a pretty good

chance we’ll win.”

Just a sophomore, Tolfa said she considers herself a leader on the

team.

“I’m a little more experienced and so I try to help the other

girls,” she said. “I just try to be a role model because I have

played for a while.”

Tolfa said she pitched one no-hitter last season and the

accomplishment is up there in her list of goals this season, along

with making it to the CIF Southern Section Division IV postseason.

The Sea Kings are currently third in league, with the top three

teams qualifying for the postseason.