Chiefs not totally sold on PHU ace

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published May 21, 2005

After 22 Chiefs went down by strikeout, after only three runners reached base in 10 innings, after only producing two hits, Chamberlain had Palm Harbor University's Dani Hofer all figured out.

"She's hittable," opposing pitcher Heather Vanlandingham said.

Sure she was, if by hittable the Chiefs pitcher means not hittable. Not Friday.

Don't get the wrong idea. Most of the Chiefs were complimentary of Hofer's stuff, including Vanlandingham. But while they thought they might get blown away by heat, they instead were frozen at the plate.

No, Hofer did not whiz 65-mph riseballs past Chamberlain all game long. She pitched them into a fit with an array of speeds, in such a way the Chiefs were convinced afterward they really could hit her, if given another chance. Hofer threw curveballs that buckled knees, and changeups that caused batters to twitch. She threw one so beautifully, the batter started to swing, and stopped.

Then she started to swing again ... and stopped ... and started again ... and stopped. The ball, which apparently stopped for a sandwich on the way home, finally crossed the plate. Strike three.

"It was nasty," Vanlandingham confessed, begrudgingly. Otherwise, Vanlandingham wasn't buying what Hofer's fans are selling, and she wasn't alone. One of the Chiefs yelled at her teammates after a 1-2-3 first inning to stop being intimidated. Shortstop Ashley Acuri said afterward that maybe, the Chiefs came in "thinking she was God."

Not God ... just Good. Very, very good.

The Chiefs weren't overly impressed, but PHU coach Chuck Poetter wasn't surprised.

"They have a fine hitting team," he said. "I would be disappointed in them if they felt like, "well, we'll never hit her.' "

Of course, they couldn't. Nine times out of 22, Chamberlain looked at strike three. In the eighth and 10th innings, when she was supposed to be tiring, Hofer struck out the side.

"There's nobody that's unhittable, I don't care who they are," Poetter said. "It's the pitcher who throws the ball where you're not ready to hit it that makes the 22 strikeouts. Dani is definitely hittable. But the thing is, she does a great job moving the ball where they can't hit it or where they won't hit it."

For Vanlandingham, Friday was a chance to take out some frustration. Leading up to the game, she wondered if she was one of the area's best pitchers or chopped liver.

"I did come in here thinking I had something to prove," she said.

When Vanlandingham stepped into the pitcher's circle, she had her glove, her visor and a huge chip on her shoulder.

"It got on my nerves probably when the papers were talking about how the batters go up scared against her and she's unhittable and stuff, because she's not by any means," Vanlandingham said. "She's not. She doesn't blow the ball past us. I wasn't sitting up there amazed by her speed. She has good movement and I could see it ... but it does get a little irritating to be constantly hearing about it."

Vanlandingham gave up seven hits, walked four, hit two others, yet matched Hofer goose egg for goose egg for nine innings.

"I gotta tell you, she never quit," PHU coach Chuck Poetter said of Vanlandingham. "She's feisty. I like the kid. She battled out there. She pitcheda whale of a ballgame that quite honestly, she should have won.

"But I'm glad she didn't"

[Last modified May 21, 2005, 01:04:09]