‘Evans Rule’ Would Restrict Pitcher’s All-Star Innings

There was no need to place inning restrictions on pitchers in the San Fernando Valley All-Star softball game--until Wednesday’s exhibition at Cal State Northridge.

While a regular softball game is seven innings, the all-star game is extended to nine to allow the 30 players ample opportunity to show their talents. And for the past six years, players played and pitchers pitched.

Along came the Hoover High connection: Pitching ace Nancy Evans and Tornado Coach Kirt Kohlmeier, together for one last hurrah. Kohlmeier, who along with Ruben Zepeda of Grant, was chosen to coach the East all-stars, wanted to make the most of it.

Kohlmeier, who coached Evans throughout her four-year stint at Hoover, allowed his pitcher to throw all nine innings while ignoring the talents of another East all-star, Glendale’s Cyndee Bennett. Evans, bound for the University of Arizona, threw a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts and led the East to a 4-0 victory.

West Coaches Suzanne Manlet of Simi Valley and Donna Hetman of Taft, who assumed every pitcher on the roster would pitch, voiced their anger over Evans’ complete game to Kohlmeier and game spokesman Eric Sondheimer, both during and after the game.

“You can think bad of me, but this was my final game with (Evans),” Kohlmeier said. “If they don’t want me to be an all-star coach, they don’t have to ask me again.

“I played everybody. Everybody got to play about the same amount of innings.”

Bennett, a pitcher/shortstop who signed a letter of intent to play softball for Utah next season, expected to pitch at least two innings in relief of Evans. She did not throw a pitch. Instead, she played shortstop for six innings and then swallowed her pride after the game when several reporters asked her why she did not throw. “I don’t know why,” she said. “I’m not gonna be a sourpuss about it or anything, but. . . .”

Manlet, the Southern Section Division I coach of the year, said a pitching-restriction rule--much like that used in baseball all-star games--is needed in order to stop this from happening again.

“Eric knows now there should be a rule put in,” Manlet said.

Sondheimer said a new rule appears imminent. However, it would not be instituted until just before next year’s game.

“Next year they’ll probably put in a five-inning rule. Until this game, it never really came up. Nobody ever complained before because nobody was ever as good as Nancy Evans,” Sondheimer said. “Based on what happened this year, we’ll probably have a Nancy Evans rule (next year).”

There were three pitchers selected to represent the West: Laura Richardson of Camarillo, Brandy Brennan of Granada Hills and Julie Kawamoto of Taft. All pitched.

“That’s the whole purpose of an all-star game--to show everybody’s talents,” Hetman said. “So we could say, ‘Hey, these are the best kids in the (San Fernando) Valley and these are their best positions.’ But it didn’t work out that way.”