OK Jelli Lied !!! Vut she still had a pretty good game. Pitcher Perfect: Riverdale's Hosfield stifling opponents By JOSH EZZELL .P. Edwards is a Riverdale catcher, which means she's the one who places her glove in a particular location and asks Cat Hosfield to put the ball in a spot. This season Hosfield has done an outstanding job of hitting her spots, compiling an 12-2 record and 0.53 ERA for the Lady Warriors. She throws 70 percent of her pitches for strikes, and opponents hit only .122 against her. There's not limit to how good she can be," Riverdale coach Jeff Breeden says of Hosfield, a sophomore. She played at a high level recently in the Middle Tennessee Softball Coaches Association Tournament, tossing a no-hitter and perfect game on back-to-back days, helping the Lady Warriors win the title. Hosfield also threw a no-hitter Monday in a 13-0 win over Warren County, striking out 16 and walking only one. She, however, doesn't want to take all of the credit. "It's not just me," she says. "It's the catcher, too. We have good chemistry. J.P. helps me out." The chemistry certainly worked for Riverdale during the tournament last week in which 32 teams in the Gold Division — Riverdale's division — from Tennessee and Alabama participated. Riverdale went 10-0 in the tournament and defeated Blackman 4-1 in the finals. She struck out 11 in a 3-0 win over Cullman (Ala.), and the only person to reach base was a hit batter. "I was mostly throwing curveballs," Hosfield says of the no-hitter she threw March 23. "I scooted them in." Breeden gave Hosfield some lofty praise following the no-hitter. "She was a good as can be," Breeden says of the no-hitter. Actually, she might've been a little better March 24. The next day she was utterly dominant against Tullahoma, striking out all 15 batters she faced in a 7-0 win. "I've been in a bunch of games," Breeden says. "I've been in several perfect games but nothing as dominant as this." What makes her performance against Tullahoma so special? "Most perfect games have groundouts," Breeden says. "Usually someone in the outfield has to make a great catch. She just mowed them down. There were a couple of foul balls, and that was it." Hosfield says she felt good before the game. "I noticed that everything was working well," Hosfield says. "I warmed up extra well. ... I threw mostly curveballs (during the Tullahoma game)." Over a two-day period March 23 and 24 she had 36 straight outs by strikeout over a three-game stretch against Cullman, Tullahoma and Giles County. "I've never seen it," Riverdale assistant coach Dennis Weaver says of the 36 straight outs by strikeout. "She is a power pitcher, but she's got great control. She's got Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson power. She can hit her spots like (Tom) Glavine, (Greg) Maddux. "She's very effective," he continues. "She's got both. She's the first kid I've known who has both at this level." Edwards, a junior, wasn't surprised by Hosfield's success. "It's a big deal," Edwards says of Hosfield's recent success. "It's not really a surprise. She's very intimidating. She makes other teams scared. She has great talent, but she works really hard." So what is the key to Hosfield's success? According to Edwards, her pitches move, and she's accurate. "She has a lot of movement on the ball," Edwards says. "A lot of times I don't even have to move my glove." Edwards and Weaver both point out that she's naturally talented and has a great work ethic. "She's very gifted," Weaver says. "She works hard." So how could can she be with her talent and work ethic? "She can play at the highest level," Breeden says. Hosfield's playing at a high level right now. Originally Published on March 29,2006