THE BATBUSTER TOURNAMENT
The annual pre-Thanksgiving Tournament was held at eight sites. SPY watched games at Barber, Harvard and Alicia, and is drawing on reports from coaches for data from all sites for Friday, Saturday and Sunday games. NOTE: to see as many teams and players as possible, SPY did not remain until the final out in every game, as indicated in the text. Tomorrow SPY will have photos and some views of the pitchers we saw at Friday’s clinic.
POOL GAMES
The early Saturday games at Huntington Beach highlighted a problem college coaches and SPY had all weekend: some teams failed to turn in rosters in time for inclusion in the coaches’ book; some players were left out of the coaches’ book, even out of the team handouts; and coaches allowed players to wear different numbers. Confusing when a player needs to be evaluated. Blame such errors on the travel ball coaches.
Team New Jersey vs So Cal Pumas. TNJ was up 3-2. Stephanie Speierman pitched for TNJ, Lindsey Dean for Pumas. Katherine VanBenschoten helped build a TNJ 2-1 lead with a solo HR. Marla Matthews answered with a solo HR for Pumas. TNJ Lauren Gibson’s smooth work at 2nd drew raves from college coaches and opponents.
So Cal Pumas 6, Team Florida 0
The Pumas led 2-0 behind Brittany Reynolds while SPY watched.
Victory USA vs Team Florida.
Paige Afleck (BYU) pitched for Victory. Coaches had high praise for lefty Floridian Sarah “Sugar” Nevins, one of several 2010 pitchers who caught an approving eye from college coaches. The score was 1-0 in the 5th when SPY left but Victory prevailed..
So Cal Athletics vs Lady Sharks.
The A’s were ahead 13-1 in the bottom of the 4th. Newcomer Nicole Angene belted a 3-run homer; Haley Gilleland hit a solo; and Taylor Schlopy hit a 3-run shot (there is no mercy rule at the Batbuster). Katey Laban pitched for the A’s. Jessica Pepin was pitching for the Sharks while SPY watched.
Grapettes 15, SJ Lady Sharks 0. Tassarah Weatherly jacked a 3-run HR and had 6 rbi. Kristina Deana belted 2 homers, 5 rbi.
So Cal Athletics 3, Grapettes 1
The Grapettes scored when Kristina Deanda walked and scored on Juliana Santos’ triple. The A’s 3-1 margin was fashioned on a 2-run homer by Monica Aguilar. MacKenzie Oakes pitched for the A’s. Alaina Shull for the Grapettes. Both had strong games, but that one pitch made the difference.
Worth Firecrackers 6, Strike Zone 4
Julia Rice started for the Firecrackers, who were down 4-2 in the 3rd. Jessica Schults drove in 2 runs in the 5th to tie and Jordan Wheeler knocked in 2 runs in the 6th to win.
Salinas Wildcats 7, Strike Zone 7.
The game got away from the Wildcats who led 5-2 when SPY watched. Jennifer Ames started for Strike Zone, Lauryn Chris gave the Wildcats the early lead, starting the game with a ground-rule double and scoring on Patty Olvera’s 2-run bloop single. Another run scored on a failed pick and a fourth run on Anneliesse Fetterman’s rbi single. Strike Zone answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Sarah Woofter singled; Stephanie Visperas was safe on a fielder’s choice, a run scoring, and the second run coming in on Kassandra Winger’s rbi double. While the Wildcats added a fifth run, their fielding became erratic, so the tie after SPY left was not a surprise.
Worth Firecrackers 7, Salinas Wildcats 0. Lisa Akamine, wearing a familiar #88, pitched for the Fiurecrackers who scored two in the 1st and one in the 2nd . The lead expanded to 6-0 in the 6th on a bases-loaded rbi by Jordan Wheeler. Kristen Arriola’s sac fly scored the final run.
Impact Gold 4, Cal Choppers 1
Another strong game by pitcher Bree Brown. Lexy Bennett home run. (We got 2 different reports from Impact, naming different pitchers, different HRs)
Impact Gold 4, Choppers 1. Booming homer by Meagan May. Bailey Watts pitched.
Zephyrs Gold
5 American Pastime
Gold 2
Zephyrs Gold 2
OC Batbusters Gold-Haning 2
The Zephyrs, who had a good tournament until their last
game, got a strong outing from Sarah Wedel against Cat Hosfield.
Zephyrs Gold 2
Valley Breeze Gold - Tommy
1
Baillie Lott won over Megan Riberdy. Haley Brown drove in
Kendall Grimm for one run and pinch runner Amber Ewert scored the second run.
Zephyrs Gold 0
AZ Hotshots Gold - Gatti
1
Zephyrs Gold 0 White
Rock Renegades 9
Baillie Lott started for KC and was tagged by one of the mightiest blasts of the tournament, a solo HR by Sara Hopwood. Two runs scored on a catcher error. We will see more of the Renegades at Canada Cup.
West Bay Nuggets 18 Gold (7) vs. So Cal Breakers BB (5)
Winning Pitcher #13 Amanda Banducci, 4 innings,18 Batters, 4 Hits, 2 K's, 1 BB
Big Triple w/ 2 RBI's #8 Kelly McDonald, w/1 RBI #15 Alicia Pizarro
Big Double w/1 RBI #18 Heather Fisher
West Bay Nuggets 18 Gold (5) vs. Colorado Stars DB (1)
Winning Pitcher #4 Emma Holden, 7 Innings, 23 Batters, 3 Hits, 6 K's, 1 BB
3 Run "Into Next Field" Home Run #7 Ali Palermo
West Bay Nuggets (5) vs WA Lady Hawks Noble (1)
Winning Pitcher #4 Emma Holden, 6 Innings, 22 Batters, 4 K's, 2 BB's, 87 Pitches
West Bay Nuggets (3) vs Inland Empire Dynasty (6)
Home Runs By #7 Ali Palermo, and #8 Kelly McDonald
West Bay Nuggets (0) vs Cal Rage Gold (4)
Irvine Sting 18 Gold 3, AZ Suncats 2
Caitlin Bradac ('08)/Lauren Molina ('07) combined for the win. (Bradac started and Molina finshed.) Brittany Baker('09) hit a lead off triple in the bottom of the 6th and scored to put Sting ahead. (Note: Game called in top of 7th as Suncats tied the game with a 3rd run.)
Irvine Sting 18 Gold 3, Cal Chaos 1
Kristin Little('08) pitched a complete game for the win.
Irvine Sting 18 Gold 6, WA. Sidewinders 1
Caitlin Bradac ('08) started and got the win, Lauren Molina ('07) finshed. Hannah Dowling ('10), Megan Hom ('09) Deannie Plemon ('07), and Brianna Carpenter ('07) provided the offensive power.
AZ Hotshots Gold- Gatti 6 - White Rock 1
WP - Erin Arevalo 2 hits, 8 K's, 2 BB
Talor Haro 3 for 3
Chelsea Pineda 2 for 2 , 2 RBI's
AZ Hotshots Gold - Gatti 8 - American Pastime Gold 1
WP - Katie Dennis 3 hits, 2 K's, 1 BB
Talor Haro 3 for 4, 2 doubles
Chelsea Pineda 2 for 3, 5 RBI's
Casey Willow 2 for 3
AZ Hotshots Gold - Gatti 4 - Valley Breeze 4
ND - Erin Arevalo 5 hits, 3 K's, 3 BB
Talor Haro, Sara Strickland, Mary Spiel, Katelyn Boyd, Casey Willow, Alyssa Goldsmith, Katie Dennis, Jenna Clifton all had 1 hit each
AZ Hotshots Gold - Gatti 1 - KC Zephyrs 0
WP - Katie Dennis 4 hits, 4 K's, 0 BB
Lauren Kemp 2 for 2
Michelle Nulliner 1 for 2, double
Casey Willow 1 for 2
AZ Hotshots Gold - Gatti 3 - OC Batbusters - Haning 0
WP - Erin Arevalo 3 hits, 4 K's, 2 BB
Katelyn Boyd 2 for 3, GW Homerun 2 RBI's
Talor Haro 2 for 3. The Hotshots got 5 hits off Catherine Hosfield. She lost the game but we applaud her presence of mind; hit hard by a line drive, Cat still eecovered the ball and nailed the runner at 1st.
OC Batbusters 0, Valley Breeze 0
Hannah Williams pitched for the Batbusters. Stephanie Guillermo for Valley Breeze.
Absolute Blast 7, Breeze DM 4
Explosion 18 Gold went 4-1 outscoring their opponents 61-9.
Explosion 13 – Golden Gloves 0 WP – Michelle Tait (2008)
Explosion 17 – AZ Americans 5 WP – Alyssa Freight (2007) / Alex Holmes (2007 – UC Davis)
Explosion 3 – LV Rage Gold 4 LP – Michelle Tait / Alex Holmes
Explosion 15 – Cal Breeze 0 WP – Alyssa Freight
Explosion 13 – Minors Gold 0 WP – Alex Holmes
Lionettes
Lionettes 0 Diamonds 7
Lionettes 6 SJ Sting 0
Lionettes 0 Okla. Babes 1
Lionettes 3 Cor. Angels (Marty) 1
Lionettes 2 Magic 0
Sorcerer 8, TX Storm 0.
We got our first look at Michelle Gascoigne, the red-headed left 2009 pitcher who has verballed to Oklahoma. Very good drop and curve. Texan Katye Hamlin likes her changeup but Valerie Alioto (Cal) made her pay for it with a 2-run double. Kelsey Chambers (Oregon) rechanneled a knuckleball for an rbi, just before 2009 SS Jordan Wallace crushed a grand slam for the final runs. We were impressed by the outfield work of Katrin Gabriel, an 07, who remains unsigned.
Sorcerer 2, Hotshots Neuman 5
Sorcerer 5, Pride 4
Corona Angels 2, Diamonds 0
OC Batbusters 7, White Rock Renegades 0. Three-hitter by Hannah Williams.
American Pastime 6, Valley Breeze 0.
Maggie Karros pitched for Pastime against Megan Riberdy. Pastime were leading 3-0 when Allison Hartman doubled in 2 runs. Lexi Anderson drove in the final run.
American Pastime 5, OC Batbusters 4
The last game at Harvard on Sunday was won by Maggie Karros, the latest in a line of Greek-Americans to play for Larry Farnsworth. Pastime took an early lead; Lexi Anderson doubled to start the game, and scored on a one-out single by Jessica Garcia. The Batbusters, who had 4 starters away at Junior World, rebounded with 2 runs in the bottom. Aja Paculba opened with a double; Noelle Micka singled; Andrea Harrison singled in the first run; Cassandra Cogreve knocked in the tie-breaker with a single to center. Paculba’s rbi in the 2nd gave the BBH a 3-1 lead. Garcia tied the game in the 3rd with a 2-run double to center and scored on a passed ball. Pastime’s fifth run was scored by Terese Diaz on a triple by Andrea Salazar. Harrison scored again for the Batbusters but vouldn’t close the gap. Michelle Tolfa pitched for the BBH.
CA Cruisers 14, Breeze DM 0. That was the score in the 3rd at Barber – no mercy rule in a game that should have ended at this point. Jenna Rich pitched for the Cruisers. .Stephanie Burlew went the distance for the Breeze. The Breeze had just lost to the SD Breakers, filling in for TX Impact who had left. In the 2nd, Cruisers leading 2-0, Jennifer Klinkert swatted a 3-run homer. Minutes later, Christina Zambrana hit a 3-run shot, score 8-0. Ammanda Bush singled in a run in the 3rd, followed by a bases-loaded double by Samantha Dodd for an 11-0 lead. Brittany Minder hit a 2-run triple, and Katie Colton drove in the 14th run, all with one out.
Impact Gold 5, WA Absolute Blast 1
Raiders 11, TX Storm Gold 2
Chelsea Talbott for the Raiders; #17 for Storm. The Raiders took a 3-1 lead on Alexis Lujan’s 2-run double.Lauren Holmes scored on Jenna Becerra’s triple. Meredith Hackett iced the game with a monster homer over the left field fence at Harvard #7; last seen heading for the construction crane. Katie Vogl pitched for Storm who got their first run on an rbi by Leslie LeJune. Angela Spittler drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Nikki Chandler with the second Storm run.
San Diego Breakers Hill 8, Absolute Blast 0. Alex Villalobos pitched the win. Randi Parks pitched for the Blast.
Impact Gold defeated Breeze DM 10-2 behind Bree Brown.
Cruisers 6, Impact Gold 2
Jody Valdivia got the win over Brittany Barnhill. The Cruisers broke a 1-1 tie in the 3rd on a 2-run HR by Justeen Maeva and 2 in the 4th on a bases-loaded ground rule double by Brittany Minder. Adrena Anderson scored the final Cruiser run. Lexy Bennett’s double in the 4th generated the second Impact run.
Breakers Hill 3, Cruisers 0.
SD Breakers Hill 6, Breeze DM 0. Alex Villalobos pitched for the Breakers who took swift advantage of fielding lapses by the Breeze. Ashleigh Faming pitched for Breeze. The first run was scored in the bottom of the 2nd by Mariah Gearhart who walked; the second run by Kirsten Nouzvosky who was hit by a pitch. Danielle Smith’s rbi made the score 2-0.; she scored on Caschjen Davis’ rbi. Taylor Hensley’s 3rd inning rbi made the score 4-0, one of two in the game.
FRIDAY PRACTICE GAMES
Team New Jersey 3, Impact Gold 2
The Texans, playing without manager Stoney Burke (hospitalized, heart attack), staked Bree Brown to a 2-1 lead off Brittany O’Donnell, a matchup between two of the most impressive 2009 pitchers which drew a crowd of college coaches. A number of colleges are looking a year or two ahead for catchers; Impact has two very gifted 2009 catchers, slugger Meagan May and Sydney Shannon. Lexy Bennett hit a homer (Alicia Park is fenceless) which would have carried in most parks. Later, Anna Hernandez hit a bloop single which scored Bennett with the go-ahead run. But, TNJ rallied to win. O’Donnell was very effective with a screw ball and variable changeup. Lauren Gibson, the super 2009 2nd baseman for YNJ, started what turned out to be an impressive weekend with a 2-run triple for the lead and win.
Impact Gold 9, Cal Stars 0
Impact Gold 5, Eastside Elite 1
Meagan May 2-run homer
Sudden Impact 10, Cal Stars Gold 0
Katelyn Thomason and Beth Dietrich split the mound chores.
Team New Jersey 2, Impact Tanel 0.
TNJ’s slugger of the future, 2010 Kourtney Salvarola belted a 2-run double in the 1st. Cara Stecher pitched for TNJ. The Tanel pitcher, Kristen Martinez, would later draw praise at the Friday night clinic; the Batbuster coach running the pitching portion thought she was the best pitcher of the night and was stunned to learn she is a 2010.
Sudden Impact 9, Roseville Heat 16s 0.
AX Storm was a no-show for this game, and the youngsters gamely volunteered to take on the hard-hitting Texans. The Heat were no match for Impact pitcher Kalra Rodriguez. Up 3-0 after the 1st – Katie Hinton had a 2-run shot and Tiffany Ward a solo – Texas bumped the score to 9-0. Calli Wood brought in a run on a sac fly; Rodriguez drove in two more with a bases-loaded single and Stephanie Drewry launched a 3-run shot down the right field line.
TX Rage 9, WA Sting 1
WA Lake Breeze 8, Jersey Intensity 1
WA Lake Breeze 3, NV Rapids 1
Impact Tanel vs Eastside Elite. SPY didn’t get the final but Impact led 3-0 on a homer by Cree Smith. Brittany Simmons, another bright 2009 prospect, pitched for Impact.