NOVEMBER 9 2007 UPDATE

COMMITMENTS

Elizabeth Santana, Explosion Gold, 2009-SS/2B, has verbally committed to play at UC Davis.

Erica Younan 2008 pitcher, Chico Starz verbal commitment to the University of North Dakota

Ariel Tsuchiyama So Cal Wicked 18 gold C/OF 2009 has verbal to Cal State Fullerton.

Amanda Damiano, 2008, OF, Harleysville Thunderbirds, verbal to UMBC

TX Storm  DeMarini
2008 Leslie LeJune to Southern Miss
2008 Nikki Chandler to Oregon State
2008 Chelsea Bryson to UNCG
2008 Megan Parten to Texas State
2008 Audra Wood to Princeton
2009 Holly Holl to Baylor
2009 Kelsi Kettler to Baylor

San Diego Renegades Gold-Peronto
   Terese Diaz, 2008 Pitcher, to University at Buffalo
   Rachel Brown, 2008 Pitcher, to Harvard University

Georgian Court University

Jen Tartaglia         IF        Rhode Island Thunder, RI
Kasey-Jo Burnish         IF        Delco Diamonds, PA.
Jordan Rader         C        NJ Fussion, NJ

Carolina Legacy Gold-Ochoa (Formerly Lady Blues Gold)

Christina Melton, '08 P/1B to Campbell University
Taylor McGee, ,'08 Catcher to Campbell University
Janna Lewis, '08 SS to USC Upstate
Kristy Giragosian, '09 OF to College of Charleston

MORE RONALD MCDONALD REPORTS

Just for completeness, the following are the results of Florida Ultimate GOLD games played at the Ronald McDonald Showcase in Houston.  Naturally, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, as well as the super college coach turnout.   We feel that our team and players got a few good looks.  Congratulations to Tournament Director Jonathan Lampl.

SATURDAY THE 3^RD:

8:00 a.m.  Florida Ultimate GOLD 7 vs Oklahoma Ultimate Gold 6

9:45 a.m.  Florida Ultimate GOLD 9 vs Texas Elite Easton Gold - Sullivan 5

3:00 p.m.  Florida Ultimate GOLD 7 vs West Jersey Witches Elite (NJ) 5

SUNDAY THE 4^TH:

8:00 a.m.  Bama Gold (Alabama) 5 vs Florida Ultimate GOLD 0

11:30 a.m. Florida Ultimate GOLD 5 vs Cy Fair Intruders Gold (Texas) 2

Lady Lightning Team Combat Gold NC

Team NJ

At Ronald McDonald

LL TC- 12 LA Kaos – 2

LL TC- 4   FL Thunder Gold 6

LL TC-4 Texas Starz Black 1

LL TC- 8  SA Nightmare- 3

LL TC-9  Texas Sting 1

OC Batbusters Surf City Invitational Tournament
Huntington Beach, California

Michiana Cruisers 2 
Wash NW Glacier 1

Angela Gillis (2008, uncommitted) and Sarah Patterson (2008, uncommitted) combined to pitch 7 strikeouts.  Angela Gillis led the Cruisers with 2 hits, Ellen Amodei (2010, uncommitted) and Ashley Ellis (2008, uncommitted) had RBI singles, and Tara Buchanan (2008, uncommitted) doubled to lead the Cruisers win against the 2007 ASA 18U Gold Nationals 33rd Place Team.

Michiana Cruisers 1
Oregon NW Lady Sharks 2

Maria Gillis (2009, uncommitted)  had an RBI triple to bring in the Cruisers lone run by Megan Olson (2008, committed).

Michiana Cruisers 0
So Cal Pumas 2

Ali Catanzarite (2008, uncommitted) and Ashley Ellis had the lone Cruisers hits against the 2007 ASA 18U Gold Nationals 13th Place Team.

Michiana Cruisers 2
Cal Raiders 5
Ashley Ellis and Angela Gillis led the Cruisers with 3 hits each.  Gillis and Tara Buchanan had RBI doubles.

Michiana Cruisers 3
So Cal Choppers 2
Sarah Patterson pitched 9 strikeouts for the Cruisers.  Ellen Amodei had an RBI double to bring in Alli Catanzarite and Ashley Gates (2008, uncommitted) .  Ashley Ellis had the game winning RBI as the Cruisers beat the 2007 18U ASA Gold Nationals 3rd Place Team.

Michiana Cruisers 3

Cal Breeze CC 0

Angela Gillis and Sara Patterson combined to pitch a 2-hit shutout.  Ashley Gates had a game-winning RBI double to bring in Alex Dunfee (2008, uncommitted).  Ashley Ellis tripled for the Cruisers.

Michiana Cruisers 2

Cal Worth Firecrackers 5

Cruisers battled the reigning 2007 ASA 18U Gold National Champs evenly for a few innings before giving up 3 later runs.  Tara Buchanan hit a 2 run home run for the Cruisers, with other key hits by Angela Gillis and Sam McCarty (2009, uncommitted).

RISING STARS INVITATIONAL

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Cruisers OVER Gold Coast Hurricanes Gold - Cotrone, 2-1

Sarah Patterson (Okemos HS) pitched 9 strikeouts.  Megan Olson (Hobart HS) and Tara Buchanan (LaPorte HS) had 2 hits and 1 RBI each for the Cruisers to lead the Cruisers over the host team, Hurricanes.

Cruisers OVER Florida Caloosa Lightning, 5-1

Maria Gillis (Adams HS) and Sarah Patterson (Okemos HS) combined to pitch a 1-hitter.  Sarah Patterson tripled; Angela Gillis (Adams HS), Tara Buchanan (LaPorte HS) and Ashley Gates (Adams HS) each had doubles; and Buchanan, Alex Dunfee (Penn HS), Sam McCarty (Marian HS), Gates and Patterson each had 1 RBI to lead the Cruisers.

Cruisers tie Pennsylvania East Norriton Heartbreakers, 5-5 

Angela Gillis (Adams HS), Ashley Ellis (Noblesville HS) and Alex Dunfee (Penn HS) led Cruisers with 2 hits each.  Tara Buchanan (LaPorte HS) hit a 2-run homer and had 3 RBI's for the Cruisers.

Cruisers OVER Canada Mississauga Tigers, 1-0

Angela Gillis (Adams HS) and Sarah Patterson (Okemos HS) combined to pitch a 2-hitter in the shutout.  Slappers Ashley Ellis (Noblesville HS) and Megan Olson (Hobart HS) led the Cruisers with 2 hits each; Tara Buchanan's (LaPorte HS) game-winning sacrifice fly scored Olson for the Cruisers win

UMPIRES NAMED FOR 2008 OLYMPICS

Technical Commission Also Set for Softball Competition in Beijing

PLANT CITY, FLORIDA -- The 12 men and women who will umpire the Olympic Softball competition at next year’s Games in Beijing have been named.  The group consists of six males and six females representing eight different countries, with a pair of alternates from two more countries.

The complete list (alphabetically by last name) is as follows:

Jia Ali (China)                                                               Nancy Morrison (Canada)

Lori Bish (USA)                                                           Javier Penarroya (Argentina)

*Ana Ruth Chamul (El Salvador)                                  Greg Pipher (Canada)

Debbie Grove (Australia)                                              Traci Stoelting (USA)

* Sheigeo Kamata (Japan)                                            Wiremu Tamaki (New Zealand)

Jia Leiming (China)                                                       Rob Veldkamp (Netherlands)

Gianluca Magnani (Italy)                                               Diane Waller (Australia)

                                                            * - alternate

Each of the above will be working their first Olympics as International Softball Federation (ISF) rules allow an umpire to work just one Olympic Softball competition.  ISF Director of Umpires Merle Butler (USA) and Deputy Director of Umpires Bob Stanton (Canada) will supervise the officiating during the competition, scheduled for August 12-21, 2008.

ISF President Don Porter said, “I am extremely confident in the umpires that will work the games during our Olympic tournament in China next year.  Our officiating program has been solid and we know that the games will be in good hands with the crews that will be on the field next August.”

The ISF has also finalized the Technical Commission for the 2008 Olympic Softball competition.  That group will consist of ISF Deputy Secretary General Ms. LOW Beng Choo (Malaysia), ISF Executive Council At-Large Member Annie Constantinides (Greece), and Puerto Rico Softball Federation President Carlos Lopez.

“We will be in good hands with this trio,” Mr. Porter said.  “Beng was on the Technical Commission of our 2006 Women’s World Championship.  Annie was the Competition & Venue Manager for the 2004 Olympic Softball tournament.  And Carlos hosted the 2003 Americas Olympic qualifier.  They all are more than familiar with the many facets of a major international softball event.”

BLESS THAT RISING RUPEE

Word out of Bombay is that the rupee’s rise against the dollar is eliminating the “paper thin” profits of the shops which produce designer clothes for the American market – and forcing layoffs of thousands of workers.  And, saints preserve us, some of the notorious Indian telemarketers and answering services are also laying off workers and American firms are saying they may have to bring that work back home.  The night before the writers’ strike, Jay Leno was waxing on about all the Chinese-make products which contain unacceptable amounts of lead; Kevin Eubanks brought down the house with a question, “Why don’t we make that stuff here?”

NPF NEWS

Busy Off-Season Continues for the Thunder
Rockford Obtains Fourth Round Pick from Force

ROCKFORD, Ill. - The Rockford Thunder General Manager Aaron M. Moore
announced today that they have traded pitcher Abbie Sims and utility
infielder Jackie Wong to the Philadelphia Force in exchange for the No. 20
pick in the 2008 Senior Draft.

Sims was drafted by the Thunder as the team's number one selection (No. 16
overall) in 2007 out of North Carolina State where she named the ACC Pitcher
of the Year as a senior.  She appeared in 14 games for Rockford in the
circle, making 12 starts on the year.  She finished with a 4-4 mark and a
2.57 ERA to go along with 49 strikeouts.

Wong played in 36 of the teams 44 games in 2007, starting 28 of them.  She
primarily saw time as the team's designated hitter, but she also saw time at
second base, shortstop and third base.  Wong finished the season with a .342
batting average, collecting 27 hits in 79 at-bats, with just one of those
hits going for extra bases.  She tied for second on the team with seven
stolen bases.

"Both players were very important to us during our first season in
Rockford," said Moore.  "This was another tough move to make, but I know
both parties will benefit from it.  Jackie and Abbie were both looking to
get more playing time and this may provide them that option and we wish them
the best of luck."

The trade with Philadelphia is the third of the off-season for the Thunder.
Last month they traded veteran Amanda Freed to Chicago for three players and
then followed that up by trading their second round pick to the Bandits for
their third and fourth round selections.

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Rockford Thunder has re-signed utility player Jamie Davison, team General Manager Aaron M. Moore announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Davison, 25, saw action in 23 games last summer for the Thunder making 15 starts.  In just 30 at-bats, she hit .200 with one home run and two runs batted in.  Davison also hit a three-run, extra inning home run in the semifinals of the 2007 NPF Championship Series in Kimberly, Wis. to help propel the Thunder to the championship game.  It was her only at-bat of the game as she entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning.

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