RISING STARS THREE

 

We started Sunday watching the game between Texas Storm and Team New Jersey which ended in a 1-1 tie.  The Storm got a very workmanlike effort by junior P Megan Shupp, while TNJ started Kristen dela Campa but switched to Lauren Frankiewicz after three innings.  TNJ scored in the bottom of the 1st, Gina Mondo scoring on an rbi by Maddy Coon, the very talented infielder who played for both the Shamrocks and TNJ in this tournament.  Storm answered in the 3rd, on a single by Lindsay Perry and an rbi by Amanda Scarborough.  Tough defense ruled the rest of the game.  Frankiewicz, a junior, was particularly impressive, striking out the side in the 4th, and notching six Ks in the three innings she pitched. 

 

Bracket L had one of the more competitive pools: AZ L’il Saints; So Cal Select; NY Beach Girls; AZ Roadrunners, Palm Beach CC; and Gainesville Gold. Prior to the Sunday midday clash between the L’il Saints and So Cal Select, the Saints had tied Palm Beach CC 0-0, beaten Gainesville 6-1, beaten Roadrunners 10-1, and Beach Girls 4-0.  So Cal Select had tied Beach Girls 1-1, edged Palm Beach 2-0, and tied Roadrunners 0-0. 

 

Unsigned Saints lefty pitcher Amanda Nesbitt was impressive all weekend on the mound, and equally impressive at 1st and in the box.  Against So Cal Select, Nesbitt, playing 1st, had a double and single in three trips to the plate.  Also impressive was junior SS Courtney Shlee (who also catches).  Schlee was 2-3 with an rbi but her diving catch of a low line drive was a defensive highlight.  While the Saints had six hits, pitchers Bri9anne Grommon and junior Krista Hansen (following in the footsteps of her big sister) held the Select to one hit.  Another defensive gem was turned in by Saints 2nd base Karly Gonzales who dove to stop a grounder, and threw out the runner while on her knees.  Seniors Jennifer Hutchison and Samantha Schroeder pitched for Select, who got yeoman infield work from Lanae Rodriguez.  The Saints won 1-0.

 

The Beach Girls closed out their weekend with a 1-1 tie with Gainesville on a very solid one-hit pitching performance by Katie McNamara.  Sophomore Mandi Brown drove in the Gainesville run.  McNamara reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on a dropped third strike.  Four Beach Girl runners were out at home.

 

NJ Pride has one of its best teams ever; counting practice games, the Pride were 7-1-0 at Rising Stars.  Their victory over Strike Force demonstrated a come-back potential lacking in last summer’s team.  Down 5-2 to the Californians, Pride rebounded to take a 9-5 decision.

 

As Sunday came to a close, we caught up with Dave Hazzard’s Florida Power as they were shutting out North Jersey Rocks 3-0.  We learned that the Saturday night game, which was a pitcher’s duel for four innings between the Mini Canes Melissa Pena and Lindsey Littlejohn, a scoreless tie when both were relieved, ended as a Florida Power 4-0 victory. Littlejohn is also a very athletic fielder at 1st base.  Earlier Sunday, Florida Power dropped a 2-0 decision to the vastly improved Pennsbury Gems. 

 

Strike Force fared no better in their final game against Houston Power which is also enjoying a good fall.  Jessica Ivins pitched the shutout (no hitter?  We came late and no Strike Force batter got a hit in the last four innings.)  A highlight: 6’4” Elise Orange, who earlier pitched the Power 2-1 win over Miami Dade College, pinch-hit and beat out an infield hit, a run scoring when the 3rd baseman misplayed the ball.  Elise was later put out at 3rd, despite a text-book slide.  The thought occurred: if a player this large can slide as hard as Elise trying to make a play, there is no excuse for the dainty ladies who walk into tags rather than slide. This game reinforced the old canard – when things are going well.  A fly ball bounced off the Power shortstop’s glove – and into the glove of the left fielder.  A kudo in this game to right fielder Shallon Watson who went to the wire in foul ground to catch a foul ball hit by Krystle Carr.   Earlier, Power beat PBG Lady Gators Gold 5-1, and beat Washington Spirit Gold 4-1.

 

Finally, the 1:30 games which were late starting, concluded with the FL Lady Gators shutting out Team Texas 3-0; the American Athletics (Bollinger) shutting out Voodoo 5-0 (and ending a disappointing tournament just one week after a 4-0-1 weekend at Oktoberfest) and Florida Power edging TN White Lightning 2-1.  Lightning had looked good earlier in a 4-2 game with Indian River CC.

 

TOMORROW: SPY pictures from the Rising Stars tournament

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

At the end of the tournament, the college coaches and I were asked for our recommendations on how to improve the tournament.  I like Jay Miller’s suggestion: have one or more brackets pitch at 43 feet.  Given the inclusion of several JUCO teams, I think it is appropriate and I am sure some Gold teams would agree.  I would like to have a leader board, on which winning coaches post scores. A few calls were blown, but the umpiring was generally good.  However, during the several rain delays on Saturday, some umpires subtracted down time from the 90-minute game allotment, but, others kept the clock running.  Try to avoid scheduling across pools which burdens teams like Strike Zone which went max time on a game on Field 15 then had to race across the entire complex to start a game on Field 1.  Thank you for the scorer’s tables which were reserved for college coaches and the media.  As usual, very good scouting book.

 

POTPOURRI

 

The Magnet

Saturday night saw two close calls.  Brakette coach John Stanton yelled just in time for SPY to duck a foul ball which whizzed by his ear.  Melissa Pena’s mother, Lorrie, swatted away another ball headed for the old noggin.  Sunday, a ball sailed up over the backstop and landed on the table where I was sitting.  The sponsors erected an umbrella.  The helmet: lying on the seat of my car at the airport.  Never leave home without it.

 

If You Want Me, Just Whistle

Famous line, Bacall to Bogie.  A tall, Nordic-type stewardess on Northwest on the flight down sounded just like Lauren Bacall.  Just as I was about to ask her if she knew how to whistle, she said she did not know who Lauren Bacall is or was.  Incredible.  Then, sitting at the Rising Stars, Virginia assistant coach Karen Brashears Lemcke joined our group, and she too sounds like Bacall.  Karen said other people have told her that; yes, she knew whom Lauren Bacall was, but, no, she does not know how to whistle.  I think American universities should require 10 hours of watching film noir as a condition of graduation.

 

So many classic lines: Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.  His God is God.  Take ‘em to Abilene .  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.  Nuts.  Can this be the end of Rico?  I’ll burn your damned house down.  If you call me that, you’d better smile.  The first time you sentenced an innocent man to death for a crime you know he did not commit.  The object of war is not to die for your country; the object of war is to make the other dumb bastard die for his.  Make him an offer he can’t refuse.  Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why did she have to walk into mine?  I always thought we were going a bridge too far.

I could have been a contender.  Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown .  After all, tomorrow is another day.  Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  He ain’t heavy, Father, he’s my brother.  Oh no. It wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the beast.  Shut up and deal.  (How many did you get right?)

 

 

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