On June 6 the team traveled to Menifee for the 2008 SoCal ASA 14U State Tournament. We started play against Minors Gold 93 and came out with a 7-2 win. Tiffany pitched a very good game, allowing only 4 hits. Our bats came alive with good contributions from Tiffany (3 hits), Sasha (3 hits), Jessie (3 hits), and Lauren P (2 hits).
In our second game, we let an early 2-0 lead slip away and fell to SoCal Wicked 8-2. This game was a good lesson in not letting up with a lead and not allowing the opposition extra outs while we're on defense. The loss sent us to the losers bracket where we faced 3 games later in the day.
That same afternoon, we continued play against Mystic 93. Our girls rose to the challenge and won this one 9-2. Britnea pitched great, scattering 5 hits, and Naomi did a good job behind the plate. The hitting leaders for our squad were Sasha (4 hits), Amanda (2 hits), Tiffany (2 hits), and Lauren H (2 hits).
After a 2-hour delay, we faced off in an evening game against a very good American Stars team. This game was a tough battle from the beginning. We jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and then held on to win 4-2. Tiffany pitched a tremendous game, allowing only 2 hits. Britnea had 2 hits and Tiffany added a triple. Katie also had a key RBI single. Brianna and Sarah contributed with good heads-up baserunning. Rachel played well in the outfield, even though she was fighting off a shoulder injury. This was a great win to keep us alive in the tournament!
We then advanced for our fourth game of the day against a tough Hurricanes 93 team. We fell behind 1-0, only to come roaring back to take a 5-2 lead. Our rally was led by Katie with 3 hits (including a massive home run), Amanda (2 hits), Sasha (2 hits), Lauren P (triple) and Britnea (double). Lauren H pitched a good game and was keeping hitters off-balance. Rachel made a huge defensive play to chase down a gapper and hit the relay to throw the runner out at home. Unfortunately, we couldn't hold the lead and gave up 4 runs late to lose 6-5. This loss was a heartbreaker and could easily have gone our way. Our girls fought hard and played through injuries and fatigue, with the game finally ending at midnight.
Our 2008 States results will show a 3-2 record and a finish in the middle of the pack but it doesn't reflect how hard and well our team played. I am really proud of our girls for their grit and team play and for their toughness. We had several players fighting knee problems (Tiffany and Amanda) and Rachel played the outfield with a recovering shoulder separation. All of these players were medically cleared to play but were not at full strength. Several others were banged up (Jessie and Sasha) but toughed it out late into the night. Although we didn't reach our goal of playing into Sunday at States, I think our girls finally proved to themselves that they rise to the competition and can play with anyone.
Renegades, keep up the hard work. It's really becoming fun to coach this team and if we keep playing as a team, I know that good things will happen for us as we advance into summer play.
Go Renegades!
Coach Dan
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Renegades Go 3-0-1 at Hurricanes Friendly on 6/1
This was a very competitive friendly with lots of good teams facing off. During the previous week, we found out that we were going to be without our two leadoff hitters, Amanda and Rachel, due to injuries. We had to juggle our hitting lineup a bit for this friendly.
We beat Mizuno Pride 2-1 on a good team effort. Tiffany pitched well and kept us close throughout and she also added a ground-rule double. Britnea and Lauren H also had key hits.
In the second game, Britnea pitched a great game, scattering 7 hits and leading us to a 3-2 win against Irvine Sting-Thomas. Skooch chipped in with 2 hits, Tiffany added a double, and Sarah had a clutch 2-RBI double.
In the third game against the Hurricanes 94, we got behind early although Lauren H kept us close with a good pitching effort. In our last at-bat, Sasha and Katie got key hits, we loaded the bases, and Britnea delivered a walk-off, 3-run double to give us the win, 5-4.
In the final game, we faced the Hurricanes 93. This was a close, competitive game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Tiffany pitched a great game, scattering 3 hits and striking out 5. We stopped one Hurricane rally on defense with a flyout-tagout double play from our center fielder (Skooch) to catcher (Sasha) to prevent the run.
Overall, the team played really well at this friendly. We were missing several key players and our players put together a string of great team efforts. Good job ladies!
Coach Dan
We beat Mizuno Pride 2-1 on a good team effort. Tiffany pitched well and kept us close throughout and she also added a ground-rule double. Britnea and Lauren H also had key hits.
In the second game, Britnea pitched a great game, scattering 7 hits and leading us to a 3-2 win against Irvine Sting-Thomas. Skooch chipped in with 2 hits, Tiffany added a double, and Sarah had a clutch 2-RBI double.
In the third game against the Hurricanes 94, we got behind early although Lauren H kept us close with a good pitching effort. In our last at-bat, Sasha and Katie got key hits, we loaded the bases, and Britnea delivered a walk-off, 3-run double to give us the win, 5-4.
In the final game, we faced the Hurricanes 93. This was a close, competitive game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Tiffany pitched a great game, scattering 3 hits and striking out 5. We stopped one Hurricane rally on defense with a flyout-tagout double play from our center fielder (Skooch) to catcher (Sasha) to prevent the run.
Overall, the team played really well at this friendly. We were missing several key players and our players put together a string of great team efforts. Good job ladies!
Coach Dan
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Renegades Continue Good Play at Panthers Friendly on 5/4
This friendly was a 16-team friendly hosted by Panthers Gold in Fontana. There were many good teams entered.
In our first game, we played very well and defeated the Firecrackers 9-2. Our offense was rolling as we banged out 10 hits. Lauren H doubled to the fence, and Sasha hit a liner to left-center that one-hopped the fence. Amanda and Rachel got things going at the top of the lineup and each of them reached base three times. Lauren H pitched a good game, scattering 4 hits and striking out 7.
In the second game, we faced the Central Cal Dirt Dogs from Fresno and defeated them 6-2. Britnea pitched very well, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 7. The offense was led by Naomi, with a 2-run HR over the fence in center, and Brianna, with a double to the fence in right-center. Amanda again set the table in the leadoff spot and reached base 3 times. We showed good pitch selection in this game, collecting 7 walks and not swinging at pitches off the plate.
In our final game we played a very tough Lakewood Ladies Black team and lost in a game that was much closer than the 5-0 score. Tiffany pitched an outstanding game against a very tough lineup of hitters and threw some great pitches over 6 innings. Of their 5 runs, only 2 were earned runs. Highlights on defense included two very nicely-executed relays by Lauren P and Skooch to throw Lakewood runners out at home. We have been practicing our cutoffs and relays a lot in practice and our coaches were really pleased to see our girls execute those plays in the game. Our offense slowed down in this game and our coaches talked to the squad after the game about the importance of remaining aggressive at the plate and showing good pitch selection. This is something that we will continue to work on at practice.
Overall our team played very well today. Our pitchers threw well and the offense was clicking in 2 of the 3 games. Probably our best execution came in baserunning today -- our running was a nice mixture of aggressiveness and good judgment. We got some great jumps on balls past the catcher to score from third on several plays. Keep working hard in practice Renegades! Our record since April 1 is 17-5.
Coach Dan
In our first game, we played very well and defeated the Firecrackers 9-2. Our offense was rolling as we banged out 10 hits. Lauren H doubled to the fence, and Sasha hit a liner to left-center that one-hopped the fence. Amanda and Rachel got things going at the top of the lineup and each of them reached base three times. Lauren H pitched a good game, scattering 4 hits and striking out 7.
In the second game, we faced the Central Cal Dirt Dogs from Fresno and defeated them 6-2. Britnea pitched very well, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 7. The offense was led by Naomi, with a 2-run HR over the fence in center, and Brianna, with a double to the fence in right-center. Amanda again set the table in the leadoff spot and reached base 3 times. We showed good pitch selection in this game, collecting 7 walks and not swinging at pitches off the plate.
In our final game we played a very tough Lakewood Ladies Black team and lost in a game that was much closer than the 5-0 score. Tiffany pitched an outstanding game against a very tough lineup of hitters and threw some great pitches over 6 innings. Of their 5 runs, only 2 were earned runs. Highlights on defense included two very nicely-executed relays by Lauren P and Skooch to throw Lakewood runners out at home. We have been practicing our cutoffs and relays a lot in practice and our coaches were really pleased to see our girls execute those plays in the game. Our offense slowed down in this game and our coaches talked to the squad after the game about the importance of remaining aggressive at the plate and showing good pitch selection. This is something that we will continue to work on at practice.
Overall our team played very well today. Our pitchers threw well and the offense was clicking in 2 of the 3 games. Probably our best execution came in baserunning today -- our running was a nice mixture of aggressiveness and good judgment. We got some great jumps on balls past the catcher to score from third on several plays. Keep working hard in practice Renegades! Our record since April 1 is 17-5.
Coach Dan
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Renegades Take 2 Out of 3 At Punishers Friendly On 4/27
The team played short-handed at the Artesia Punishers friendly (we had several players either out sick or playing soccer). On the positive side, everyone got lots of playing time and we took 2 out of 3 games.
In the first game against the Punishers, we came up short in a 9-8 game that was called at the drop-dead time limit with our squad threatening with bases loaded and only 1 out. Unfortunately we got behind due to some shaky defense early in the game and waited a little too long to start our comeback. The take-home lesson from this game was to not give our opponents extra outs on defense. Tiffany (3 for 3) and Rachel (2 for 3) had good games at the plate.
Against Invasion, we jumped out to an early lead and won 7-4. Lauren H pitched a good game and scattered 5 hits. On offense, Rachel was 2 for 3 (including a home run) and Tiffany was 2 for 3. Jessie had a nice assist in left by throwing a strike to home to cut down a runner, and Naomi finished up her 2nd game behind the plate in brutal heat. This was a good team win.
In the third game against SoCal Mirage, our offense took charge and we banged out 14 hits, including 2 home runs and 3 triples. Tiffany threw really well and gave up no hits in a game called by mercy rule (19-0). Offensive stars included Lauren H (3 for 3), Jessie (2 for 3), Brianna (2 for 3), and Lauren P (2 for 3).
The team continues to show improvement and our pitching has been consistent. We've been talking a lot to our pitchers and catchers about the importance of getting ahead in the count. The coaches have worked up our pitching stats since the beginning of April and they drive home the point about working ahead when pitching. Over the past 5 weeks (19 games), when our pitchers got ahead in the count, we got an out 82% of the time. When our pitchers got behind in the count, we got an out only 38% of the time. We've given our pitchers (and catchers) something to think about!
Keep working hard Renegades -- our record over the last 5 weeks is 15-4.
Coach Dan
In the first game against the Punishers, we came up short in a 9-8 game that was called at the drop-dead time limit with our squad threatening with bases loaded and only 1 out. Unfortunately we got behind due to some shaky defense early in the game and waited a little too long to start our comeback. The take-home lesson from this game was to not give our opponents extra outs on defense. Tiffany (3 for 3) and Rachel (2 for 3) had good games at the plate.
Against Invasion, we jumped out to an early lead and won 7-4. Lauren H pitched a good game and scattered 5 hits. On offense, Rachel was 2 for 3 (including a home run) and Tiffany was 2 for 3. Jessie had a nice assist in left by throwing a strike to home to cut down a runner, and Naomi finished up her 2nd game behind the plate in brutal heat. This was a good team win.
In the third game against SoCal Mirage, our offense took charge and we banged out 14 hits, including 2 home runs and 3 triples. Tiffany threw really well and gave up no hits in a game called by mercy rule (19-0). Offensive stars included Lauren H (3 for 3), Jessie (2 for 3), Brianna (2 for 3), and Lauren P (2 for 3).
The team continues to show improvement and our pitching has been consistent. We've been talking a lot to our pitchers and catchers about the importance of getting ahead in the count. The coaches have worked up our pitching stats since the beginning of April and they drive home the point about working ahead when pitching. Over the past 5 weeks (19 games), when our pitchers got ahead in the count, we got an out 82% of the time. When our pitchers got behind in the count, we got an out only 38% of the time. We've given our pitchers (and catchers) something to think about!
Keep working hard Renegades -- our record over the last 5 weeks is 15-4.
Coach Dan
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Renegades Take 2 out of 3 at Desperados Friendly On 4/20
The team played pretty well this past weekend at the Desperados friendly. Our first game was a 4-1 victory over Desperados, with a nice pitching performance by Amanda and some timely hitting from Tiffany.
Our second game was a tough loss to Irvine Sting (Thomas) 5-4. This game was a good lesson for our players, because we jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on singles by Tiffany and Naomi, followed by a 2-run home run by Sasha. However, after that we relaxed and got satisfied with the 4-1 lead and Sting crept back in, a run here and a run there, and they went ahead in their last at-bat. The last inning was also a good reminder about being alert on the bases and the importance of getting bunts down to move runners along with less than 2 outs.
Our third game was a 6-0 shutout of Bomb Squad. Tiffany again led the hitting with a couple of line shots and Lauren H. came through with a great pitching performance with a 2-hit shutout.
All in all, a good performance in this friendly. The team is playing with more focus recently and they're starting to develop their own identity as a team. Over the last month the team is 13-3. The coaches reminded all the players to continue to work hard in practice and good things will happen! Good job Renegades!
Coach Dan
Our second game was a tough loss to Irvine Sting (Thomas) 5-4. This game was a good lesson for our players, because we jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on singles by Tiffany and Naomi, followed by a 2-run home run by Sasha. However, after that we relaxed and got satisfied with the 4-1 lead and Sting crept back in, a run here and a run there, and they went ahead in their last at-bat. The last inning was also a good reminder about being alert on the bases and the importance of getting bunts down to move runners along with less than 2 outs.
Our third game was a 6-0 shutout of Bomb Squad. Tiffany again led the hitting with a couple of line shots and Lauren H. came through with a great pitching performance with a 2-hit shutout.
All in all, a good performance in this friendly. The team is playing with more focus recently and they're starting to develop their own identity as a team. Over the last month the team is 13-3. The coaches reminded all the players to continue to work hard in practice and good things will happen! Good job Renegades!
Coach Dan
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