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
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