Good Monday morning. We are going to split this weekend wrap up and we may not get to all of this today for you. We lead with softball, and it was a big day for Valley athletes, as a Valley-based team and a second one with a Valley-based player both won tourney titles at an event in Tacoma.
Future Mount Si Wildcat Lyla Taylor helped guide her Bellevue-based Stod’s Storm 14U team to a 14U age group title at the USSSA Swinging into Summer tournament at South End Recreation Area in Tacoma’s south end. Stod’s beat a Federal Way team and a pair of teams from Pierce County to take the crown, and Taylor pitched in two of the games. In the quarterfinal round against the Federal Way Lady Knights, Taylor was dominant, allowing a run on six hits walking one and striking out six getting the win as Stod’s beat the Knights 3-1. Then the Valleyite got to pitch the title game for Stod’s and went the distance again, allowing four runs on five hits walking one and striking out four. She helped offensively with two hits, and all of that aided a 6-4 win over the Washington Freedom from the Orting area giving the Stod’s ladies the title. Taylor also played in the semifinal game and had a hit and run scored in a 5-0 win over the Tacoma-based Sundodgers. She finished with the best batting average on the team this weekend and had a couple of doubles as well.
In the 12U division, the Snoqualmie-based Wildcats Fastpitch West won the tournament title, beating the Woodinvile-based Elevate Northwest for the crown. Local middle-schooler Malaya Kingham proved to be a difference-maker yesterday for WFC. She homered in the quarterfinals, a 10-3 ‘Cat win over the Tacoma-based Sundodgers, then turned on the jets in the title game, hitting an inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning that broke a 3-3 tie and lifted the West ladies to a 5-3 win and the title. Ariana West also was a factor as well, with a hit and two RBI’s in the quarterfinal win, then a two-hit, two RBI effort for the ‘Cats in their semifinal 7-1 win over the Kitsap Titans that saw pitcher Reina Tahieri dominate, allowing a run on three hits striking out five.
A great day for sure for both of those teams. WFC’s 14U Johnson team also played in the tournament, but unlike their counterparts, were not as successful, seeing their tourney come to an end with a 13-3 loss to the Seattle Spice in their playoff game yesterday.
In other action on the diamond from yesterday:
Mount Si players deliver the daggers in southern California
Three players from Mount Si High School made noise yesterday at the Triple Crown Zoom into June tournament in Riverside, CA, all hitting homers helping their teams.
Wildcat junior catcher Ally Hetzel hit two homers for her Washington Ladyhawks Simpson squad, as the 18U team based in Bellevue went 2-1 in games yesterday. She homered first in a 10-2 Hawk win over the SoCal Choppers, then hit a three-run tater in the bottom of the second of their game with the Arizona Hotshots last night, sparking her to a five-RBI performance as the Hawks won that game 7-5. Hetzel, who has verbally committed to the University of Washington, was joined in the “bomb squad” by fellow ‘Cats Avery Bielenberg and Addie Craig.
Craig, a senior outfielder set to play this fall at the UW, homered in the bottom of the fourth of her game with the Northwest Grapettes 18U McGee team against the California-based Firecrackers McVeigh, but it proved not enough as the Kirkland-based Grapettes fell 8-5. Bielenberg hit her homer for the Washington Ladyhawks 18U Fairbairn team based in Puyallup, and thanks to her team’s pitching, that proved enough in a 7-0 win over the Orange County Batbusters, also from California. A pair of Wesco players, Emma Hirshorn from Glacier Peak High School, and Mara Sively from Lake Stevens High School, combined on a no-no in this one for the ‘Hawks, teaming up to strike out eight Batbusters. The homers for Craig and Bielenberg were their first of the summer.
In other action down at Zoom into June:
AI Bandits 16U Ruess 10, BSC Bengals 3: The Redmond-based Ruess crew used the efforts of two Redmond High School Mustangs to do the damage to the California team. Pitcher Addy Ruess worked three innings allowing three runs on five hits, walking two. Fellow Mustang Kati Cygan doubled and scored a run pacing the Bandits. Eastlake High School’s Addi Baumgartner also pitched for the Bandits, allowing one hit in an inning of work. She had no decision.
Washington Ladyhawks 18U Fairbairn 6, NorCal Bombers Gold 5: Fairbairn held off the Sacramento-area Bombers. Bielenberg was 0-2. She will be a junior this fall at Mount Si.
AI Bandits 16U Purple 10, Orange County Batbusters Lara 3: The Puyallup-based Bandits cruised to the win over the California squad. Wildcat Abby Rowland was 0-2 for the Bandits in this one.
5-Star Playmakers 11, Washington Ladyhawks 18U Simpson 4: The loss for the Simpson team came against this Los Angeles-area squad; Hetzel was 0-2 with a run scored for WLH.
Northwest Grapettes 18U McGee 8, SoCal Dynasty 5: The Grapettes held off this California team with the help of Craig, who went 2-3 with two runs scored.
Firecrackers Chavez 9, AI Bandits 16U Ruess 7: Redmond’s Cygan homered and drove in three runs powering the Ruess offense in this loss to the California team.
Bullets win twice: The Portland-based Northwest Bullets Campos 18U, featuring Mount Si’s Anna Braukus, posted two wins over California teams yesterday, beating both the USA Athletics and BSA Bownet. As they are still not posting to GC, we have no stats for Braukus to report but the two wins were nice results – 12-5 over Bownet and 4-1 over the A’s. They wrap up with a morning game this morning. All of the above teams will have games this morning then be on airplanes back to Seattle this afternoon and evening with all of these young ladies back in classes at their respective high schools tomorrow morning.
Elsewhere, there was action at two other tournaments with local players. Scores and highlights from our coverage come from GameChanger and their app, available on phones and tablets in their app stores.
USA Preps Kate Austin tournament, Tri-Cities
Washington Acers 16U McCabe 10, Kitsap Titans 2: A Cedarcrest High School player joined the Sunday Valley bomb squad. Abby Combs hit a solo homer in the bottom of the third in this one, helping the Auburn team cruise to a win over the Bremerton-area team. Combs also pitched an inning and a third allowing one hit striking out two with no decision. The homer was the first of the summer for the Red Wolve junior.
Elevate Northwest 18U Premier 11, Spokane Stealth 2: Woodinville-based Elevate cruised to a win over the Spokane-area squad. Mount Si’s Maddie Moritz doubled, scoring a run in this one for Elevate.
Washington Acers 16U McCabe 5, Boise Blast 3: The Acers finished out the weekend on a solid note with a win over the Idaho team. Combs doubled, scoring a run and driving in two more pacing the Acer efforts in this one.
Elevate Northwest 18U Premier 10, PNW Force 1: Likewise, Elevate finished out the weekend on a strong note cruising to the win over the Olympia-area team. Moritz was 0-2 in this one for Elevate.
USSSA Swinging into Summer, Centralia
Flame Fastpitch Dill 14U 8, Sundodgers 0: The Bellevue-based Flame cruised to a win over the Seattle team. Mount Si’s Westyn Haigh was 1-2 with a run scored and RBI.
Giants Fastpitch 16U Pinder 4, TNT Fastpitch 3: The Kirkland-based Giants held off the Clallam County-based TNT squad. Redmond High School’s Ella Carter was 0-2 in this one for the Giants. Her older sister, Michaela, is a Cedarcrest HS alum who graduated this spring from the Fordham University softball program in New York.
AI Bandits Rabb 10, Flame Fastpitch Dill 14U 0: The Dill team’s weekend run at Fort Borst ended on a down note, as Rabb pitcher Gabby Chupp fired a no-hitter walking two and striking out two. Haigh was 0-2 for the Flame.
Sundodgers Wright 6, Giants Fastpitch 16U Pinder 0: The Giant bats went cold and that squad, too, saw their weekend end as a result. Carter was 0-1 in this one for the Giants.
Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal 