Sting 12-LBA Qualifies for Nationals!
Posted by mfakaji on Jun 23 2007 | Tagged as: 12-LBA
At the Oakland Metro 12U Championships in Hayward on June 23-24, 2007, Albany-Berkeley Sting 12-LBA qualified for the Nationals by taking third place in a very
competitive tournament.
Pleasanton Phantom 8, Albany-Berkeley Sting 3
After meeting a tough competitor in the Pleasanton Phantom during the first game, Sting 12-LBA dropped into the losers’ bracket of the double elimination tournament. Phantom opened the scoring with one in the first inning. Sting only managed one base runner through three innings while striking out six times. In the fourth, Sting tied the game up. Cory Labov led off with an infield single. Kate Moore and Izzy Lubin-Brown followed with hits to load the bases. Jordan Baker then knocked in Sting’s first run. But the Phantom pitcher took over again, striking out the next two Sting batters with the bases still loaded to end the rally. Phantom broke the tie in the fourth, pushing two runs across, adding four more in the fifth. Sting rallied in the sixth for two runs on doubles by Kate Moore and Jordan Baker and an RBI single by Katie Nordahl. Pitching was a combined effort for Sting with Lubin-Brown going four innings and Jordan Baker and Kate Moore each pitching one inning.
Albany-Berkeley Sting 4, Alameda Blaze 0
Sting played Alameda Blaze for the third time this season, prevailing 4-0 in five innings. Kate Moore pitched a four-hit shut out, allowing only one runner to reach third base. Sting played strong defense to back up Moore’s pitching as Izzy Lubin-Brown
executed an unassisted double-play at first base to end the second inning. Jordan Baker made two long throws on grounders to third to end the fourth and sixth innings. Sting got the offense going early as Cory Labov and Clara Obstfeld both walked and scored in the first inning. Scoring was completed in the third inning as Kate Moore walked, Lubin-Brown singled and Jordan Baker doubled to score two more runs.
Albany-Berkeley Sting 13, Livermore Smoke Black 4
In their first game under the lights this season, Sting won a run-rule
victory over Livermore Smoke Black, and earned a berth in the Western National Championships (to be held August 1-5 in Las Cruces, New Mexico). Sting got their offense going early as the first three batters walked. Jordan Baker singled and Izzy
Lubin-Brown doubled to bring all three free passes home. Katie Nordahl finished the offense in the inning with a monstrous blast to left field for a triple. Sting led 5-0 after the first inning. Sting batters continued to knock the ball over the heads of Smoke outfielders as Izzy Lubin-Brown doubled in two more runs in the third inning and Clara Obstfeld tripled and scored in the fourth. At the end of four-and-half innings Sting led 9-4. In the bottom of the fifth, Sting was gifted with three more walks interspersed with a single from Anna Moore and a double by Kate Moore to score four more runs and reach the run-rule limit. Jordan Baker pitched all five innings, keeping Smoke scoreless through three innings before allowing two runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. Sting’s victory in this game guaranteed at least a third place finish in the tournament.
Pleasanton Phantom 6, Albany-Berkeley Sting 5
On Sunday afternoon, playing for a chance to gain first or second place in the tournament, Sting came up against Pleasanton Phantom again, nearly reversing the results of their first round game. With Izzy Lubin-Brown pitching for Sting, Phantom squeaked out a run in the second inning with a double and a sacrifice bunt. Sting answered back in the third inning, scoring three runs on five consecutive hits. Cory Labov and Clara Obstfeld set the stage with singles. Kate Moore hit a long double to score both runners. Lubin-Brown and Jordan Baker followed with singles, scoring Moore. In the fourth, Phantom mounted a threat with runners at second and third with no outs. The rally was cut short when Moore made a great catch of a line drive at shortstop and tagged the runner trying to return to second for an unassisted double play. Phantom added one more run in the sixth. With no time limit, the game went into the seventh inning with Sting ahead 3-2. As Jordan Baker took over pitching from Lubin-Brown, Phantom showed their offensive prowess in the top of the inning, taking advantage of two walks, three singles and a hit-by-pitch to score four times and take a 6-3 lead. Sting did not give up. Clara Obstfeld and Izzy Lubin-Brown reached base on singles. Both scored after an error by the Phantom second baseman before the last out was recorded with the tying run standing at third base.
Sting 12-LBA returned home with a third place trophy and an opportunity to compete at the Nationals in August.
