Pool Game #1
Stompers (’96) 9, Sting 4

The Stompers and Sting were locked in a scoreless battle through two innings before the Stompers broke through with a run in the third and three more in the fourth.  Sting answered back in the bottom of the fourth after Molly singled and Lexi singled her home.  Bria then walked and Lena singled her home to make it 4-2.  Sami walked giving her a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage for the tournament.  In the fifth, Bria singled home two more runs.  Boothe gave up only six hits in five innings of work on the mound.

Pool Game #2
Sting 8, Los Banos Tigers 5

Lexi set the tone of the game from the mound, striking out three Tigers in the bottom of the first before Sting scored four times in the top of the second.  Shannon drove in the first run on a grounder to short, and with the bases loaded, both Reyna and Veronica walked, and Rachel was hit by a pitch.  In the third, Sting scored four more after loading the bases again, Shannon walked and Nora was hit by a pitch.  Nicole hit a hard grounder, but the Tigers first baseman made a nice play to get an out at home.  Reyna then drove in another run with a single and Veronica drove in the last run on a grounder to second.  Lexi finished the game striking out 11 Tigers over five innings for the win.

Pool Game #3
Sting 13, San Mateo Challengers 5

Sting scored early and often to cruise to the 13-5 victory.  Highlights included runs scoring doubles by Lexi and Bria in the first inning. Reyna doubled home a run in the second and scored on Veronica’s single.  Sting opened it up with a seven run third which included a single by Bria, a walk to Shannon, and then four consecutive singles by Kendal, Reyna, Veronica, and Bria.  Molly then hammered a triple to center and scored on Lexi’s single.  Pitching for Sting, Lena and Lexi combined to give up just one hit.

Bracket Game #1
Sting 8, Auburn Storm 4

In their best game of the tournament, Sting held on for an 8-4 win over a good Storm team.  Things looked good early as the first three Sting batters, Veronica, Brooke and Molly singled to take a 1-0 lead.  But the Storm came back and scored three times in the bottom of the first.  Sting took the lead again in the third after Brooke led off with a perfect bunt single, Lexi smashed a triple to the gap in left center for one run, and Bria doubled to center for another run.  After Lena singled, Bria came home on Boothe’s sacrifice bunt.  The Storm scored a run in the bottom half of the third to tie the game at 4-4.  Sting broke through with four runs in the fourth after Nora walked and Veronica was safe on an error to lead things off.  Molly and Lexi both had RBI singles to left and Bria doubled home the final run to make it 8-4.  Boothe pitched great in the victory, forcing the Storm batters to swing and letting the Sting defense make the plays.  The Storm twice failed to score despite loading the bases.  Lexi made a nice play on grounder to short to end the second inning threat and Reyna made a leaping catch in the fourth to end the fourth inning.

Bracket Game #2
Santa Cruz Crushers 12, Sting 3

Sting kept the game close for two innings before the wheels came off.  Down 1-0, Shannon tied the game in the bottom of the second with an RBI single after Lexi had singled to lead off.  But the Crushers used their speed and bunting prowess to put the game away.  Lexi led off the fourth inning scorching a ball over the left fielder for a home run, and Kendal drove in a run in the fifth to complete the scoring.

Pool Game #1
Sting 9, Vallejo Hurricanes 4

Sting struck first scoring two runs in the first inning. Molly Cohen lined a triple to center scoring Veronica Timpane who had singled. Molly then alertly stole home on a throw to first after a dropped third strike.  Sting put the game away with 6 runs in the second inning after falling behind 4-2.  Lena Mayer started things off with a double, then Sami Chiang, Reyna Fa-Kaji, and Veronica all drew walks.  Molly brought in two runs with a double, and after another walk to Lexi Carney, Bria Bryant singled home 2 more.  Sting added a final run in the third inning when Boothe Carlson singled and scored when the Vallejo fielder threw the ball away after Reyna’s bunt single.  Boothe pitched a nice game giving up just 2 hits in 4 innings of work.

Pool Game #2
Sting 9, San Mateo Challengers 1

For the first two innings, Lena was locked in a 0-0 pitchers duel with the San Mateo hurler, but the Sting bats came to life scoring 9 runs in the third for the 9-1 victory.  Highlights included a two-run single by Bria, an RBI groundout by Shannon Riggio-Kerley, a fake-bunt chop single by Sami, an RBI single by Brooke Tannahill, and a two-run single by Molly.  Lena pitched a great game giving up no earned runs on just one hit.  Defensively, Lexi collected three consecutive assists in the third inning, snuffing out a potential rally after two runners got on base, and in the fourth inning, Veronica made a nice throw to Molly who made the tag on a runner at third base to end the game.

Pool Game #3
Pleasant Hill Panthers 6, Sting 2

In a close game, Sting fell to the host Panthers 6-2.  Lexi pitched well initially limiting the hard-hitting Panthers to single runs in the first and third.  Sting answered back with a run in the fourth on a double by Bria and an rbi single by Shannon.  Sting scored again in the fifth when Molly, who had doubled, came home on an overthrow after stealing third base.   Second baseman, Nora Killian turned a pair of hard hit balls into outs in the third and fourth innings to keep the game close.

Bracket Game #1
Sting 5, Burlingame Flames 4

In a tight six-inning game, Sting held on for a 5-4 victory in the first round bracket game on Sunday.  Lena pitched outstandingly inducing 12 groundouts and striking out three, while walking just one.  Sting played great defense with Molly at third, Lexi at short, and Nora at second fielding everything hit at them, while Brooke at catcher threw out a runner trying to steal second.  The Flames led 1-0 after half an inning, when Veronica started the offense with a single in the bottom of the first.  Lexi followed with an rbi triple, and Bria blasted a home run to right center to give Sting a 3-1 lead after one inning.  The Flames scored in the second to make it 3-2, but Sting answered with two more in the third when Lexi smashed a two run single to left scoring Veronica and Brooke, who had singled consecutively to start the inning.  The flames closed to within one after scratching across single runs in the fourth and sixth, but with the tying run at second, Molly made her third play of the sixth inning to shut the door.

Bracket Game #2
Pleasant Hill Panthers 11, Sting 2

Things were looking bright when Sting scored two in the top of the first to take an early lead.  Veronica had her fourth lead off single in five games, and after two were out, the Panthers showed Lexi some respect with an intentional walk.  But Bria made the plan backfire when she drove in both runs with a solid single to left.  Lena followed with a single, and Nicole Nordahl hammered a solid line drive to right, but the right fielder was able to get an out to end the inning.  After that, Sting’s offense was limited to a single by Lexi in third.  Unfortunately, the Panthers were relentless offensively and came up on top 11-2.  Brooke turned in another gutty performance catching the entire tournament and throwing out two Panther base runners trying to steal second.

Pool Game #1
Belmont Blast 12, Sting 0

Sting got off to a slow start as everything seemed to be going against the girls in the first game against Belmont, including an 8 AM start in 90 degree heat and late umpires making questionable calls, but give the Blast credit as they played a great game and put us away early.  Sting’s lone hit was a triple smashed into the left-center gap by Brea, but a great relay and tag/collision at home kept Sting from scoring.  Sting had made a similar play earlier in the game with Lexi making the throw to Brooke at home to nail a runner, but the field umpire ruled the runner safe due to fielder interference as she rounded third.

Pool Game #2
Sting 4, Glory 3

In the second game, Sting pulled out a great come-from-behind victory against Glory.  Boothe went the distance, going 6 innings with 7 strikeouts.  Down 1-0, Sting tied the game in the bottom of the first after Lexi singled and scored on Molly’s double to left. Unable to score in the middle innings, Sting found itself down 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth, but rallied on a single and stolen base by Reyna, a single by Brooke to left center, and a triple by Lexi to tie game at 3.  Molly then came through with a walk-off hit up the middle to score Lexi with the winning run.

Pool Game #3
Sting 12, San Lorenzo Lady Patriots 6

Sting got the sticks going in the final game of pool play, posting 12 runs against the Patriots.  Rachel pitched the first 3 innings and fielded two grounders herself in a scoreless second.  Key hits included Shannon’s 2 RBI single to center, Nora’s RBI single off the third base bag, and Kendal’s 2 RBI hit.

Bracket Game #1
Sting 12, Gilroy Chaos 0

Lexi pitched three perfect innings with four strikeouts in shutting out Chaos in the first round bracket game.  Sting defense did not allow a ball out of the infield, as Lexi field three groundouts and Rachel fielded two at second base.  Sting put up six runs in the first on consecutive singles by Brooke, Lexi, Molly, Shannon, and Brea.  Kendal added another hit between walks by Rachel and Nicole.  Brea and Boothe added RBI singles in the second.  In the third, Sami got on base on a dropped third stike, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Reyna’s single.  After Lexi singled, Molly drove in two with a triple into the gap, and Nora drove in the final run for the Mercy-rule win.

Bracket Game #2
MVLA Nova 8, Sting 3

Sting put up a good fight, but fell to Nova in the tournament semi-final.  Lexi blasted a monster three-run homer (estimated at over 200’) in the first scoring Reyna (walk) and Brooke (single) ahead of her to put Sting up 3-1.  Boothe pitched well keeping the game close, but Nova came up with some big hits to take the lead.  The Nova pitcher shut Sting down the rest of the way spreading out a single to Nora in the second, a double to Lexi in the third, and a single to Brea in the fourth.  Brooke had another good game behind the plate, gunning down a potential base stealer at second, and Reyna made three running catches in centerfield.

Pool Game #1
Pleasanton Phantom 9, Sting 0

Sting’s first game in pool play came against the eventual tournament champions, the Pleasanton Phantom.  In the second inning, Lexi Carney delivered Sting’s only base hit, and Rachel Pozos walked, but both were left stranded.  Lena Mayer pitched well, including a scoreless second inning, with one strikeout.  Defensively, Boothe Carlson made a nice catch in centerfield to end the second, and Shannon Riggio-Kerley made several nice stretches for putouts at first.

Pool Game #2
Cabrillo Crushers 13, Sting 2

In the second game of pool play, Sting came across another tough team in the Cabrillo Crushers, which finished the tournament tied for third.  Sting scratched across two runs in the bottom of the third with leadoff single by Reyna Fa-Kaji.  After a sacrifice bunt by Sami Chiang, Lena beat out an infield hit, and both runners scored on Molly Cohen’s base hit up the middle

Pool Game #3
Sting 13, LGSGSA Magic 3

Sting decisively won the third pool play game of the day against the Magic.  Sting hitters finally got the offense going, batting around and scoring eight runs in the top of the third, and four more in the fourth.  Lena had three hits, Brooke Tannahill and Nora Killian gathered two hits apiece, and Nicole Nordahl, Brea Bryant, and Boothe also collected hits.

Bracket Game #1
Sting 5, Calaveras Sliders 4

In a thrilling nail-biter, Sting held on to vanquish the Sliders in the eighth inning under international tie-breaker rules.  Sting took an early lead scoring one in the second on an RBI bunt by Reyna after singles by Lexi and Shannon.  Sting tacked on two more in the third on hits by Kendal Kirkman, Lena, an RBI groundout by Brooke, and an RBI single by Lexi.  Meanwhile at pitcher, Lexi was dominant early, keeping the Sliders scoreless after five, and showing cat-like reflexes nabbing several balls hit up the middle.  She also received defensive help from Rachel at second and Lena at short, both making several nice plays.  But with Sting trying to close out the game in the bottom of the sixth, the Sliders scored three to tie the game despite a crazy double play in which the infield fly rule was invoked on a bases-loaded pop up.  In the eighth, under tie-breaker rules, Molly started the inning at second and promptly stole third.  Lexi singled her home with her fourth hit of the game.  Veronica Timpane then lined a double down the third base line to score another run.  In the bottom of the eighth, the Sliders were threatening again with a run already in and a runner at second with two out.  The outcome was in question until Brea made a great running catch on a liner to right field to end the game

Bracket Game #2
Stompers 9, Sting 0

The Stompers dominated the game from the start scoring four in the first and never looked back.  Lena pitched well striking out three in five innings of work.  Sting made several nice plays defensively including several assists by Lexi at short, a running catch by Veronica near the dugout at first, and a diving catch by Sami on a liner to left field.  Brooke was stellar, catching all 13 innings on Sunday.  Kendal caught a fly ball in center, and Brea had an outfield assist throwing to Rachel at second for the out.  Offensive highlights included a single by Molly in the first, a double smashed by Lexi in the third, and a bunt single by Brooke in the fourth.

Game #1 - Livermore Smoke 7, Sting 1

Sting fielders flashed the gloves but fell to the Smoke 7-1.  At catcher, Brooke had a hand in getting all three outs in the first inning, including throwing out a runner at third base and hauling in a pop foul for the third out.  In the second inning, Rachel snagged a line drive at second, and Lexi pitched a scoreless inning, fanning 2 batters.  Brea made a nice catch in centerfield in the third inning.  Sting scored their only run in the third on a bunt single by Brooke, and after stealing second, she scored on Reyna Fa-kaji’s single to left center.

Game #2 - East Bay Vipers 7, Sting 1

In the top of the first, Reyna made a nice catch on a fly to right field.  In the bottom of the second Brea singled sharply up the middle, but was stranded.  Lena pitched three innings of effective relief, with three strikeouts.  Lena induced three groundouts in the third, one to Reyna at shortstop, and two to Sami Chiang at second base.  In the bottom of the fourth, Veronica Timpane singled to left center, stole second, and came around to score on Sami’s bunt single.  Sting was unable to score despite a single by Nora Killian and a walk to Rachel in the fifth. 

Game #3 - Valley Stompers 10, Sting 0

Sting faced an old friend in Stompers’ pitcher Cory Labov, and she was up to the challenge pitching five innings of shutout ball.  Sting highlights included base hits by Nora, Veronica, Shannon Riggio-Kerley, and Kendal Kirkman.  Shannon, Nora, and shortstop Nicole Nordahl made nice defensive plays catching pop flies.  We want to wish a speedy recovery to Boothe Carlson, who had some good at bats, but was unable to play the field with an injured wrist.

12U Team has a Friendly Tournament with the Valley Stompers on June 8th

               Sting dominated in pool play on Saturday, scoring 31 runs while allowing a total of only one run to three opponents. In the first game, Sting faced a familiar opponent, the Pleasanton Phantom. Sting struck early, as Clara Obstfeld and Anna Moore led the game off with a double and a single. Sting went on to score three in the inning with RBI contributions by Jordan Baker and Izzy Lubin-Brown. Phantom threatened early, as Phantom star Krista Williams led off the bottom of the first with a single. On the first pitch to the next batter, she took off for second, only to be gunned down by catcher Obstfeld. With the help of two walks, Phantom then loaded the bases, but pitcher J. Baker ended the threat with a strike out. Leading 4-1 in the fourth, Sting produced a four run outburst. Lindsey Baker led off the inning with a walk. Obstfeld and A. Moore followed with singles. Two runs scored when the Phantom center fielder dropped Kate Moore’s fly ball to center. Lubin-Brown followed with another RBI single. There was some confusion after four innings when the umpires called the game for time. The Phantom coach came out on the field to point out that we had only played for 72 minutes in a 75-minute time limit game. Back on the field, both teams went down 1-2-3 in the fifth for an 8-1 finish. 

               In the second game, Sting played the east county hotshots. (This organization from Oakley, CA had two teams in the tournament, one using capital letters in their name and the other only lower-case.) Sting again struck early, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Singles by A. Moore, K. Moore, and Katie Nordahl and triples by J. Baker and Molly Cohen highlighted the first inning attack. A. Moore and J. Baker both went 3-3 in the game and combined for six RBI’s. Sting added three runs in each of the second and third innings to reach a score of 12-0 invoking the run rule. Pitcher K. Moore allowed only one hit in three innings and struck out five. 

               In the third pool play game, Sting continued their habit of striking early, with three runs in the first inning against the San Jose Magic. A. Moore continued her hot hitting (7-9 on the day) with a single while Annie Smith delivered the big blow in the inning with a two-RBI single. In the third inning, Sting sent eleven batters to the plate scoring six runs on singles by Obstfeld, A. Moore, K. Moore, Smith, Alex Hickey, Cohen and J. Baker. In the fourth inning, Sting added two more runs, to again claim a run-rule victory, 11-0. Pitcher Lubin-Brown overpowered Magic batters, allowing no hits and striking out nine through four innings. Magic’s only threat came in the third inning as two walks and an error loaded the bases. Catcher Obstfeld then picked off the runner at third with a snap throw to J. Baker and Lubin-Brown struck out the next two batters to end the inning.  

               Placing first in the pool, Sting had the luxury of a 12:30 PM start on Sunday. The first game was against East Bay Thunda Stryke 13. Thunda Stryke scored first eking out one run in each of the first two innings. Down 0-2, Sting loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third on consecutive walks to Obstfeld, A. Moore and J. Baker. After a force out at the plate and a strike out, Smith came to bat. With two strikes and two outs, Smith swung at a pitch that got away from the Thunda Stryke catcher. Smith raced to first base as A. Moore came in to score Sting’s first run of the game. Hickey and Nordahl followed with back-to-back two-RBI singles. The final score was Sting 5, Thunda Stryke 2.

               In the semi-final game Sting faced Concord Glory. Pitcher J. Baker stymied the Glory offense facing only four batters over the minimum through seven innings. The Sting defense shined. In the first inning, catcher Obstfeld gunned down a runner attempting to steal second base. In the second, Sting recorded a double play as a bunt attempt was popped up and the runner was doubled-off at first. In the fifth A. Moore, playing third base, made a leaping catch of a line drive that was a sure hit. In the sixth, A. Hickey threw a runner out at second from right field as she tried to stretch a single into a double. The Sting offense did not get going until the top of the third inning. A lead off walk to Nordahl, a bunt single by a L. Baker and two run double by Obstfeld got Sting on the board first. Sting finally put the game away in the top of the seventh. Up 3-1, Hickey and Nordahl walked setting the stage for RBI singles L. Baker and Obstfeld. A third run scored on a ground out by A. Moore, for a final score of Sting 6, Glory 1. 

               Sting met Castro Valley Synergy Black in the championship game. Synergy struck first, scoring one run in the first inning, benefiting from a walk, a passed ball, a stolen base and a RBI ground out. In the top of the second down 1-0, with two outs Sting was robbed of an opportunity. With runners at first and second, Nordahl hit a hard grounder to the short stop, who elected to toss to third for the force out. The third baseman could not handle the throw as Lubin-Brown slid in hard, but the umpire called her out while the ball was on the ground. Synergy scored two more runs in their half of the second on two Sting errors. With two outs and down 3-0, Coach Leah switched the defensive line up and put J. Baker in to pitch shutting the Synergy offense down the rest of the way. Sting scraped their way back. In the third inning Obstfeld singled with one out. She then went all the way from first to third on A. Moore’s single, and scored when the Synergy third baseman dropped the ball. In the sixth, a pair of singles by A. Moore and K. Moore and an RBI ground out by Lubin-Brown scored Sting’s second run. The final score was 3-2.

               On Saturday, after a breakfast at McDonald’s for several of the players, Sting got off to a slow start in pool play. Their first game was against the San Jose (SJ) Sting. Things looked good at first for Albany-Berkeley (AB) Sting as the second batter of the game, Anna Moore, hit a hard grounder down the third base line and streaked around the bases for a home run. But SJ answered back in the bottom of the first inning with two runs on two AB errors. AB tied the game at 2-2 in the second inning. SJ again answered back in the bottom of the inning scoring four times on two walks and three singles. The final score was 6-2, SJ Sting. 

               In the second game on Saturday, AB Sting returned to form, overpowering the San Jose Strikkers with an eleven run outburst in the first inning. With two outs and no runs in, the next ten Sting batters reached base. Izzy Lubin-Brown hit a triple and a double in the inning knocking in three runs. Clara Obstfeld and Jordan Baker also had two hits each in the inning. In the second inning, the first seven Sting batters reached base. With no outs and a 15-0 lead, Sting coaches started base runners before the pitcher released the ball, giving the Strikkers all three outs in the inning. The Strikkers managed six base runners in three innings, but none got past second base. 

               In the third game on Saturday, Sting played the hometown Salinas Storm in a closely fought game. Sting got their offense going early, scoring two runs in the first inning on a singles by A. Moore and Lubin-Brown and a double by J. Baker. In the second inning, singles by Annie Smith and Katie Nordahl scored another run to put Sting ahead, 3-0. Storm mounted a come back in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a walk and a single to score their only run. A force out at third base and a strike out ended the threat. Sting won 3-1. 

The semi-final game on Sunday morning found Sting facing the Salinas Storm for the second game in a row. The game went into the International Tie Breaker after the teams reached the 75-minute time limit tied 5-5. Sting got off to a shaky start as two fielding errors in the first inning and two more in the third resulted in three runs for the Storm. Down 3-0, Sting got their offense going in the fourth inning, getting back one of the runs on a walk to Lubin-Brown, a sacrifice bunt by Smith and an RBI single by Alex Hickey. In the fifth inning, Sting took the lead, scoring four runs as Storm pitchers yielded walks to Lindsey Baker, Obstfeld and J. Baker. A. Moore and Kate Moore added singles to round out the attack. Up 5-3, Sting couldn’t hold Storm in the bottom of the fifth as they collected three singles to tie the game.  

Under International Tie Breaker rules, Sting started the top of the sixth with Molly Cohen at second base. Cohen advanced to third on a passed ball and stole home for the go ahead run. Sting got an insurance run as Hickey walked and scored on an RBI single by L. Baker. In the bottom of the sixth, with a Mad Dog runner starting at second, the first batter was hit by a pitch and the second batter singled to load the bases with no outs. After a ground ball to shortstop K. Moore resulted in a force at home, a walk to the Mad Dogs lead off batter scored a run making it 7-6. A ground ball to pitcher J. Baker forced another runner out at the plate. With the bases still loaded, the final out was recorded as K. Moore backhanded a hard hit ground ball and tossed to A. Moore at third for the force. 

               In the championship game, Sting faced the Monterey Mad Dogs who had placed first in pool play, allowing no runs to their opponents on Saturday. Sting struck first, scoring one run in the second inning as Hickey walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Nordahl. The Mad Dogs answered back in the third inning scoring two runs on a walk and three consecutive singles for a 2-1 lead. Further damage was prevented when catcher, Obstfeld, threw out a runner stealing second and pitcher J. Baker ended the inning with a strike out. In the bottom of the fourth inning Nordahl again provided the fire power, knocking in the tying run with a triple to deep left center. She then scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball giving Sting a 3-2 lead. 

An unusual event took place in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs and a count of 1-1, J. Baker blew a strike past the Storm batter. The umpire called, “Strike three!” Sting went in the dug out, and the Mad Dogs came out onto the field. Then the Mad Dogs’ coach came on the field to point out that the 1-1 pitch was only strike two. Since we were the home team, I was the official scorekeeper. The umpire asked me what count I had in the scorebook. I told him I had 1-1 but thought I had been wrong when he called strike three. The umpires then called Sting back onto the field with a runner on first and a count of 1-2. J. Baker then walked that batter, but retired the next batter on a pop up. The time used by this may have prevented the opportunity for another inning for the Mad Dogs. 

               In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the score still 3-2, the Mad Dogs were looking for a quick inning so they could get another chance to take the lead. But that was not to be. Sting scored one run on consecutive singles by Lubin-Brown and Smith. Hickey then followed with a sacrifice RBI bunt to make the score 5-2. Smith was standing at third base with two outs and Nordahl at the plate when the 90 minute time limit was reached ending the game. 

SIDE BAR:

Live and learn! In the first inning of the championship game, Obstfeld led off the inning with a walk. A. Moore then hit a ground ball to the second baseman. Obstfeld ran right into the tag, and then A. Moore was out at first for a double play. Coach Chuck explained to Obstfeld that the proper action in that situation was to stop, make the second baseman chase her for the tag, thereby avoiding the double play. To lead off the third inning, Obstfeld walked and A. Moore again hit a ground ball to the second baseman. Obstfeld stopped, delaying the inevitable tag out, but there was no double play!