Day 7: Game Details CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Game 9

Fullerton vs. Hawaii
Pitcher: Riley Narhworld

This was it.  This was what any fan could have asked for. This was the CHAMPIONSHIP game of the 2010 ASA Western National Tournament and our very own Fullerton Hills team would be a part of this spectacular event.  With an undefeated Hawaiian team to face, Fullerton Hills would have to beat them twice in order to take 1st place.  According to Fullerton Hill's season history, this was not an impossible task, reflecting on the 2010 State tournament.

The crowd was electric and both teams started off showing they were ready to play in the 1st inning.  Although no runs would score, both teams didn't hesitate to put any runners on base right away.  However the 2nd inning would be completely opposite for these teams, as the defenses shut them down.

Fullerton Hills  would remain quiet offensively in the top of the 3rd inning, but the bottom of the 3rd inning  was when Hawaii would wake up the score board.  It began with a 2 out walk which resulted in the runner stealing 2B. A base hit to LF would score the runner from 2B, and on an attempt to get the runner out at home, the base hit for Hawaii would turn into a double.  A base hit to LF would then score the second run of the inning for Hawaii, and the score would be 2-0 at the end of the 3rd inning.

The 4th inning also remained quiet for both teams, and in the bottom of the 5th inning Hawaii would add to their score making the game 3-0 in favor of Hawaii.

Fullerton Hills is a team that will refuse to quit at anytime and will fight to the bitter end.  And these girls did just that.  In the top of the 6th inning Taylor Browne lead-off with a double to RF.  This would be followed by Nina Melendez who would be hit by a pitch, then unfortunately called out for leaving the base early.  Alex Castillo would pick up Nina by doubling and scoring Taylor Browne from 2B, and the game was now 3-1, Hawaii.  However, Fullerton Hills was not done scoring yet.  Sarah Fajnor came up and doubled to LF, scoring Alex Castillo.  Fullerton Hills would shut down Hawaii's offense in the bottom of the 6th inning, and the game was now 3-2, Hawaii.

The top of the 7th inning had come and Hawaii was 3 outs away from becoming the 14&U Western National Champions, and Fullerton Hills was 1 run away from one more game with the Hawaiian team.  Unfortunately for Fullerton Hills, Hawaii would successfully make all 3 outs, crowning them the 2010 ASA 14&U Western National Champions, going undefeated in the tournament.  Final score: 3-2.

Day 7: Game Details (Escondido)

Game 8

Fullerton Hills vs. Escondido
Pitcher: Riley Narhwold

This game was the REAL semi-final game for Fullerton Hills, seeing as it was do or die with a tough Escondido team to face.  Fullerton Hills knew they were going to be a tough battle, because they had just come off of a win against Claremont to keep themselves alive in the tournament.

The game started off with Fullerton Hills taking the visiting role in the top of the 1st inning.  A lead-off double for Sydney Meyer would get things going to Fullerton Hills.  Taylor Browne would then come up with a double to LCF, as the girls let the ball drop and Sydney Meyer would advance to scoring position at 3B and Taylor Browne landing safely on 2B.  Nina Melendez would come up next for Fullerton Hills and hit a hard ground ball to SS which resulted in an error, scoring Sydney Meyer and Taylor Browne.  Fullerton would take the early lead at 2-0.  Escondido retaliated with a single to CF to lead off the team offensively in the bottom of the 1st inning.

The 2nd inning was quiet for both teams, as well as the top of the 3rd inning but only for Fullerton Hills.  Escondido started off the inning with a walk.  A bunt single on an error would advance the runner to 3B.   A double to CF would clear the bases and score 2 runs for Escondido, and the game was now tied.  However, Escondido was not done just yet.  On a steal attempt, Fullerton Hills catcher Savi Rojas would  catch the runner stealing to slow down the Escondido momentum.  An infield single for Escondido would score one more run, and they would now take the lead 4-2 going into the top of the 4th inning.

The top of the 4th inning turned out to be one of Fullerton Hill's biggest innings this entire tournament.  It started off with Riley Nahrwold and her lead-off single to CF and Haley Schulte would be put in the game as Riley's pinch runner.  Savi Rojas would then be hit by a pitch.  Up next was Sydney Meyer who would load the bases with a bunt single.  Taylor Browne came in and hit a sacrifice fly ball to LF to score Haley Schulte on the tag-up from 3B.  Nina Melendez came up next and hit a base-clearing double, scoring Sydney Meyer and Savi Rojas.  Sarah Fajnor was up to bat for Fullerton Hills next and singled to CF, scoring Nina Melendez from 2B.  Destiny Fernandez would then single to LF and hit Sarah Fajnor in from 2B.  Escondido was shut down in the bottom of the 4th inning, and the game was now 7-4 Fullerton Hills.

Fullerton would keep their run streak alive in the 5th and 6th innings as they continued to shut down Escondido.  In the top of the 5th inning, Savi Rojas would be walked to start off the inning and then Sydney Meyer would be safe on 1B on a fielder's choice.  With 1 out, Taylor Browne hit a double and would score Sydney Meyer making the game now 8-4.  In the top of the 6th inning, Alex Castillo would lead off the inning with a walk and Sarah Fajnor would follow with a single on an error by the SS.  Destiny Fernandez came up and did her job by advancing the runners on a ground ball.  Brooke Castillo came up and laid down a bunt that turned into a double and it would score Alex Castillo.  Savi Rojas would see the batters box for the 2nd time this inning and this time would single to RF to score Sarah Fajnor.

Fullerton Hills would shut out Escondido in the bottom of the 7th inning resulting in their 10-4 victory and a trip to the Championship game of the ASA Western National Tournament against Hawaii.

Photo Credit: Mr. and Mrs. Schulte

Day 7: Game Details (Hawaii)

Game 7: Fullerton Hills vs. Hawaii
Pitchers: Sam Wekall, Sarah Fajnor

Fullerton Hills and Hawaii both began this game as undefeated teams in the tournament.  This was the semi-final game for the winner's bracket of the tournament.  The loser of this game would have to play a game immediately afterwards, and face the winner of the loser's bracket game for the last semi-final game.  Notorious for playing as many games as possible, Fullerton Hills would find themselves in that exact situation today.

Fullerton Hills jumped of the Hawaiian team right away in the top of the 1st inning when Nina Melendez doubled to RCF, and would then advance on a pass ball to 3B.  With Nina Melendez now in definite scoring position, Alex Castillo would come up to bat and hit a hard ground ball the 3B.  The third baseman bobbled the ball and threw it to 1B.  The throw would go over the head of the first baseman and Nina Melendez would score from 1B.  The game was now 1-0, Fullerton Hills.  Hawaii wasn't going to give up that easily when they started off the bottom of the 1st inning with a 1 out walk.  Destiny Fernandez would make a sliding catch for 2 outs.  Things seemed to be going Fullerton Hills' way until Hawaii's power hitter came up.  After fouling over at least 10 pitches, she ropes the ball over the fence in LF for a 2 run, 2 out homerun.  The game was now 2-1, Hawaii.

The 2nd inning was uneventful offensively for both teams.  However, both teams and their spectators, got a scare as the Hawaiian second baseman was knocked down at 2B on a slide and would hit her head on the ground. The paramedics would come and take her to the hospital for precautionary reasons.

The top of the 3rd inning would see the bases loaded for Fullerton Hills with no outs.  However, they could not come across with a run.  Hawaii would initiate their big inning in bottom of the 3rd.  A lead-off walk was issued as the ball was thrown around on a mistaken strike out.  The next batter would come with with a single to LF, followed by a single to CF, which would score 2 runs.  A pass ball would advance the runner on 1B.  A pitching change would be made for Fullerton Hills, as Sarah Fajnor took the mound. A single to LF would score another run for Hawaii and Fullerton Hills would then proceed to get themselves out of the inning. The score was now 5-1, Hawaii.

The top of the 4th inning was quiet for Fullerton Hills, but the bottom of the 4th inning gave Hawaii another opportunity to score one more run which they jumped on as soon as possible.  The game was now 6-1, Hawaii.

It was not in Fullerton Hills' nature to give up under any circumstances.  After a talk with the coaches, and undying support from the fans, the girls were ready to come back with their bats in the top of the 5th inning.  The inning started off with a single to LCF by Taylor Browne.  Fullerton felt the momentum, but things went in the opposite direction as a ground ball up the middle lead to an unassisted double play for Hawaii leaving Fullerton with 2 outs.  Alex Castillo would then come up Fullerton Hills with a 2 out single to LF to keep the inning going.  Next was Sarah Fajnor who hit a line drive the the SS, who dropped the ball.  Alex Castillo would be safe at 2B and Sarah Fajnor safe at 1B.  Destiny Fernandez would load the bases with a ground ball to SS.  Riley Narhwold came up to bat for Fullerton Hills next and ripped a single into CF, scoring Alex Castillo and Sarah Fajnor.   The game was now 6-3, Hawaii, at the end of the inning and Fullerton Hills was closing in.  Fullerton Hills would shut down Hawaii in the bottom of the 5th inning.

Fullerton Hills wasn't done in the top of the 6th inning when Taylor Browne would walk and steal 2B on a pass ball.  Nina Melendez came up with a double to RF, scoring Taylor Browne. The game was now 6-4 Hawaii.  Fullerton Hills came onto the field and shut down Hawaii again in the top of the 6th inning.

Hawaii would now be 3 outs away from going to the Championship game.  Fullerton didn't quit in the top of the 7th inning but couldn't muster up enough hits to score any more runs. Hawaii would advance to the Championship game as Fullerton Hills would prepare for another game right away against Escondido.

Day 7: Brief Update (Championship Game)

Hawaii 3, Fullerton Hills 2
Fullerton takes 2nd place in Nationals tournament.
Check back for game details tomorrow. On the road again!

Day 7: Brief Update (Escondido)

So we've done it again! Off the championship game against Hawaii. The final score of the Escondido game was 10-4, Fullerton Hills.

Since Hawaii is undefeated, the Fullerton Hills team will have to defeat Hawaii twice in a row to win the entire thing. This is a very similar situation to a few weeks ago when Fullerton defeated Santee twice in a row to win the State title. Wishing our girls the very best of luck! Check back for updates later.

Day 7: Brief Update (Hawaii)

Game 7 vs. Hawaii
Hawaii 6, Fullerton 4

Next game in minutes vs. Escondido for the Championship game.

Day 6: Game Details (Claremont)

Game 6: Fullerton Hills vs. Claremont
Pitcher: Riley Nahrwold

The last time Fullerton Hills had faced Claremont was in the State Tournament with the victory to Fullerton Hills. Claremont came out looking for revenge this time around, and proved that they were ready to play in the top of the 1st inning when they scored on a base hit to CF.

Fullerton didn't hesitate to answer back in the top of the 2nd inning when Sarah Fajnor was safe on 1B and an error by the Claremont second baseman.  Destiny Fernandez laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Sarah Fajnor to 2B.  Another sacrifice bunt by Riley Nahrwold would advance Sarah Fajnor to 3B, leaving her in perfect scoring position for Savi Rojas who would come up and rip a base hit up the middle, to score Sarah Fajnor. The game was now tied 1-1, and Fullerton Hills would respond with defense shutting Claremont down in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

Fullerton Hills wasn't done putting runs on the board when the top of the 3rd inning came around.  Sydney Meyer would start the inning off by putting the ball in play and reaching 1B on an error by the SS.  Taylor Browne would single past 3B, advancing the runner.  Up came Nina Melendez with a base clearing triple, scoring Sydney Meyer and Taylor Browne.  Alex Castillo comes up with a single and an error by the SS would score Nina Melendez from 3B.  The game was now 4-1, Fullerton Hills. Fullerton Hills came and shut down Claremont in the bottom of the 3rd inning and were ready to score some more runs next inning.
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The top of the 4th inning provided yet another run for Fullerton Hills.  Savi Rojas started off the inning with a single to RF, and steals 2B on the next batter. Sydney Meyer would then come up and rip a double into LF, scoring Savi Rojas. The bottom of the 4th inning proved that Fullerton Hills loves to make things interesting when Claremont would reach base on errors, hits, and a walk.  Coming out of the 4th inning, the game would remained tied at 5-5 for the next 5 innings. Which means, yes, Fullerton Hills would go into yet ANOTHER international tie breaker.

No team would score, but came awfully close, in the 8th and 9th innings. Needless to say, these were nail biting innings. Innings that had the girls screaming at the top of their lungs and sighing with relief. Not to mention the fans who never stopped cheering, while pacing back and forth. 

It was the 10th inning that gave Fullerton Hills the drive and desire to get the go ahead run in.  Sydney Meyer started on 2B for Fullerton Hills.  Taylor Browne would come up with a sacrifice bunt and Sydney Meyer would advance to 3B.  Nina Melendez came up to bat and singled to RF, which would score Sydney Meyer.  The game was now 6-5, in favor of Fullerton Hills. They now had to hold Claremont in the bottom of the 10th inning. The first out came by a foul ball catch from Alex Castillo on the 1B side. The 2nd out came by a fly ball to pitcher, Riley Nahrwold.  the Claremont runner remained on 2B as the next batter was walked. A moment of tension arose for Fullerton Hills, but Riley Nahrwold came through with a game ending strikeout and Fullerton would win 6-5.

Photo Credit: Mr. Schulte

TOMORROW:

Game 7, 9:00am vs Hawaii SEMI-FINALS.

Check back for brief updates.

Day 6: Game Details (Downey)

Today was a beyond successful day for Fullerton Hills as they battled in 2 difficult games to get to the semi-final game tomorrow at 9:00am!

Game 5:
Downey vs. Fullerton Hills
Pitchers: Sam Wekall, Riley Nahrwold

Downey had been a team Fullerton Hills previously faced in this tournament, so the girls and coaches came into the game with an idea of what to look for.  Little did they know this game would end in similar fashion to their last game against Downey on Wednesday.

The 1st and 2nd innings were both scoreless for both teams as they got used to the pitching.

In the top of the 3rd inning, Downey broke the silence with a walk followed by a bunt and a Fullerton Hills error, which allowed the Downey runner to score.  Soon after, a shot was hit to CF and scored yet another run for Downey.  Fullerton Hills would go up to bat in the bottom of the 3rd knowing they had to play catch up.

However, the 4th and 5th innings for both teams had been quiet.  It was the top of the 6th inning when Downey put another run on the board after a 2 out bunt single, advance on pass ball to 2B, and a knocked down short fly ball into RF, which allowed the runner from 2B to score making the game 3-0, Downey.

"Why not us?" Fullerton Hills said as they went into the bottom of the 6th inning knowing they had to get their bats going. It started off with a single by Taylor Browne into RF, who would then advance to 2B on an overthrow.  Nina Melendez came up with a single to CF next, advancing Taylor Browne to 3B, and in scoring position. Brooke Castillo singles with a bunt to the Downey pitcher, and Taylor Browne would score from 3B, leaving Brooke Castillo safe at 1B and the score 3-1. Sarah Fajnor laid down a perfect bunt for a single and the bases were now loaded for Fullerton Hills. Destiny Fernandez came up to bat and drove the ball for a base hit. Nina Melendez would score first on the play.  Brooke Castillo came rounding 3B with intentions of scoring and as she slid into home, slid into the Downey pitcher and was thrown out at the plate, injuring her ankle.  With Alex Castillo up next, looking to pick up her sister, she executes a squeeze bunt and Sarah Fajnor would score from 3B and believe it or not, would tie the game at 3-3.

The 7th inning was scoreless for both teams which means Fullerton Hills would enter yet another international tie breaker game.

Fullerton Hills escaped the top the 8th inning when they had 1 out, and a Downey runner on 3B.  A fly ball was hit into the outfield and the runner broke for home, but what seemed like was too soon.  Fullerton Hills appealed and threw the ball to 3B, the runner would be called out, and a double play ends the top of the 8th inning for Fullerton Hills. The bottom of the 8th would see Erin Gonzalez on 2B as our runner.  Sarah Fajnor would lay down a sacrifice bunt, and Erin Gonzalez would advance to 3B.  Alex Castillo would come up with 2 outs and a runner on 3B.  She hit a short ground ball to 1B, and the first baseman was unable to field ball, leaving Alex Castillo safe at first and Erin Gonzalez safe at home. This resulted in a 4-3 victory for Fullerton Hills.

Photo Credit: Mr. Schulte and Emily Gonzalez

Day 6: Brief Update 2

Game 6 vs. Claremont

Fulleton 6, Claremont 5
International tie breaker in 10 innings.

Day 6: Brief Update 1

Game 5
Downey vs. Fullerton Hills
Fullerton Hills 4, Downey 3
Victory in international tie breaker, 8th inning.

Blogging from my phone, check back later for more details and updates!
Go Fullerton Hills!

Day 5: Game Details

Game 4: Fullerton Hills vs. Santee
Pitcher: Riley Nahrwold

Today the girls were nervous and excited to take on their rivals, Santee, from the State Tournmanet.  Fullerton Hills had beaten Santee twice to win the entire tournament in mid-July. This would be the girls' 4th time taking on Santee this season.

Santee took the field as the home team today, which would be the Fullerton's team first time acting as visitors in this tournament. But that didn't seem to phase them.  Sydney Meyer began the game in the top of the 1st inning with a lead-off single just past the SS, and Nina Meledenz followed with a single just past the SS as well. However, Fullerton would not get any any runs out of this inning.  Santee came up to bat looking for revenge as they loaded the bases and scored their first run on a single to RF to make the game 1-0 at the end of the 1st inning.

The 2nd inning was quiet for both reams offensively, but Fullerton's defense would shut Santee down in a 1,2,3 bottom of the 2nd. Fullerton would leave 2 runners on base.

In the 3rd inning things began to heat up when Nina Melendez singled to LF to begin the inning offensively for Fullerton.  Brooke Castillo would follow with a hard ground ball to 3B that would result in an overthrow to 2B by Santee's third baseman in an attempt to get the force out at 2B.  The ball went into the outfield and Nina Melendez would score from 2B, and Brooke would end up on 2B at the end of the play.  The scoring continued for Fullerton as Destiny Fernandez singled to LCF.  Santee's C slid to catch the ball, but couldn't quite come up with it.  Brooke Castillo would then score making the game 2-1, Fullerton going into the bottom of the 3rd inning.  Santee started their at-bat off with a double, followed by a single to CF which would advance the runner to 3B.  Another single to CF would clear the bases and score 2 for Santee. At the end of 3rd inning, the game was now 3-2 in Santee's favor.

The 4th inning was another quiet inning for both teams and going into the 5th inning, the score remained 3-2, Santee.

In the top of the 5th inning, there was a Santee pitching change. Taylor Browne and Nina Melendez gave Fullerton some momentum by getting on base for the team. Soon with only Nina Melendez on base, Brooke Castillo would sacrifice bunt to move Nina Melendez to 2B.  Sara Fajnor was now up and would single to LF as the CF would make another sliding catch attempt. She missed the ball, and Nina scores.  The game was now tied at 3-3, as Fulleron shut out Santee in the bottom of the 5th inning.

The pressure was on in the bottom of the 6th inning when Santee had runners on 2B and 3B.  Fullerton's pitching and defense would then shut down Santee, and the game remained tied going into the 7th inning. It was now do or die for Fullerton.

The 7th inning started off with an infield single for Taylor Browne.  She hit a pop-fly in between the pitcher and third baseman.  However, no one would catch the ball.  Next, Brooke was hit by a ball and was awarded 1B.  Sara Fajnor came up to the plate and ripped the ball into CF.  Taylor Browne and Brooke Castillo scored safely after the CF didn't come up with the ball in quite enough time and Sara Fajnor was safe on 3B. Santee was called for obstruction at 3B, and Sara Fajnor was awarded home making the score 6-3 Fullerton.  In the bottom of the 7th inning, Fullerton pitching and defense shut down their rival Santee. A noteworthy play from the bottom of the 7th inning would be Nina Meledez's catch at 3B as the ball sailed high over her head and she turned completely around to go get the ball.

This was an exciting, and gratifying, game indeed.  Fullerton has been unmatched with their stellar pitching, defense, and offense. Riley Nahrwold pitched an amazing game today and these girls were there to back her up with defense and offense.

The next game is tomorrow (August 7, 2010) at 11:00am. Stay tuned for more updates!

 Pictures from Goleta game yesterday (August 5, 2010):

Pictures from Santee game today (August 6, 2010)

C: Mr. and Mrs. Schulte

Day 4: Game Details

Good evening!

Game 3: Goleta vs. Fullerton Hills
Pitchers: Sam Wekall, Sara Fajnor

Fullerton Hills took the field today (as the home team for the 3rd consecutive time) at 6:30pm to face Goleta. 

Fullerton gained momentum going into the bottom of the 1st inning, when Savi Rojas threw a laser to 2B to catch a girl stealing. Needless to say, the crowd went crazy and we were ready to play.  However, the first 2 innings were awfully quiet offensively for both teams.  Sara Fajnor went in to pitch for Sam Wekall, due to her feeling ill, in the top of the 2nd inning. The top of the 2nd inning ended with a great play on a ground ball by Taylor Browne at SS.

The bottom of the 3rd inning was when things stared heating up for Fullerton and no one could stop their bats. The bottom of the 3rd began with Alex Castillo's lead-off single to to LF, followed by Taylor Browne's single to RCF.  Brooke Castillo comes up and lays down a bunt for a single.  The bases are now loaded with Sara Fajnor up to bat.  Sara Fajnor hits a line drive barely over the SS's head and tips off her glove, rolling into LF. This would score Alex Castillo from 3B.  Destiny Fernandez is up next and hits a double to LF, which would score TayLor Browne and Brooke Castillo.  Erin Gonzalez comes up next and lays down a sacrifice bunt which would score Sara Fajnor from 3B.  The hitting continues when Savi Rojas comes up to bat and singles to RF, scoring Destiny Fernandez. This offensive tear by the Fullerton team would suddenly bring the score to be 5-0.

The top of the 4th inning ended for Goleta when Taylor Browne came through with an unassisted double play, tagging 2B and throwing to 1B.

In the bottom of the 5th inning, the offense continued when Destiny Fernandez singled to RF.  Later in the inning, Destiny Fernandez made a steal attempt, running to 2B. The ball was overthrown by the Goleta catcher, into CF and Destiny Fernandez would score on the play.

Fullerton shut down Goleta in the top of the 6th inning and the time had expired. Fullerton won the game 6-0.


Tomorrow's game is a big one as the girls play their State Tournament rival Santee at 3:00pm. Stay tuned for more updates!

Day 3: Game Details

Good afternoon FHS supporters.

This morning's game was quite the event, and definitely up there with the most exciting games of the season.

Game 2: Downey vs. Fullerton Hills
Starting pitcher: Sam Wekall

The game began with a quiet 1st inning for both teams as the girls tried to get adjusted to the pitchers.  The top of the 2nd inning started off with a lead off triple followed by a fielder's choice ground ball to SS, resulting in one run for Downey.  In the bottom of the 2nd inning when Brooke Castillo got to 1B on an error, then to 2B on an illegal pitch.  Brooke Castillo advanced to 3B on another illegal pitch.  However the inning ended scoreless for Fullerton.

In the 3rd inning both pitchers were feeling their strengths and shut down the batters and the game remained 1-0 in favor of Downey. Around the 4th inning the girls began to play small ball to advance the runners and try to get something started, yet the score still remained 1-0, Downey.  In the top of the 5th inning, Savi Rojas throws a rocket to 2B to catch a girl stealing to end the half inning.  It left the girls pumped, excited, and ready to get back in the game and make things happen.

Downey was shut down in the top of the 6th inning, in a high pressure situation, with runners on 2B and 3B. The girls were finally getting used to the Downey pitching when Sara Fajnor ripped a triple to LF with Brooke Castillo on 1B.  Brooke Castillo rounded 2B and 3B as fast as she could when she realized that she had failed to touch 3B.  She turned and went back to 3B to touch it, when she realized that Sara was also there. Brooke Castillo broke for home and was thrown out at the plate.

This play didn't kill Fullerton's momentum, but increased it as they proceeded to shut down Downey in the top of the 7th innning.  The bottom of the 7th was the pivitol inning for Fullerton.  Alex Castillo lead off the inning with a single to RF and advanced to 2B as the ball was thrown into the dugout and pronounced a dead ball. Haley Schulte went in to run for Alex Castillo, and Savi Rojas laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Haley Schulte to 3B. Up to bat now was Riley Nahrwold who laid down a squeeze bunt, which scored Haley Schulte from 3B.  The game was now tied, 1-1.

The game was now in international tie-breaker in the 8th inning and Riley Nahrwold was in to pitch for Fullerton (in international tie-breaker, the last out for the team that is up to bat, starts the inning on 2B with no out).  Downey's runner on 2B was bunted over to 3B, and the out was made at 1B.  There was one out in the inning when a fly ball was hit to Taylor Browne at SS, towards CF on the edge of the infield.  Taylor Browne catches the ball, and runner on 3B breaks for home.  Taylor Browne throws the ball to Savi Rojas, and the Downey runner runs back to 3B. Savi Rojas chases her down, tosses the ball to Nina Melendez at 3B, and Nina Melendez tags the runner out at 3B. This inning ending double play gave the girls the excitement and momentum they needed to take charge of the game.

The bottom of the 8th inning started off with Erin Gonzalez on 2B.  Taylor Browne laid a bunt down the 1B line to lead off the inning, and advances Erin Gonzalez to 3B.  Erin Gonzalez is now on 3B with 1 out, and Nina Melendez is up to bat.  Nina Melendez hits a solid ground ball to SS and Erin Gonzalez breaks for home.  The SS throws the ball to home as Erin Gonzalez beats the throw home, and is called safe.  Fullerton wins the game 2-1 in the 8th inning.


This team always knows how to leave us on the edge of our seats! Way to go girls. The draw for bracket play is tonight where we will find out who we play and when we play them tomorrow. Check back later this evening for updates!

Day 2: Game Details/Sacramento

Game 1: San Jose vs. Fullerton Hills
Starting pitcher: Riley

This morning's game got off to a quick start in the 1st inning when San Jose lead-off the inning with a triple to RF, followed by a grounder to SS in which the run would score on a fielder's choice. This would be the only run San Jose would see the whole game.  Fullerton answered back with a run, after Taylor's double to CF, followed by Nina's single to right field, which would score Taylor from 2B.

The 2nd inning was quiet for San Jose and Fullerton shut them down with stellar defense.  The offense continued for Fullerton in the bottom of the 2nd inning with Alex's single and Riley's double on an overthrow to 1B, advancing Alex to 3B. Hayley would be put in to run for Riley. This put Fullerton in the position to score when Sydney laid a bunt down the 1B line, which scored another run for Fullerton.

Both teams stayed quiet offensively through the 3rd and 4th innings until the bottom of the 5th when Fullerton went on an offensive tear, scoring 3 runs.  Alex lead off the bottom of the 5th inning with a single, followed by Hayley who continued the rally with a bunt down the 1B line. Savi lays down sacrifice bunt which advances the runners to 2B and 3B.  Taylor comes through with a base-clearing double.  Nina follows with a single to RF, which scores Taylor from 2B.

San Jose was shut down by outstanding pitching and defense in the top of the 6th inning whereas Fullerton scores 2 more runs on a single to right field by Savi.

San Jose was then shut down in the top of the 7th inning to end the game, resulting in Fullerton's victory: 7-1.  After the game, as tradition stands, both teams exchanged gift bags with each other.

Offensive Highlights:

Alex 3-3, 1 RBI
Taylor 2-3, 3 RBIS

Afterwards, the girls came back to the hotel and got ready to go to Sacramento to check out Old Town and the Capitol.  This was followed by a fun-filled dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, where the girls (and the siblings) danced to 'Carwash'.

Gift exchange

Capitol

California Bear (wounded bear!)

Car wash!

Game 2: August 4, 2010 9:00 am, vs. Downey

Check back tomorrow for details!

GO FULLERTON, "Let's get crackin'!"

Day 2: Brief Update

Results of this morning's game:

Fullerton Hills 7 San Jose 1

Check back this evening for a detailed report.
Off to the Capitol!

Day 1: Opening Ceremonies

Hello everyone!

So, today was Opening Ceremonies for all of the teams.  The girls checked in with the coaches in the afternoon and took their official picture.  Then, they got dressed in their 70s inspired costumes: tie dye shirts, bright orange socks, and bandanna headbands. As for the coaches, they rocked their navy blue cowgirl hats accented with lovely orange flowers. The girls participated in pin trading with teams from all over California, and with teams from as far as Hawaii and Idaho. Opening Ceremonies began at 7:00pm and all the girls lined up in their festive attire. Umpires and teams were introduced in alphabetical order. FHS proudly walked the infield carrying their State Champions banner. The girls seemed to connect with the team from Wyoming as they shared their small town stories of going to the movies, walking around town, and dreams of going to the beach.


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Coaches in their cute hats.

 Chatting with the girls from Wyoming.

Our team is eager to start playing some softball and making a name for themselves up in Northern California. Game 1: August 2, 9:00am. Check back for scores and highlights tomorrow! Signing off from Roseville.