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NSA World Series Info
Congratulations 16U Mattoon Pride Orange
Second Place NSA Eastern World Series!!!!!!!!!!
Updated 7/30/06 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 30, 2006 11:16 PM CDT Mattoon Journal Gazette
Pride Orange second to one
By RICK DAWSON, Staff Writer
rdawson@jg-tc.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With a national championship on the line, the Mattoon Pride 16-and-under Orange ran out of gas Saturday.
The Indy Diamond Chix, behind a pitcher who didn’t allow a run during the National Softball Association’s Class A Eastern World Series, put an end to an impressive comeback.
A loss earlier in the day dropped the Pride into the loser’s bracket, but it clawed its way through three opponents to earn a shot against the only undefeated team remaining. Sara Evans’ four-hitter, combined with five Mattoon errors, gave the Diamond Chix a 6-0 victory and the NSA title.
Evans, the ace on a team consisting of players from throughout Indiana and as far away as California, tossed a no-hitter when the Diamond Chix handed the Pride its only loss in an East Peoria tourney, a 1-0 tiebreaker, earlier in the summer.
“The best pitcher we’ve seen this year, no doubt,” Pride coach Wade Bradley said. “Had we been fresh it would have been closer, but she would have been tough to beat regardless.”
The Pride, 48-5, which set a number of age division records, including one for fewest losses, still did something only one other 16-and-under team in the program’s history was able to accomplish. The runner-up finish equaled that of the 2002 squad, another one stocked heavily with local talent.
Nine Mattoon players were part of the current group, including Aubrey Frank, who led a power display unique even for the tournament’s standards. She had half of the Pride’s 10 home runs in Columbus. Three of the team’s blasts came in a 7-2 victory over the Pennsylvania Silver Bullets in Saturday’s opener.
En route to the title game, the Pride avenged its only previous loss to Pittsburgh Spirit Black, which later lost to the Diamond Chix, setting up a semifinal rematch.
PRIDE GAME CAPSULES
Pride 7, Silver Bullets (Pa.) 2
Hailey Tinsman had a two-run double in the second and a solo home run in the fifth as Mattoon cracked three homers off two pitchers. In the fifth, Jenna Bradley added a solo blast and Frank a two-run shot after Lauren Covington reached on a single.
Amanda Peck hurled a four-hitter and struck out 10.
Pittsburgh Spirit Black 4, Pride 2
The first of two heated contests between bitter rivals n the Pennsylvania club also defeated the Pride at last year’s tourney — ignited tempers when a call at the plate, resulting in a Spirit Black run, was harshly disputed in the second inning.
The Pride fell behind 4-0 before Tinsman’s two-run single with the bases loaded in the sixth cut the deficit in half. But Alexa Bryson, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Prep Player of the Year as a sophomore, retired the last two hitters she faced to end the threat.
Pride 4, Bay State Brats 0
Effingham’s Alicia Wittenberg scattered three hits and Frank hit another two-run shot in a three-run first inning. The Pride’s other run came on Bradley’s solo homer in the third.
Pride 11, Silver Bullets 5
Ahead 6-4 entering the sixth, the Pride cushioned its lead with five runs, two of them scoring on Frank’s home run with two outs. Wittenberg and Bradley drove in a pair of runs and Covington doubled to score Bradley, bringing Frank to the plate.
Peck, who earned her 15th win, allowed one earned run. Frank pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for the save.
Pride 4, Pittsburgh Spirit Black 2
Brittany Bonic tagged Bryson for a two-out RBI single to put Mattoon ahead in the second inning and Peck followed with a two-run single of her own. Later in the sixth, Covington’s single scored Bradley, who had doubled with two outs, giving the Pride a 4-2 lead.
Two Mattoon errors with one out in the sixth loaded the bases for Bryson, who hit a grounder deep to third. Covington’s throw to Tori Purcell, leaning wide at the plate, cut down one run and Frank (20-2) forced a grounder to short to end the game.
Indy Diamond Chix 6, Pride 0
Evans got plenty of help from Pendleton Heights’ Erin Falkenberry, one of the tourney’s best hitters, in the top of the first. Falkenberry launched a two-run homer to left with one out and Evans was rarely challenged.
The Pride came closest to scoring in the sixth, when Lydia Hilgenberg singled and Wittenberg was hit by a pitch. With runners on second and third and one out, Bradley hit a sharp, unassisted double-play liner to third to end the game.
Wittenberg (13-2) struck out at least two hitters in each of the first four innings, 10 for the game, and allowed one earned run.
Contact Rick Dawson at rdawson@jg-tc.com or 238-6855.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
(Dbl Elim)
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORGANE lost 4-2 to Pittsburg Spirit Black
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 4-0 Bay State Brats
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE lost 6-0 Indy Diamond Chix
Friday, July 28, 2006
(Dbl Elim)
10U MATTOON PRIDE lost 4-2 to Chi-Town Express-IL (Finished 2-3)
12U MATTOON PRIDE won vs. Louisville Diamonds
12U Mattoon Pride lost
14U MATTOON PRIDE won 3-0 Pittsburgh Spirit Gold
14U Mattoon Pride lost
16U MATTOON PRIDE TEAL vs. Orland Park A's
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 3-2 vs. Eastern Valley Waves-PA
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 5-3 vs. St. Louis Fusion
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 7-2 vs. Silver Bullets-PA
18U MATTOON PRIDE vs. Ohio Classics-OH at 9:30 a.m.
18U Mattoon Pride lost
Thursday, July 27, 2006
(Dbl Elim)
GAMES RAINED OUT IN OHIO
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
(Dbl Elim)
10U MATTOON PRIDE lost 9-5 to INDIANA THUNDER (First Round Dbl Elim)
10U MATTOON PRIDE won 5-2 Adrian Lookouts
12U MATTOON PRIDE lost 5-3 to CENTRAL OHIO STINGRAYS GREY
14U MATTOON PRIDE won 7-6 CIGS Rebels
16U MATTOON PRIDE TEAL lost 6-3 ST. LOUIS FUSION-MO
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 15-1 Sussex Chix
18U MATTOON PRIDE lost 5-1 to CENTRAL OHIO LADY REBELS (See Story Below)
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
(Pool Play) & (First Round Dbl Elim)
10U MATTOON PRIDE won 10-3 OHIO EMERALDS-OH at 8 a.m. (Pool Play) (3rd in Pool)
12U MATTOON PRIDE won 5-4 ST. LOUIS ESPRIT-MO (First Round Dbl Elim) at 5 p.m.
14U MATTOON PRIDE lost 10-5 to GAHANNA LADY LIONS BLUE-OH (Pool Play)
14U MATTOON PRIDE lost 3-1 to INDIANA SHOCKWAVES SILVER (First Rnd Dbl Elim)
16U MATTOON PRIDE TEAL won 8-1 OAKVILLE ANGELS-CN (Pool Play)
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 7-1 LANCASTER LAZERS-PA (Pool Play)
18U MATTOON PRIDE won 7-6 vs. winner of game 8 -- QUEST-IL or INDIANA EXTREME (First Round Dbl Elim)
Monday, July 24, 2006
(Pool Play)
10U MATTOON PRIDE lost a tough game 10-4 to WELLINGTON WILD RED – FL
12U MATTOON PRIDE lost 12-8 to CENTER GROVE WIZARDS - IN in 11 innings
12U MATTOON PRIDE Bye (3rd in Pool)
14U MATTOON PRIDE lost to SEVERNA PARK GREEN HORNETS - MD
16U MATTOON PRIDE TEAL won 7-6 over COUNTY BELLES – NJ
16U MATTOON PRIDE ORANGE won 3-2 over SUDDEN IMPACT – VA
18U MATTOON PRIDE won 8-0 over DIAMOND GEMS – MA
18U MATTOON PRIDE won 9-0 INDIANA CHAOS
Pride gets washed out at World Series
By JG/T-C
sports@jg-tc.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Rain pushed every class in the National Softball Association Class A World Series back a day, with the Pride 16-and-under Teal leading in the second inning of its loser’s bracket contest.
Play was postponed after the Teal moved ahead of the Orland Park A’s, another Illinois squad, 5-0 in the second inning. The game resumes today at 6:30 a.m.
Also interrupted were the Pride 18s and Pride 12s. Neither the Pride 16 Orange nor the Pride 14s began play on Thursday. Today’s forecast, with rain as a possibility, threatened to wipe out yet another day. Tournament officials have considered extending play until Sunday.
The Pride 18s were scoreless in the first inning of its loser’s bracket contest vs. the Ohio Classics. That game resumes at 6:30 a.m. today. The Orange 16-and-under squad’s Gold Bracket game vs. the Eastland (Ohio) Waves was postponed and gets underway around 7:30 a.m.
The 14-and-under Pride, wading through the loser’s bracket, still awaited the winner of Thursday’s game between the St. Louis Diamond Cats and the Pittsburgh Spirit Gold. In another contest, the 12-and-under Pride had a 4-1 lead against the Louisville (Ky.) Diamonds in the second inning.
Beaten by the St. Louis Fusion 6-3 on Wednesday, the Pride Teal 16s jumped ahead of Orland Park behind Jena Cummins, who knocked in four of its five runs. She had a two-run double in the first then tripled to drive in Lindsay Spitz and Amelia Carr in the second, both of whom reached on singles.
Kelsi Hoey, in the pitcher’s circle with a runner on and none out in the bottom of the second, added an RBI single in the first.
A defensive lapse cost the Teal in its loss to the Fusion. Carr had a no-hitter and a three-run lead heading into the fourth when the Pride committed all six of its errors.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Pride 18s fall into losers’ bracket
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Five errors plagued the Mattoon Pride 18-and-under team in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Central Ohio Lady Rebels in the National Softball Association national tournament.
“We had our chances,” Pride coach Mike Dow said. “The first inning we gave up a run, the second inning they had a leadoff home run and then we kind of fell apart and made a couple of errors.
“We made some base running errors and I made some coaching errors. I sent a couple of runners I shouldn’t have.”
Vanessa James and Kaitelyn Kegley had two hits each for the Pride, which is to play a 9:30 a.m. losers’ bracket game today in the double-elimination tournament.
Peck powers Pride Orange win
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Amanda Peck pitched the Mattoon Pride 16-and-under Orange’s second straight one-hitter and hit two doubles in Wednesday’s National Softball Association tournament win.
The NSA Illinois state champion whipped the Delaware state champion Sussex Chix 15-1 in the national tournament’s winners’ bracket.
A day after Alecia Wittenberg pitched a one-hitter in the Pride Orange’s 7-1 win over the Lancaster (Pa.) Lazers, Peck threw a one-hitter in a five-inning mercy rule game.
Aubrey Frank got the Pride going with a three-run homer in the first inning and later hit a double while much of the offense came from the batting order’s No. 9 hitter Peck with her two doubles and three RBIs and No. 10 in the NSA-allowed 10-player lineup Emily Sowers with a double, two singles and four RBIs.
“The story is we’ve got some kids at the bottom of the order getting hot at the right time,” Pride Orange coach Wade Bradley said. “If we get everybody going at the same time, we’ll be at the top of our game.”
Now 42-3 this season, the Pride Orange is to play an 11 a.m. game today in the double-elimination tournament at Columbus, Ohio.
Mattoon Pride 18s roll on in opening day of nationals
By JG/T-C
sports@jg-tc.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Barely challenged, Mattoon’s 18-and-under Pride rolled to first place in its own pool at the National Softball Association National Tournament Monday.
Kelli Humbert and Hannah Dow hurled shutouts in a pair of shortened victories over the New Hampshire Diamond Gems and Indianapolis Chaos as the Pride, 24-9, earned a bye before it faces a No. 3 or 4 seed at 5 p.m. today when the main draw begins.
Humbert improved to 9-5, pitching a three-hitter in an 8-0 win, while Dow (13-4) gave up just one hit as the Pride downed the Chaos 9-0 in five innings. Casey-Westfield teammates Tasha Wilhoit and Taylor Sloat took turns at the plate, with Wilhoit ripping three hits in the first win and Sloat three more in the second.
“We came out with great hitting, great pitching all the way, and great defense,” Mattoon coach Mike Dow said. “The pitchers have just been fabulous.”
Catcher Bret Nelson also had a big defensive game at the plate, gunning down three runners trying to steal, and completed a pair of double plays after Humbert strikeouts in the opener.
Stephanie Humbert, Kelli’s sister, and Tori Knierim contributed to the wins after becoming late additions to Mattoon’s roster. Humbert had a single vs. the Diamond Gems and Knierim a sacrifice fly in the second game.
Pride 16s reach 40-win mark
Mattoon’s 16-and-under Pride reached a milestone by defeating Virginia’s Sudden Impact 3-2 in its NSA National Tournament opener Monday.
The win gives it a 40-3 mark, the winningest in Pride history, and pushed it one game closer to the top seed in its own pool.
Hailey Tinsman’s two-run homer to right-center in the fourth was the crucial hit, and Aubrey Frank improved to 18-1 with a seven-hit performance. With runners on second and third and two out in the bottom of the seventh, she struck out Alexa Fox, Sudden Impact’s No. 3 hitter, on a pitch with the count full to end the game.
Lindsey Ward’s RBI grounder after Frank walked and Tori Purcell singled provided the Pride’s first run in the second.
Alicia Wittenberg is to start when the Pride faces the Lancaster (Pa.) Lasers at 8 a.m. today.
In other NSA games at the National tourney, Mattoon’s 10-and-under, 12-and-under and 14-and-under teams lost in the opening round. The 12s were beaten in an 11-inning tiebreaker.
