Spirit of Morgan Hill 10U and 12U teams started the competitive season by hosting the 5th Annual Ponytail Classic in Morgan Hill and San Martin May 31-June 2, with 24 teams from all over Bay Area.
The Spirit won the 12U division with a 7-1 win over the West Valley Slammers. The team had a strong start to the tournament with a record of 2-1 with strong pitching from Sam Baer, Nicole Bonino and Sammy Evans.
The team entered play on June 2 as the No. 2 seed in the semi finals.
The Spirit won their first game against the Burlingame Flames, 10-0, and moved to the championship against West Valley.
With solid defense from Ashley Burke, Kylie Plant, Ashley Church, Sydney Bell, Erika Cates, Susanna Torres, Alexis Garcia, Rachel Salem and Lexi Galocy, the team held the Slammers to a close game.
Baer hit a go-ahead home run that led to the win. This is the first ever championship win for Spirit at the Ponytail Classic.
The 10U was led by solid pitching by Reyna Peoples, who held a 2-0 record.
The team lost in the semi finals to the No. 1 seed West Valley Slammers.
The Spirit had solid hitting by Cassie Church who held a .454 batting average and solid defense.
The 12U team continued its winning ways June 8-9 at the Manzanita Mayhem in Prunedale with a record of 5-1, beating out the Cabrillo Crushers in the finals, 9-6. The girls had solid hitting all weekend, including a home run by Galocy.
The team will next play at the Nor Cal Championships June 21 – 23 in Sunnyvale. This will be a chance to qualify for Nationals.
The Spirit 8U and 14U also participated in the Manzanita Mayhem. This was both of their first tournaments of the season.
The 8U ‘s earned the No. 2 seed from play on June 8.
The Spirit won their first game June 9 and headed to the championship game against Hollister Heat.
Although they did not win, this is the first ever second place finish for a Spirit 8U team.
The 14U team ended play June 8 with a 1-2 record, going on to play Sunday against the North County Raptors. The girls held the lead most of the game, but fell in the last inning, 6-3. Their next tournament is in Salinas.
