The Gilroy Glory Under-16 girls softball team was almost as hot
as the weather, finishing second last weekend in the All American
Classic ASA Fastpitch
”
A
”
tournament at Twin Creeks Sports Complex in Sunnyvale.
The Gilroy Glory Under-16 girls softball team was almost as hot as the weather, finishing second last weekend in the All American Classic ASA Fastpitch “A” tournament at Twin Creeks Sports Complex in Sunnyvale.
The Garlic Girls battled back from the No. 4 seed to make it to the championship game despite scorching temperatures that topped the century mark. It was the second runner-up finish for the Glory in the past month.
In the championship round on Sunday, the Glory reaped revenge on the South Bay Steal, shutting them out 9-0 with pitcher Ashley Harrington hurling a two-hitter and striking out four. The Steal had edged Gilroy 5-4 in the qualifying round on Saturday.
The Glory dropped the championship game to a red-hot Burlingame Flames’ team that made it to the finals with a 12-0 win over the San Lorenzo Outlaws.
Leading the way throughout the tournament was Harrington, who not only pitched two complete games, but also led the team in hitting by going 5-for-11.
Power hitting second baseman Ashley Serrano had the second highest batting average at .384, going 5-for-13. Speedy left fielder Kaitlin Muraoka followed at .375, with catcher Kristy Pineda hitting .363.
Extra base hits were provided by Serrano (triple and home run), Harrington (triple), Pineda (two doubles), Emily Castro (double) and Danielle Payne (double).
Sharing the pitching duties with Harrington throughout the two-day tournament were Kelly Hillman and Payne. Other batting averages for the Glory were Stephanie Doting (.250), Samantha Romero (.214), Castro (.214), Payne (.200), and Hillman (.200). Also contributing were Ally McClintic, Stelle Nelson and Patty Gomez.
In the championship game, the Glory jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a triple by Serrano and a single by Pineda. Castro also scored after reaching base on an error.
However, the Burlingame Flames evened the game in the first inning before going ahead 4-2 in the third.
Serrano got Gilroy to within one run with a solo home run in the fifth inning, but the Flames came on strong in the sixth inning to put the game away.
The Glory’s best game came in the semifinals with their 9-0 victory over the South Bay Steal. The Glory took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, with singles by Doting and Romero, and a double by Castro.
Gilroy added three more in the fourth inning on a double by Romero and singles by Harrington and Muraoka. The Glory capped the scoring with four runs in the fifth inning on a double by Pineda, single by Payne and triple by Harrington.
Evidence of how close the competition was throughout the tournament came in the form of two ties. The Glory tied the Napa Valley Express 4-4 and the San Lorenzo Outlaws 3-3.
The Gilroy Glory is managed by Dennis Castro and coached by Marty Serrano, Wes Hillman, Rebecca Dayton and Jerry Nelson.
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