Spirit of Morgan Hill’s 12-and-under Red team ended its summer
season last weekend with a second-place effort in the Watsonville
Strawberry Jam. Spirit went 3-1 in the 10-team, Amateur Softball
Association tournament, losing 4-0 in the championship game Sunday
to the San Carlos Force, which allowed one run the entire
tournament. It was Spirit’s fourth top-five finish of 2011 and came
after an 11th-place showing out of 27 teams in the Northern
California Championships
WATSONVILLE
Spirit of Morgan Hill’s 12-and-under Red team ended its summer season last weekend with a second-place effort in the Watsonville Strawberry Jam.
Spirit went 3-1 in the 10-team, Amateur Softball Association tournament, losing 4-0 in the championship game Sunday to the San Carlos Force, which allowed one run the entire tournament. It was Spirit’s fourth top-five finish of 2011 and came after an 11th-place showing out of 27 teams in the Northern California Championships.
Spirit entered Watsonville with an impressive 16 wins behind it — but also with a shorthanded bench that was missing starting pitcher Serena Causor (12-3). Mika Itow filled in nicely Saturday during an opening 4-3 win over the South Monterey County Blaze. Itow struck out 11 and gave up three runs on six hits in the full nine innings, lifting her team into the championship bracket for Sunday.
Spirit added a 10-0 victory over the North County Raptors in their final game Saturday, led by the hot-hitting of Jennifer Rosales, who batted a team-best .778 with a bases-loaded triple.
Spirit infielders Kelli DesRochers, Emerson Neet and Liz Krall combined for 10 putouts and were error-free. Spirit also received outstanding catching Saturday by Jackie Orta, whose only blemishes were two passed balls. She threw out a pair of baserunners.
Spirit earned a No. 2 seed for the four-team championship bracket and drew the local favorite No. 3 Pajaro Valley Tremblers early Sunday.
In a back-and-forth affair that Spirit won 7-5, Rosales set the tone again by doubling and scoring in the first. Spirit had key hits by Itow, Neet, Orta and Kylie Weeks, who went two for two, paving the way along with timely baserunning by Cayla Oty and Priyanka Bhatia, who both scored.
Sarah Machado came through with a key sacrifice squeeze bunt for an RBI in the second inning to go with a game-winning two-run single to right field in the second-to-last inning, moving the Spirit into Sunday afternoon’s championship game against the top-seeded San Carlos Force.
Itow started the final but was taken out after two innings because of an injury. Machado stepped up with three scoreless innings of relief.
Spirit had nine hits, including a three-for-three performance by Rosales and several other key hits. Spirit loaded the bases in three of the five innings of play but could not break through against the solid Force.
With San Carlos leading 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs, Spirit’s Kat Castronovo ended a Force rally by picking off a runner at third.
Spirit loaded the bases in the final inning with three consecutive hits by Rosales, Itow and Neet, putting the tying run at the plate with one out. But San Carlos came through with two key defensive plays to end the game and clinch the title.
NOTE: Spirit of Morgan Hill Softball begins its fall season next month. Tryouts are Aug. 6 for all levels, including 10U, 12U and 14U teams.
