Olathe Rockets Organization

OLATHE

16U NEWS

Aug 4, 2008

The Rockets struggled against some very tough competition in Topeka this past week.  Luck of the draw had the Rockets facing Triple Play USA from Illinois (finished 2nd),  Kalamazoo Klash from Michigan (finished 3rd), and the Ralston Riot from Nebraska (finished 4th).

The Rockets put together a very good game against Triple Play in their 0-1 loss.  They were eliminated with a 1-4 loss to the Ralston Riot. 

Here are some highlights from the tournament:

• Parr led the offensive stats going 4 for 8 at the plate.  Smith, Hupp, Bryde, Hefner and Patterson all batted above the team batting average of .204 for the week.
• Defensive errors were still too common, recording 8 errors in just 4 games.  Bryde, Fox, Hefner, Jokisch, Smith and White were all perfect in the field with no errors recorded.
• Pitching was not exactly stellar for the week either, as the opponents batting average was .236.  Patterson recorded a 0.00 ERA in her three innings of relief work.  White recorded a 1.05 ERA in her 6.67 innings.  The pitching squad recorded a 1.81 ERA for the tournament.

The Rockets spent this week in Shawnee at the USSSA 16A World Series.  44 of the top 16A teams from around the country came to Kansas City to compete in this tournament.  This tournament included 3 pool games into a double elimination bracket.

The Rockets first game was on Tuesday against the Tidal Wave from Illinois.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  Tidal Wave scored two runs in the second inning on 2 hits and an error.  The Rockets answered with a single run in the third inning on a double by White, a sacrifice by Fox and an RBI single by Roberts.  Tidal Wave scored another two runs in the sixth inning on two hits and two errors.  That would be the final as the Rockets lost 4-1 in Seven innings.

Pool play continued on Tuesday with the Rockets facing the KC Zeal.  Stortzum got the nod for the Rockets.  The Rockets scored two runs in the first inning on a walk by Fox, a single by Stortzum, an error and an RBI ground-out by Hupp.  They scored another run in the third inning on a triple by Fox and an RBI single by Hupp.  The bats came alive in the fifth inning, scoring five more runs.  Fox, Stortzum and Hupp walked, Bryde reached on an RBI bunt, White hit an RBI single and Roberts hit a two-RBI single.  That would be enough as the Rockets won this game by run rule in five innings.

The final pool game was on Wednesday against the Columbia Rockers.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  Swinney reached on a bunt and was batted in on an RBI single by Stortzum for a run in the first inning.  They scored another run in the second inning on a single by Bryde, a sacrifice by White and an RBI single by Patterson.  The Rockers came back to tie it up in the fourth inning with two runs on 1 hit and 2 errors.  The Rockets took the lead in the fifth inning on a single by Roberts, a sacrifice by Parr, a single by Swinney, an RBI FC by Fox, and a two-RBI double by Stortzum.  The Rockets scored another two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a walk and two hits.  The Rockets answered with another run in the sixth inning when Bryde reached on error and advanced on a ground out by White and a passed ball.  That would be the final as the Rockets won 6-4 in seven innings.

Going 2-1 in pool play, the Rockets were a number 2 seed going into the double elimination bracket on Thursday.  Their first match was against the Hartford Sparx from South Dakota.  White got the start for the Rockets.  This game was a defensive dual, and the Sparx had only 3 hits and the Rockets only 4 hits through the sixth inning.  The Rockets scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Thimmesch reached on an error, Smith singled and Stortzum reached on a defensive error.

The Rockets continued in the winners bracket on Friday facing the Sluggers from Nebraska.  Thimmesch took the circle for the Rockets.  The Rockets scored a run in the top of the first inning on a single by Swinney and an RBI double by Stortzum.  The Sluggers took the lead in the bottom of the inning scoring 2 runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 error.  They scored another 3 runs in the second inning on 2 hits and an error.  Patterson came in for relief to start the third inning.  That would be the final score as the Rockets fell to the losers bracket with this 5-1 loss.

Now facing elimination, the Rockets faced the Thundercats from Missouri.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  The Rockets only allowed 2 hits through seven innings, but couldn't manage any of their own.  Parr took second base to start the international tie-breaker.  White sacrificed her to third and Bryde hit an RBI single to score her.  Bryde scored on an RBI single by Thimmesch.  The Rockets defense shut down the Thundercats (and their rec-league drum sticks on the fence) to win this game 2-0 in eight innings.

Working through the losers bracket and their third game of the day, the Rockets took on the Irish from Minnesota.  White got the start for the Rockets.  The Rockets came alive in the bottom of the third inning scoring 6 runs when Parr reached on error, Swinney bunted, Fox reached on a fielders choice, Stortzum hit an RBI single, Hupp walked, Patterson reached on a fielders choice, White walked (RBI), Bryde hit an RBI single and Smith hit a two-RBI single.  They scored another run in the forth inning on a single by Parr, a bunt by Swinney and an RBI ground-out by Fox.  Irish scored 2 runs in the bottom of the forth inning on 1 hit, a hit batter, and an error.  The Rockets scored 2 more runs in the fifth inning on a single by White and 3 errors.  Stortzum came in for relief to start the fifth inning.  Irish scored 2 runs in the fifth on 1 hit, an illegal pitch call, and an error.  The Rockets put another nail in with 2 more runs in the seventh inning on a single by Smith, a single by Parr, a passed ball and an RBI single by Swinney.  That would be the final as the Rockets won 11-4 in seven innings.

With only 12 teams remaining, Saturday came early for the Rockets, as they faced the KC Elite.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  Elite scored a run in the first inning on 2 hits and an error.  Stortzum came in for relief to start the sixth inning.  Elite scored a run in the sixth on 1 hit and 2 errors.  They scored another run in the seventh inning on 2 hits and an error.  The Rockets were eliminated with this 0-3 loss.

Here are some highlights from the World Series:

• Roberts led the offensive stats batting .364 going 4 for 11.  The team batting average was .201 for the 8 games.  Bryde, Smith, Stortzum and White all batted above the team average.

• Errors were too common, recording 18 for the tournament.  The team fielding percentage was .921.  Hupp, Roberts and Thimmesch had perfect fielding percentages for the week.

• Pitching was strong through most of the tournament.  White recorded a 0.38 ERA pitching 37 innings.  She allowed 24 hits and 6 walks while striking out 31.  Patterson and Stortzum also recorded ERA's below the team ERA of 0.79 in their work this week.

• Game MVP's were awarded to White, Stortzum and Patterson.

Congratulations on a well played World Series!  The Rockets bracket losses came at the hands of the 3rd place KC Elite, and the 4th Place Nebraska Sluggers.  The Rockets finished tied for 9th place in a field of 44 teams.   Congratulations to the Minnesota Irish (Rohr) on their World Series Championship.

July 13, 2008

The Rockets competed in the USSSA Kansas State Championship this weekend at MidAmerica West in Shawnee, KS. 

The first bracket game was on Friday evening against the Wichita Mustangs.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  The Mustangs scored 2 runs in the first inning on 1 hit and 4 errors.  They scored another run in the second inning on 2 hits.  The Rockets battled back with 2 runs in the third inning on a hit batter (Jokisch), a single by Parr, and an RBI by Patterson.  That would be the final as the Rockets fell to the Mustangs 3-2 in five innings.

After a full day of rain delay, the Rockets took on the Renegades from Wichita.  White had the ball for the Rockets.  The Renegades scored a run in the first inning on 2 hits.  The Rockets defense held them scoreless, but had not managed any runs until the sixth inning.  With time expired, Bryde singled (Jokisch ran for Bryde).  Parr advanced Jokisch with a sacrifice bunt.  Hupp walked.  Patterson advanced Jokisch with a sacrifice fly to right field.  Stortzum doubled, scoring Jokisch and Hupp for the win 2-1 in six innings.

Sunday morning began with the Rockets facing the Stingers from Wichita.  Stortzum took the circle for the rockets.  The Rockets scored a run in the third inning when Hupp reach on an error and Stortzum singled to score her.  They added another run in the fifth inning when Jokisch reached on an error.  She advanced to third on a single by Parr, and advanced to home on a wild pitch.  Thimmesch came in for relief in the fifth inning.  The Stingers scored 1 run on 3 hits, as Fox snagged a line drive and stepped on second for the final two outs of the game.

The Rockets faced the Renegades for the second time on Sunday afternoon.  Thimmesch took the circle for the Rockets.  The Renegades scored a run in the third inning on 3 hits.  The Rockets stranded 5 runners but failed to plate any runs.  The Renegades got hot in the fifth inning scoring 4 runs on 4 hits including a 3-run homer.  White came in for relief to close out the inning.  That would be the final as the Rockets were eliminated with the 5-0 loss.

Tournament Highlights:

• Hupp and Bryde were 2 for 6 and Roberts was 1 for 3, leading the team at the plate.  The team batting average was only .205 for the weekend.  Stortzum, Heffner and Thimmesch also batted above the team average for the tournament.

• The Rockets defense faltered early, but finished strong.  There were 5 errors (4 in one game) for the weekend.  Bryde, Hupp, Parr, Patterson, Roberts, Jokisch and Thimmesch were all perfect with no errors for the weekend.

• Pitching was hot and cold with a squad ERA of 2.53.  White led the squad with a 0.72 ERA allowing 11 hits while striking out 2 in her 9.66 innings of work.  Stortzum had an ERA of 1.75 allowing 6 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2 in her 4 innings.

COLORADO FIREWORKS COLLEGE EXPOSURE TOURNAMENT

July 2-5 2008

The Rockets spent last week in Aurora, Colorado for the Fireworks tournament.  55 of the top teams from 23 states (including Hawaii) attended this tournament. 

The Rockets faced some very tough competition in their pool, including two top 10 teams.  It took some time for the team to put everything together, and they won their fist elimination game in bracket play.  Their next two bracket games were losses against a top 20 team and a top 25 team.

Overall, the team played well, with the exceptional inning here and there.

Here are some highlights from the tournament:

• Fox led the team at the plate going 4 for 9 with a .500 on-base average.  White, Stortzum, Patterson and Hupp all batted above the team average of .198 for the tournament.
• Defense was an issue in almost every game this week.  There were 20 errors recorded in 6 games.  Hefner, Hupp, Jokisch, Roberts and White all had perfect fielding percentages with no errors.
• The pitching squad gave up more hits than normal against stiff competition, logging a 3.8 ERA for the week.  Thimmesch led the squad with a 1.62 ERA in 13 innings of work, including the Rockets only win.  Stortzum also pitched well, recording a 2.86 ERA after 7.33 innings.

 Rockets Finish 2nd at
KC Metro Championship

June 22, 2008

The Rockets started to come together as a team this weekend at Hidden Valley at the ASA KC Metro Championship.  Both offense and defense worked together during several games this weekend and made the difference.

The Rockets faced Kaos 2 in their first pool game on Saturday.  White got the start for the Rockets allowing only 2 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 5.  The fifth inning was all Rockets as Stortzum reached on an error, Roberts ran for Stortzum.  Hupp walked, advanced to 2nd on passed ball. Jokisch singled, scoring Roberts. Bryde reached on fielder's choice, scoring Hupp.  That would be the final as the Rockets won 2-0 in five and 1/2 innings.

The second pool game on Saturday was against the Kansas Flames.  Thimmesch got the start for the Rockets, allowing 6 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4.  White came in for relief in the sixth inning.  The Rockets could only manage 3 hits and no runs, losing this game 2-0 in 6 innings.

The Rockets went into bracket play as the number 1 seed in their pool.  They faced the Predators on Saturday night in the single elimination bracket.  White took the circle for the Rockets, allowing only 1 hit and no walks, while striking out 5.  Stortzum came in for relief to start the forth inning.  The Rockets hammered out 9 hits in this run-rule win; 12-1 in five innings.

The Rockets were now guaranteed a top 4 finish, but they wouldn't be satisfied until they made it to the championship game.  They faced KC Elite in the semifinal match on Sunday afternoon.  White got the ball for the Rockets, allowing 7 hits and 1 walk with 1 strikeout.  The Rockets offense put together another impressive performance, racking up 8 hits and 2 walks.  The third inning proved to be the deciding factor as Hefner double into left-center.  Smith walked. Patterson sacrifice bunted. Stortzum singled, scoring Hefner.  Thimmesch singled, scoring Smith. White doubled, scoring Stortzum and Thimmesch.  The final would be a 4-1 win in six innings.

Now poised to become the 2008 KC Metro Champions, the Rockets faced the Originals.  Thimmesch took the circle for the Rockets, allowing 6 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 1 in her 1.33 innings of work.  Patterson came in for relief in the second inning, allowing 3 hits and 2 walks in her 3 innings of work.  White came in for relief in the fifth inning for the final two outs of the inning.  The Rockets offense could only muster 2 hits in this championship loss.  The Originals won this game 7-0 in five innings.

Here are some highlights from this weekend:

Stortzum led the offensive effort batting .400 for the weekend.  The team batting average was .223.  White, Smith, Parr and Bryde all batted above the team average.

Defense was much improved, recording 6 errors.  Bryde, Fox, Jokisch, Patterson, Stortzum, and White all had perfect fielding percentages, with no errors.

White led the pitching squad allowing 10 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 11 batters in 16.33 innings for an ERA of 0.43.  The squads ERA for the weekend was 2.10.

OLATHE

Fall 2007/2008 16U NEWS

Jan 20, 2008

The Rockets spent this weekend in St. Louis at the USSSA College Exposure Tournament held at the Jamestown Indoor Sports Complex.  Although the event was a tournament format, the primary purpose of the event was to gain exposure with the (roughly 20) college coaches who attended, scouting for prospects.

The schedule was not very kind to the Rockets, as they played two exhibition games on Saturday evening and a very late elimination game starting past midnight.  The Rockets handily defeated the Dynasty and the Hammers in their two exhibition contests.  Pitching, offense and defense were all strong at these two games.  The Rockets put on a very good show for the college coaches.

The late game, however, was a different story.  The team came back from their two-hour break and they were just a little flat...  Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the bitter cold.  Whatever the reasons, the bats just weren't as hot and the Rockets failed to score a run against the Menaces, while allowing three runs. 

The ultimate goal for the weekend was accomplished however - getting exposure and having fun.  This Rockets team is full of talent, and the girls will continue to improve as a team.  Watch for the Rockets to really make their mark this summer.

Pictures HERE

Rockets Competitive at 18U Tanel 360

Oct 21, 2007

The Rockets played up again this weekend, competing with the 18U teams at the Tanel 360 at Adair Park.

Keeping in mind that our 14,15 & 16 year old Rockets team is competing with girls much older and more experienced, it was a very competitive tournament.  Every game was a coin-flip and the girls did a great job proving they are a team to be wary of.

The tournament started with two exhibition games.  The first opponent was the 18U Black Ice.  Kaley Patterson took the ball for the Rockets.  Black Ice scored a run in the first inning on two hits.  They scored another run in the second inning on two hits.  The Rockets scored a run in the third inning on a walk by Megan Bryde, a sacrifice bunt by Bailey Hefner and an RBI single by Patterson.  The Rockets took the lead in the forth inning scoring two runs on a single by Jessica Smith, an error, a walk (Logan Roberts) and a 2 RBI single by Hefner.  Black Ice came right back in the bottom of the inning scoring two more runs on four hits.  That would be the final score as the Rockets lost this one 3-4 in five innings.

The second exhibition game was against the 18U Nebraska Sluggers.  Lauren Thimmesch  took the circle for the Rockets.  The Sluggers came out hot, scoring two runs in the first inning on two hits and an error.  They scored another run in the forth inning on on two hits.  With time running out in the game, the Rockets scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a hit batter (Chelsea Parr), two walks (Roberts & Hefner), a single by Patterson, several passed balls and an RBI single by Smith.  The Rockets won this game 4-3 in five innings.

Bracket play began Saturday night with the Rockets facing the Harrisonville Twisters.  Kellie White got the start for the Rockets.  The Twisters scored a run in the second inning on on two hits.  The Rockets tied it up, scoring a run in the third inning on a single by Patterson, an error and an RBI single by Thimmesch.  The Twisters scored another run in the forth inning on two hits and a walk.  The Rockets lost this game 1-2 in five innings.

Now in the losers bracket, the Rockets once again faced the Black Ice.  White took the circle again for the Rockets.  Black ice scored a run in the first inning on a 2-out single and an error.  The Rockets tied it up in the bottom of the inning on multiple errors off a hit by Hefner, a single by Patterson and another error.  The Rockets took the lead scoring another run in the third inning on a single by Roberts, a walk (Smith), an error and a single by Thimmesch.  Black Ice scored two runs in the forth inning on three hits.  The Rockets hopes for another 18U championship game were over as they lost their second game 2-3 in five innings.

Here are some highlights from this tournament:

• Batting:
  Overall, the bats are struggling a little but Smith and Patterson share the offensive lead, each hitting .500 for the weekend.  The team batting average was .293 for the tournament.  Thimmesch, Hefner and Lauren Fox also batted above the team average for the weekend.

• Defense:
  Defense was much stronger this weekend, only recording 4 errors in 4 games for a team fielding percentage of .959.  Hefner, Parr, Smith, Patterson, Thimmesch, Roberts and Bryde all had perfect fielding with no errors.

• Pitching:
  The Rockets pitching squad had another good tournament.  The Squad ERA for the weekend was 3.32.  Thimmesch led the squad with her 1.40 ERA against the Nebraska Sluggers, and the only Win for the Rockets.  White pitched two games, striking out 10 batters with a 2.80 ERA.

Rockets finish 2nd at 18U Capital City Crush

Oct 1, 2007

The Rockets played in their first tournament of the Fall Season this weekend at Lake Shawnee in Topeka, KS.  The Rockets played up competing in the 18U division.

Their first game was against the 18U Lawrence Phenix.  Kellie White got the start for the Rockets.  Phenix scored 1 run in the first inning, with two outs, on back to back doubles.  The Rockets came out hot in bottom of the inning with a bunt by Janessa, a single by Bailey Heffner, a walk by Kaley Patterson, a hit batter (Kendal), a dropped third strike (Mariah Stortzum), an RBI ground-out by Lauren Fox and walks by White and Chelsea Parr.  The Rockets added a run in the second inning on a single by Hefner, a sacrifice by Patterson, a single by Kendal and a single by Stortzum.  That would be the final score as the Rockets won this game 6-1 in 5 innings.

Their second game was against the 18U Diamond Cutters.  Patterson got the start for the Rockets.  The Rockets scored a run in the first inning  on a triple by Janessa and an RBI ground-out by Hefner.  They scored another two runs in the second inning on a Single by Fox, a single by Janessa and an error.  The Diamond Cutters scored a run in the forth inning on one hit and an error.  The Rockets put the game out of reach in the fifth inning scoring 3 more runs on a single by Hefner, a bunt by Patterson and a two-RBI single by White.  The Rockets won this game 6-1 in 5 innings.

Their third pool game was against the 18U Flames from Spring Hill, KS.  Stortzum got the start for the Rockets.  The Flames came out hot, scoring 2 runs in the first inning on 3 hits.  The Rockets came back in the bottom of the inning scoring a run on a single by Hefner and an RBI single by Kendal.  That would be the final as the Rockets stranded 4 and lost this game 2-1 in 5 innings.

Their final pool game on Saturday was against the 18U Scarlets from East Des Moines, IA.  Lauren Thimmesh got the start for the Rockets.  The Scarlets scored a run in the third inning on a walk, a sacrifice and a single.  The Rockets tied the score in the bottom of the inning on a double by Parr and an RBI triple by Janessa.  The Rocket defense came apart in the forth inning allowing the Scarlets 4 runs on 2 hits and 4 errors.  With time running out, the Rockets mounted a come-back.  They scored 3 runs on a single by Patterson, a single by Kendal, an RBI single by Thimmesch, an RBI single by White and a single by Parr.  With the winning run stranded, the Rockets lost this game 4-5 in 4 innings.

Bracket play began on Sunday morning against the Flames.  White took the circle for the Rockets.  The Rockets took the lead in the second inning on a single by White, a sacrifice by Parr and a two-run home run by Stortzum.  The Flames attempted a come-back in the bottom of the sixth inning.  They scored 1 run on 2 hits and 2 errors leaving the bases loaded.  The Rockets advanced to the championship game beating the Flames 2-1 in 6 innings.

The Championship game had the Rockets facing the Scarlets again.  Thimmesch took the circle for the Rockets.  The Scarlets scored a run in the first inning on 1 hit.  They scored another run in the second inning on 1 hit and an error.  They scored another 4 runs in the third inning on 4 hits and 2 errors before the skies opened up and the tournament was canceled.  This game did not complete 3 full innings, so it is not an official game.  The Scarlets were awarded the 1st place trophy based on their pool play record.

Here are some highlights from this tournament:

• Batting:
  White led the Rockets offense hitting .417 for the weekend.  The team batting average was .309 for the tournament.  Parr, Thimmesch, Hefner and Hannah Jokisch also batted above the team average for the weekend.

• Defense:
  Defense was a little shaky this weekend, recording 13 errors in 6 games for a team fielding percentage of .886.  Hefner, Patterson and White all had perfect fielding with no errors.

• Pitching:
  The Rockets pitching squad had a good tournament.  The Squad ERA for the weekend was 1.25.  Patterson led the squad with a 0.00 ERA in her game against the Diamond Cutters.  White had a 0.64 ERA after two full games against the Phenix and Flames, striking out 18 of 46 batters faced.