Announcement
The Elk Grove Girls Softball League 16-Under tournament team has captured the 2008 NSA Northern California State Championship. The tournament was held in Yuba City and comprised of teams from Red Bluff to San Jose. The Thunder had a combined 6-1 record for the tournament.
The Thunder opened the tournament with Andrea Kelly pitching an 8-0 shutout of the Cupertino Inferno. Offensive support was provided by Chelsea Dunn (triple), Kirsti Smith and Amanda Absher (doubles). Next up was the Reno Heat. Both teams battled scoreless into the 4th inning when the Thunder blew the game open courtesy of a 3-run homerun by Smith. Jessica Venturelli pitched a complete game to record the win. Haley Willmon then got her turn on the mound and shut down the San Jose Legacy for the team's third win. Kennisha Montgomery was the team's leading hitter, blasting an over-the-fence grand-slam homerun.
The Thunder's only blemish was game 4 against the Paradise Bobcats in the semi-final game. Defensinve mistakes were the norm and the Bobcats walked away undefeated with a 12-8 win. All of the 12 runs were unearned. The Thunder pulled it back together in the loser's bracket finale, again facing the Reno Heat. Venturelli shut down Reno 4-1. Amanda McGrew sparked the win with her 2nd inning triple, scoring the go-ahead run and Heather Wilkinson sealed the victory with her 2 hits and outstanding play at catcher. This win put the Thunder into the Championship against the Bobcats, but the Bobcats had to be beat twice for the Thunder to capture the title.
Game #1 was a tight one, with Willmon and Kelly combining for a 3-2 win. McCrew's 2 extra base hits and Krystal Camina's defensive support were the keys to victory. The Thunder built on the momentum from game #1 and dominated game #2, winning 10-2. The game had a scary moment in the 4th inning. Venturelli was leading 4-1 when she was knocked from the game by a line drive off her right ankle. Then in the 5th inning, Wilkinson had to leave the game with a stomach virus, but returned to play with her illness when the team was going to have to forfeit for not having another substitute. The team responded with Kelly coming in to preserve the win, and the offense exploding for 6 runs in the last 2 innings. Raelina Abelia had her biggest hit of the year...a 2 run single to center field to end the game to seal the tournament championship....and the bragging rights to be the Northern California State Champs!
(Note: The Thunder is sponsored by the Elk Grove Girls Softball League and has teams from 10-Under and older. For more information on the Elk Grove Girls Softball League Thunder program, please visit the team links below.)
