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Thursday, July 26, San Bernardino - The Manhattan Little League 9 & 10 Softball All Stars captured the Southern California state championship by defeating Apple Valley American Little League on Wednesday by a score of 18 to 8 in extra innings and on Thursday by a score of 5-3, completing a sweep in the best-of-three finals. This marks the second consecutive 9 & 10 year old state championship for Manhattan Little League, with an entirely different team roster than last year’s team. In Wednesday’s opening game in San Bernardino, Manhattan’s offense started quickly. In the first inning, the first three Manhattan hitters, Brooke Feld, Lindsay Salem and Jenna McKinney, loaded the bases with a single, single and walk. Cleanup hitter Lauren Farkas came to the plate, and on a 1-2 pitch drilled a line drive over the centerfielders head for a base-clearing double. In the second inning, Manhattan loaded the bases again, and who else but Farkas came to the plate. She drove the first pitch into the left-center gap for yet another 3-RBI double. Manhattan’s offense tried to keep the momentum going, but couldn’t push any more runs across the plate in the next four innings, despite a 4th inning double by Alicia DeMartini and a 6th inning triple by McKinney. Manhattan pitcher Kasey Hutton (winner of five tournament games heading into the finals) and her fielders held Apple Valley scoreless over the first three innings. Apple Valley then began to creep back into the game, scoring once in the 4th inning on a bunt single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a fielder’s choice. Then, in the 5th inning, Apple Valley pushed across three runs, but their rally was stifled on a pop-up for the third out with the bases loaded. Other key defensive plays in the 5th inning were shortstop Mia Mason recovering a grounder deflected off Hutton’s glove and throwing to first for the out, and third baseman McKinney charging a bunt and wheeling to throw to Mason at third to force out the lead runner. With the score 6 to 4, Apple Valley mounted another rally in the bottom of the 6th inning. Two infield singles followed by a single to centerfield and a groundout to first scored one run and left the tying run at third and the winning run at second with only one out. Taylor Balen came in from right field to replace Hutton as pitcher. Balen walked the first batter, loading the bases, then struck out the next batter for the second out. Hutton then returned to pitch to the next batter, who hit a hard grounder toward second base. Second baseman Mary Dawson went to her knees to backhand the ball, unable to throw to first or second but keeping the ball from going into the outfield. The tying run scored from third, but Dawson quickly rose to her feet looking for the lead runner. The Apple Valley runner from second, representing the potential winning run, rounded third but her third base coach grabbed her arm to keep her from going home – which automatically resulted in the third out and ended the sixth inning in a 6 to 6 tie. When the game moved into extra innings, Manhattan’s offense wasted no time in responding decisively to their opponent’s rally. Following is the sequence for the first nine (yes, the first nine) hitters in Manhattan’s top of the 7th – Single, Walk, Strikeout, Double, Single, Single, Triple, Single, Walk. And the inning kept going from there. By the time the third out was recorded on a force-out, Manhattan had scored 12 runs and sent 18 batters to the plate. Each of the nine girls in the batting order scored at least one run in that single inning. Buoyed with a 12-run lead, Brittany Werre came in to pitch the bottom of the 7th. Apple Valley managed two runs but never mounted a serious threat. When the third out came at about 10:15 pm, Manhattan had won by the final score of 18 to 8. Farkas ended the game with 9 RBIs, on her two doubles, one triple, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. Other players with multiple hits in the game included Salem, McKinney and Feld (despite suffering a pre-game hand injury). On Thursday afternoon, the two teams returned for the second game under the scorching San Bernardino sun and 100+ degree temperatures. Not surprisingly, the Apple Valley pitcher didn’t give Lauren Farkas too many good pitches during the game, walking her the first two times on nine total pitches! Nonetheless, Manhattan built a lead once again. In the 2nd inning, Farkas scored the first run from third on a groundball by Mary Dawson. In the 4th inning, Manhattan scored four runs to take a 5 to 0 lead on a double by Jenna McKinney, another walk to Farkas, singles by Mia Mason and Olivia Rodberg, a walk to Mary Dawson, a hit-by-pitch of Taylor Balen, and a fielder’s choice by Brittany Werre. On defense, Mary Dawson pitched a complete game, striking out 12 Apple Valley hitters (giving her a total of 30 strikeouts over 16 1/3 innings of Division and State tournament pitching). Manhattan’s fielders played solidly, especially against Apple Valley’s bunts. Apple Valley’s biggest threat came in the bottom of the 5th inning, when the top of their order started the inning by scoring two runs on a defensive error, a walk and a single to the outfield. But Dawson slammed the door shut with three consecutive strikeouts The game entered the bottom of the 6th with Manhattan ahead 5 to 2. The first batter advanced to second on error and then third on a stolen base. The next batter bunted and was thrown out at first, allowing the run to score to make it 5 to 3. But that would be all for Apple Valley, as Dawson struck out the next batter and then induced a pop-up that second baseman Brittany Werre cradled to clinch the championship. Following is the complete roster of the 2007 9 & 10 Year Old State Champion All-Star Team: Taylor Balen Mary Dawson Alicia DeMartini Lauren Farkas Brooke Feld Kasey Hutton Mia Mason Jenna McKinney Olivia Rodberg Keala Rusher Lindsay Salem Brittany Werre Manager: Greg Werre Coach: Steve Salem This is a very special accomplishment by a tremendous group of girls. Be sure to give these girls a hearty congratulations when you see them!!!
Sunday, July 22 - Alhambra, CA: The Manhattan Little League 9 & 10 Softball All Stars defeated Metro Pioneer Little League (Santa Fe Springs) by the score of 3 to 1 to take the Division III North title on Sunday night. Manhattan took an early lead in the top of the first inning when Lindsay Salem singled to left, advanced to third on a walk to Jenna McKinney and a stolen base, and then scored on an infield hit by Lauren Farkas. Later, Alicia DeMartini led off the third inning with a single. Pinch runner Brooke Feld then moved to third on a single by Jenna McKinney. When McKinney then stole second, Metro Pioneer threw short to the shortstop but the return throw home was too late to catch Feld sliding across home plate. In the fifth inning, with bases loaded, Mia Mason ripped a line drive that the Metro Pioneer pitcher snagged for an out. The pitcher then tried to double off Lauren Farkas at first but the throw got past the first baseman, enabling Lindsay Salem to score from third base. In the field, Manhattan played strong defense throughout the game, with both the infield and the outfield making key plays. Starting pitcher Mary Dawson threw a complete game, striking out nine, including the final two batters of the game. Metro Pioneer’s one run came in the bottom of the fifth inning, the only time Metro placed a runner beyond second base. Metro’s top of the batting order combined two singles and Manhattan’s lone error of the game to score one and leave runners at second and third with one out. Dawson ended the rally by inducing a pop-up to third and a groundout to second. The MB Stars now advance to the Southern California state finals in San Bernardino on Wednesday and Thursday. Their opponent is Apple Valley American Little League, winners of the Division III South title. The format is best-of-three games, with the first game at 7 pm on Wednesday. The second game will begin at 5:30 pm on Thursday, with the third game (if necessary) being played immediately afterward at 8 pm Thursday. The field is located at Blair Park (intersection of Roberds Ave and 33rd St) in San Bernardino, just off the 215 freeway. July 19 - Alhambra, CA: In a 3 hour marathon, Manhattan Beach fought back from an 8 to 1 deficit to win 22 to 13 against Temple City. At the start, Manhattan Beach played sluggishly allowing 8 runs in the first inning. But the team refused to give up and slowly fought back, taking a decisive lead in the fifth inning. Patience at the plate resulted in several walks. Additionally, several MB all stars ended up with 2 or more hits including Lauren Farkas, Brittany Werre, and Lindsay Salem. Mia Mason provided the defensive highlight of the game at shortstop diving to her right to catch a low line drive that ended a Temple City rally. Mary Dawson pitched in relief for the win, giving up only three runs in 4 1/3 innings. You can watch Manhattan Beach play for the Division III North Championship on Saturday in Alhambra. Game time is 7pm. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 18 - Alhambra, CA: MANHATTAN BEACH 9 & 10 YEAR OLD SOFTBALL ALL STARS PREVAIL IN DIVISION III NORTH TOURNAMENT OPENER In a close game, the MLL 9 & 10 Softball All Stars scored 2 runs late to overcome a stubborn Metro Pioneer Little League team by the score of 4 to 2. Metro Pioneer scored in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. In the top of the second with Kasey Hutton on base, Taylor Balen hit a deep home run to left field allowing the MB Stars to take a 2-1 lead. After Metro Pioneer tied the game, Mia Mason attempted to steal second base in the fifth inning. An overthrow from the catcher skipped past the center fielder allowing Mason to score. In the bottom of the fifth with Metro Pioneer threatening to score, Jenna McKinney backhanded a hard hit grounder to third and threw the runner out at first to snuff the rally. The Manhattan Stars scored an insurance run in the sixth inning when Jenna McKinney's hit scored Olivia Rodberg who had reached base on a walk. Kasey Hutton pitched a complete game striking out 5 batters. The MB Stars now take on Temple City Thursday in Alhambra. Game time is 8pm. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 15: Manhattan Little League's 9 & 10 Year Old Softball All Stars won the section 4 title game with a hard-fought 3 – 0 victory over a talented Westchester team. The Manhattan Stars were led by another dominating pitching performance by Kasey Hutton who struck out seven and walked three over six innings. Manhattan’s three runs came on a passed ball, a fielder’s choice and a key hit by Lauren Farkas. The MB Stars continued to benefit from excellent defense and timely hitting by Brooke Feld and Alicia DeMartini. Westchester also demonstrated strong pitching and a solid defense in limiting MB1 to its lowest run output to date. The 9 & 10 Softball all stars now go on to compete in the Division III/North Sub-Division tournament beginning this Wednesday, July 18th in Alhambra. __________________________________________________________________________________ July 13: MLL's 9 & 10 Softball All Stars secured an exciting 9-2 victory over a strong Culver National LL team. The Manhattan Stars were led by a strong pitching performance by Brittany Werre who went five innings and allowed just two runs and Taylor Balen who pitched a scoreless 6th inning in relief. The MB1 squad benefited from some excellent defensive plays by Mia Mason and Mary Dawson and timely hitting from Jenna McKinney who hit a solo home run in the 4th inning. Lauren Farkas caught another strong game throwing a runner out at second base to snuff an early rally by Culver National. The Manhattan Stars now play in the Tournament Championship game at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 15 at Marine Complex Center - East Field. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 11: With a truly team effort, the Manhattan Beach 9 & 10 all star team opened with a 12 to 4 win over West Torrance in Sectional play. Kasey Hutton pitched the distance striking out 12 batters, 5 in a row at one point. Offensively, Manhattan Beach once again demonstrated an ability to hit from every spot in the batting order. Lindsay Salem crushed her third home run in as many games. Several girls produced a multi hit game. On defense, the infield did not commit a single error over the course of 6 innings. Next up is a 7:30 game on Friday at Marine East. Come out and support your softball all stars! ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 & 10 Softball All Stars Win District and Move on to Section 4 Tournament DISTRICT 36 GAME RESULTS AND ARTICLES July 8: MLL's 9 & 10 Softball All Stars won the District 36 title with a convincing 14-0 victory over North Redondo on Sunday. The Stars were led by another strong pitching performance from Kasey Hutton who allowed only one hit and struck out seven over three innings. Taylor Balen then finished the game off by striking out the side in the fourth inning. The MLL 9 & 10 Stars benefited from consistent hitting from the entire line-up with special mention to Lindsey Salem for hitting her second home run of the tournament and Jenna McKinney who went 4 for 4 at the plate. The 9 & 10 squad looks to maintain their momentum as they prepare for the Section 4 tournament beginning this Wednesday at 6:00pm. at Marine West. _________________________________________________________________________________ July 7: MB2 Fever loses a close game to N. Redondo with a score of 16-14 _________________________________________________________________________________ July 6: MB1 Wins in a Battle of the Two Manhattan 9 & 10 Softball All Star Teams MB1 turned in another strong performance with a 30-5 victory over the MB2 Fever squad. MB1 received a strong pitching performance from Brittany Werre and timely hitting from the entire team. Highlights of this game included Lindsay Salem's homerun to dead center field and three triples from catcher Lauren Farkas. The Fever, Manhattan's all 9 year old squad, mounted an early threat in the first inning to close the gap to 6-3 and swung the bats well throughout the game. Come out to cheer on MB2 Fever at their next game against N. Redondo at 12:30pm, Saturday, July 7th at Marine West. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 5: MB1 9 & 10 Softball All Stars Cruise to a Big Win in First Round Game MB1 opened their District 36 tournament with a convincing win over Redondo Beach 20 to 1. MB1 was led by a dominating pitching performance by Kasey Hutten who gave up only 1 run over three innings and also Taylor Balen who struck out the side in one inning of relief work. MB1 benefited from consistent hitting up and down the line-up but especially from Brooke Feld who recorded three hits and a two run triple from Brittany Werre. The Redondo Beach squad kept the game relatively close for the first two innings before MB1 broke the game open with a 9 run third inning. Redondo Beach played hard the entire game and demonstrated good sportsmanship throughout. The MB1 team plays the MB2 team next on Friday, July 6th, at 5:00pm on the Marine - West field.