The Phat Monkees

July 19 - Alhambra, CA: Mandi Yamada pitched 4 scoreless innings before tiring to give up 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning, and Montana Morgan went 3-4 with a Home Run to propel the Major All Stars to a convincing 7-4 win over a strong Metro Pioneer LL team in the Division III Tournament in Alhambra Thursday night. Sarah Lucenti, emerging as the team’s bulldog closer, shut the door in the bottom of the sixth to preserve the win for Yamada. The game once again was dominated by the MB Stars steady defense. Rachel Humphrey continued to her always steady play at catcher, building the pitchers’ confidence as the game progressed and holding runners in every inning. With a runner on base in the bottom of the 6th inning, Kellie Wesser and Meghan von Behren once again turned in spectacular defensive plays to keep the tying run from reaching the plate. The offense featured balanced hitting with eight MB Stars getting hits, including multi-hit performances and big extra base hits from Montana Morgan and Brooke Winterhalder. A key double by Lauren Winterhalder in a big 5 run 3rd inning helped MB eventually build a 7-0 lead on its way to this impressive win. The MB Stars next play at 7 p.m. on Saturday night against the loser of East Alhambra and San Marino game to be played on Friday. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 18 - Alhambra, CA: Major Softball All Stars Suffer First Defeat The Manhattan Little League Major Softball All Stars suffered a heartbreaking loss in the first round of the Division III Tournament in Alhambra Thursday night, losing 5-4 to San Marino LL softball all stars. The MB Stars led 4-2 going into the bottom of the 6th inning, behind the outstanding pitching of Kellie Wesser. But with two outs in the bottom of the 6th and the bases loaded, San Marino mounted a rally scoring three runs to hand the MB Stars their first loss in tournament play. The MB Stars faced a very tough San Marino pitcher with a blazing fastball. But MB hit the ball hard all night, and pushed across 4 runs behind the clutch hitting of Brooke Winterhalder and Breanna Kelly who went 3-3 at the plate. The team shined defensively having committed only one error in the game, with Meghan von Behren contributing a number of web gems at shortstop. The MB Stars learned after the game that their pitcher, first baseman and clean up hitter, Breanna Kelly, suffered a sprained wrist sliding into third late in the game. Breanna is now day to day. We are all hoping to see her back soon. The MB Stars will play Thursday night at Alhambra. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 15, 2007, Manhattan Beach, California: The Manhattan Little League Softball All Stars (the Major's 11 & 12 Year Old All Star Team) rode the arm and tenacity of pitcher Kellie Wesser to defeat a tough Westchester all star team 7-5 on Sunday to capture the Section 4 Championship. Kellie pitched a complete game for the victory, scattering 9 hits over six innings with no walks. Nikki Gialketsis' clutch, three-run triple with 2 outs in the top of the 5th inning proved to be the key hit in the game. Sarah Lucenti, who leads the team in hitting for the tournament, had another great day at the plate with a 2 for 3 performance. Breanna Kelly continued to show her offensive prowess by contributing two more hits, her third game in row with 2 hits or more. The MB Stars showed once again that it is a team deep in talent with any player, at any given time, being capable of providing the key hit or stellar defensive play to propel the team to victory. Every game has featured strong hitting performances and key defensive plays by different players. In this game, the Stars hit the ball hard all day, but ran up against some hard luck as many shots were hit right at the Westchester defensive players who made great plays every inning. But with the experienced and talented Kellie Wesser in the pitcher’s circle and the steady Rachel Humphrey behind the plate, 7 runs sparked by Nikki’s bases loaded triple, proved to be enough to gain the victory in a game in which the MB Stars never trailed. The MB Stars finished the 4 team tournament with a 3-0 record, averaging 10 runs a game against strong all star pitching. Congratulations to the Section 4 Champions, and the team’s manager Bill von Behren and coaches Jeff Lambert, Larry Humphrey, Craig Wesser and Rob Lucenti. The MB Stars now advance to the North Sub-Division III tournament with a game on Wednesday, July 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Alhambra. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Manhattan Beach, California, July 13, 2007: The Manhattan Major Softball All Star team continued its torrid hitting to defeat a strong Westchester All Star squad 13-11 to advance to the Section 4 championship game out of the winners’ bracket. Balanced hitting behind solid pitching, with a few spectacular defensive gems thrown in, propelled the team to victory. Montana Morgan contributed a huge, 2 out, 3 run double in a 6 run 4th inning to catapult the Manhattan Stars to a big lead. Meghan von Behren had 2 hits, a sacrifice fly, 2 RBIs and scored two runs to spark the offense. Brooke Winterhalder, Rachel Humphrey, Kellie Wesser, Breanna Kelly and Sarah Lucenti also had two hits a piece to contribute to the well balanced attack that featured 7 MB players with multiple hits in the game. Breanna Kelly and Sarah Lucenti combined to pitch a strong game against the Westchester Stars who demonstrated a lot of character and “a never say die attitude”. Kelly kept them at bay for 3 plus innings, and Lucenti came in to snuff out a 4th inning rally to earn a save and preserve the win for Kelly. Stellar defensive plays by Nikki Gialketsis in the 5th inning, and Kellie Wesser and Meghan von Behren in the bottom of the 6th sealed this impressive victory for the Manhattan Stars. The Manhattan Stars will now play in the Section 4 Championship game on Sunday, July 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Marine Sports Complex – West Field. ___________________________________________________________________________________ July 12: After a shaky beginning, the MLL Major Softball Stars overcame their early game jitters and stormed back from a 5-1 deficit after one inning to win 10-6 against the always formidable West Torrance Stars on Thursday night in the opening game of the Section 4 Little League All Star Tournament in Manhattan Beach. Kellie Wesser pitched a complete game, and was one of the hitting stars going two for four with a triple. Sarah Lucenti and Brooke Winterhalder also had big nights with the bats, both contributing 2 timely hits and driving in key runs in the Stars big rallies in the top of the second and fourth innings. The defense settled down after the first, and made some big plays to help the Major Stars advance in the winner's bracket. The Major Stars next game is Friday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Marine West.