GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Sunday August 9 2009

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Sorcerer 3 Gold Coast Hurricanes 1 Sorcerer win 2009 Gold nationals

            Starters:  Sorcerer Keilani Ricketts vs GCH Hannah Rogers

            The defending national champions won the losers bracket and must now defeat Sorcerer twice.

            Sorcerer narrowly missed scoring in the 2^nd.  Ricketts singled, Kayla White in to run.  Courtney Moore reached on an error at 3^rd.  Shenise Cox flied out.  Janel Salanos flied out to right; a rifle throw by Wykemia Davis turned the double play.  With one out in the Sorcerer 3^rd, Jessica Vest singled and stole 2^nd.  Two out, Tylyn Wells doubled down the right field line, rbi.  Ricketts led the Sorcerer 4^th with a double.  Pinch runner White advanced on Courtney Moore’s sac bunt and, after Kylie Vry relieved Rogers,  scored on Cox’s single 2-0.  The GCH got their first hit in the bottom half.  Marissa Menendez singled.  Bailey Castro struck out.  Kelsey Horton moved the runner with a sac bunt; Holle was hbp, two on.  Brienna Rojas popped up.  Top 5^th: Allard singled and stole 2^nd with one out,   but Wells and Breanna Kostreba ground out.  Bottom 5^th: Davis struck out.  Kasie Hatfield singled.  Chelsea Howell struck out. Michelle Moultrie singled, Hatfield scored, 2-1.  The GCH now had 3 hits to 6 for the Sorcerer.

            Top 6^th: Rachele Fico to pitch for Hurricanes.  Leading off, Ricketts singled to center, her second hit. White in to run. Moore popped.  Cox walked.  Salanoa flied out.  Shelby Asbury flied out.  Bottom 7^th:  Castro led, out 5-3.  Horton ground out to 2^nd.  Samantha Holle struck out.

            Top 7^th: Vest singled to left, the eighth hit.  Allard laid down a sac bunt.  Wells singled to right, Vest scoring from 2^nd.  3-1.  Kostreba flied out.  Ricketts popped up.

            Bottom 7^th: Pinch-hitting Rachel Gillen ground out to short.  Davis looked at a third strike, Ricketts’ eighth K.  Hatfield ground out to short, ending the 2009 Gold National Championship.

WINNERS BRACKET

Sorcerer Gold Phil 2, Worth Firecrackers 0

            WP Keilani Ricketts 3H, 6K  LP Rebecca Patton

            The Firecracker fuse fizzled.  After three harum-scarum, wildly exciting, last minute victories, the Firecrackers ran into the proverbial unmoveable object in the person of Keilani Ricketts.  The Sorcerer can rest, waiting for the Firecrackers and Gold Coast Hurricanes, who eliminated So Cal Athletics 4-2, to settle out the losers bracket.  More, under Gold double-elimination rules adopted last year, the challenger will have to defeat Sorcerer twice, which gives the Sorcerer a tremendous advantage, in that either of the two challengers will have already played two games this morning.

            Sorcerer’s first run, top 3^rd, was scored by Janel Salanoa, who singled to left, was advanced by Shenise Cox’s sac bunt.  Emily Allard drove in the run.  Ensley Gammel relieved Patton to pitch the 4th.  The Firecrackers recorded the first of their three hits in bottom 5^th; Hallie Wilson singled to right field.  Lauren Chamberlain laid down a sac bunt. Jessica Shults reached on an error at 1^st; Leah White in to run.  Baillie Kirker walked to load the bases and raise the potential for a patented Firecracker rally.  But Ricketts notched another K against Mariel Massei and Kylee Lahners ground out to short.  Dana Perez singled to open the Firecracker 5^th; stranded.  Sorcerer 6^th: Jessica Vest walked; Allard reached on an error at 3^rd.   Consecutive fielder’s choice plays forced both runners.  Sorcerer 7^th: Kayla White popped to short; Shelby Asbury looked at a 3^rd strike; Salanoa singled to left, and Cox slugged an rbi double, 2-0.  Massei led the Firecracker 7^th with a single, but Lahners and Perez ground out and Kathlyn Medina went down swinging.

LOSERS BRACKET 1

Gold Coast Hurricanes 4, So Cal Athletics 2 So Cal Athletics eliminated

            WP Hannah Rogers  LP Kayla Massey  Sv Rachele Fico

Moultrie singled and scored in bottom 1^st when Castro reached on an error at short.  Strassner scored on an error at 2^nd in the 2^nd.  Rogers relieved starter Leslie Jury to pitch the 3^rd – in keeping with coach Marty Cooper’s need to rotate his pitching corps to be able to compete in a possible four games on Sunday. Pinch runner Powell scored on Moultrie’s double in the 4^th.  In the 5^th, Castro doubled and scored on Holle’s sac bunt.  The Hurricanes loaded the bases in the 6^th with one out, no score.  The Athletics started a rally in the 7^th.  After Monka struck out, Prussic singled but was forced by Monreal.  With two out, Gonzales singled, Schutte singled, Monreal scored. Vry returned to pitch to Dedeaux who singled, scoring Gonzales. Fico relieved Vry, striking out Kelly to end the game.  The So Cal Athletics finished fourth.