in the fifth off Lawrie, the third Pride pitcher of the day Wiggins ended a potential Pride comeback in the top of the seventh with a circus catch of Lauren Lappin’s drive to left field. “Those are the catches you live for and


practice for all the time,” Wiggins told ESPN2. Abbott, went on to win the tournament MVP,


and the Bandits dream to win the Cowles Cup twice was now a reality.


The Chicago Bandits poise after winning the NPF Championship.


By Dave Utnik Louisville, CO. --- Five runs down and one out to play


with. The California Cruisers never stopped believing. They traveled to Colorado to win a championship and


nothing was going to prevent that. This entire travel season has been all about "faith and patience" and the Cruisers leaned heavily on both at the Louisville Slugger Independence Day 18U Tournament -- defeating state rival Pure Fastpitch 6-2 in the semifinals and the Florida Lady Gators 11-2 in the title game. "You never really know who or what you are going to


face in tournament this size," Cruisers coach Lyn Christensen said. "That's okay, though. I am always telling my girls: 'It doesn't matter who you play, it matters how you play. The scoreboard will take care of itself.' "If we pitch and play defense, our sticks generally


figure it out. My goal in any game is to simply give ourselves a chance to win, meaning don't give extra outs and stay out of the big inning on defense. This team just never gives up. If we can keep games close, I always like our chances." Even when they were down to their final strike against


the Minnesota Sting in an elimination game where a loss would have sent them home, the Cruisers kept on swinging until they'd pulled out a 9-7 extra-inning victory. "The Sting didn't know what hit them. We rode that momentum all the way through to the finals," Christensen said. "My motto is faith and patience. It is amazing where this can take you." That was evident in the Cruisers' comeback against the


Sting -- the team's third consecutive elimination game. Kelly Christensen battled through a 10-pitch at bat


before singling to ignite a game-tying rally. Ashley Ercolano followed two batters later with a three-run homer and Oklahoma State recruit Tiffany Mikkelson tied it with a two-run bomb. "I don't look to re-tool my roster if we hit a rough patch in-season, bringing in new players and cutting those that are struggling. Don't misunderstand me, the girls know they must compete. "They compete with and for each other rather than


The 18U Ca. Cruisers defeated the Florida Lady Gators in the title game.


against each other. It's a very slight difference, but significant nonetheless. It creates a competitive environment void of dissention and other things that can tear a team apart," Christensen said. There were 32 teams in Louisville for the annual Independence Day extravaganza and the top six earned a berth to the Boulder in 2012. That was incentive enough to the Cruisers. "Winning the tournament is huge for our program and,


more importantly, for the girls. Our stated goal was to showcase our uncommitted players and return with a championship," Christensen said. "We wanted to compete, represent, and punch our ticket to [Boulder] next year." Claiming the first-place trophy was significant for a


team that fell short of its goal of capturing the 18 Gold ASA Regional Qualifier in Lancaster. "The Louisville Slugger Independence Day became our redemption," Christensen said. "I just knew we were going to be tough to beat on Sunday after our Saturday Night Cardiac Comeback. "When these girls get rolling, they can hit. I probably have


eight players on this roster that would be legitimate number four batters on many other teams. It's a nice problem to have. It lets me ride the hot bats on any given weekend." In Colorado, there were a lot of hot bats. Tiffany Mikkelson led the way with nine of the team's 19 home runs and a .615 batting average. She had 28 RBI,


including four game winners. And with Bree Celaya, the team's leadoff batter, starting things off, the Cruisers scored a total of 107 runs and gave up 39 -- a credit to starting pitchers Madison Osias and Ashley Ercolano, who combined to go 13-1 with an ERA of 2.14. Defense played a significant role, too. Center fielder


Natalie Caporuscio, for example, caught a pair of potential home run balls at the fence and had eight total put outs against the Colorado Warriors. "It is always nice to have a little bit of everything. But


I do admit, defense is my thing," Christensen said. "I am sure this is a product of my playing days. I just feel good pitching and solid defense will keep you in games, even win a game for you." The Cruisers have come a long way since 2004, when


the team began as an all-star squad known as the OC Wildcats. Mike Reiss helped Christensen put that fledgling group on the field and many of the players have grown up together. Tiffany Mikkelson and Madison Osias have been the


3-4 combo since 12U and four players began their careers in the 6U/8U Rec. ball all-star program. "We didn't get all top prospects at tryouts, but we


found some gems. We stuck to our philosophies and managed to put a competitive product on the field each year," Christensen said. "We earned the respect of the top programs."


7


Softball Today • August 2011


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24