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Thursday, August 07, 2008

Four Hot Innings

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
      The sun, with the humidity a bit higher than normal, took its toll at Moriarty's sports complex Saturday.
       The Estancia Elite, with its opponents fading on defense, beat the Moriarty Dolphins 18-10 in four innings during the Moriarty Girls Fast-Pitch Association 12-and-under softball championship game.
       “We're going to put the trophy in the middle school,” said Elite's 21-year-old first-year coach Kyle Berkshire, a former Estancia High pitcher and quarterback. “My girls will be going there this year.”
       With the sun glowering overhead, the Dolphins' will melted in the bottom of the third as the Elite scored seven runs for an 18-6 advantage. Moriarty reliever Rebecca Anspach gave up seven walks in the inning.
       “It was really hot,” said Anspach, a Moriarty Elementary sixth-grader-to-be. “I think it was a lot hotter than it is at night (when the teams played regular season games at 6 p.m.)
       Estancia had six stolen bases. The Dolphins got nary a one.
       “The heat definitely got to them,” Moriarty coach Katrina Anspach said. “And our pitching was a little off, but they did great.”
       The score was tied at 3 after one inning.
       “It was hot,” said Courtney Valdez, an Estancia rising seventh-grader. “But we came here to win.”
       Moriarty took a 5-3 lead in the top of the second. But Estancia pulled away in the bottom of the inning for an 11-5 lead.
       Carly Coburn knocked a fly ball down the third-base line for a three-run triple. Autumm Umphries' triple — via a grounder to center field — brought Marguerita Ortega home.
       “It was hot, and it was hard to figure out what (the Dolphins' pitchers) were going to throw,” said Umphries, a center fielder who will be in the seventh grade at Estancia. “It feels real nice to win. But I'm kind of sad the season is over.”
       Coburn and Valdez, the latter reported to the pitcher's circle in the third inning, combined for seven strikeouts, gave up four hits and allowed 11 walks. The Dolphins duo of Amanda Gonzales and Rebecca Anspach, who replaced Gonzales in the third, together earned four Ks, gave up eight hits and walked 13.
       “I just try to bring everybody home, just do what I can do (with the bat),” said Coburn, an Estancia seventh-grader-to-be. “When I'm pitching with the bases are loaded, I just try to get the batter out, make the pitches, get strikeouts.”
       With an aluminum stick, Valdez was 3-for-3 with a double, six RBI, three runs and a stolen base for Elite. Coburn was 1-for-2 with a triple, three RBI and three runs, and Umphries was 1-for-1 with a triple, an RBI, a run and a theft.
       In addition, Stephanie Jacobs was 1-for-1 with a double, three RBI, two runs and a stolen base.
       For the Dolphins, Allison New was 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run, and Anspach was 1-for-1 with a double, an RBI and a run. Adrianna Stidham, at the plate, was 1-for-1, had two RBI and a run.
       “The heat of the afternoon got to us,” said Stidham, a Moriarty Elementary rising sixth-grader. “We play better when we play later.”
       14-and-Under
       Moriarty's High Maintenance defeated Moriarty TNT 16-10 for their age-group title.
       The Maintenance crew had also earned MGFPA crowns at 12U and 10U.
       “It's better now (to win) just because you can see the girls progress over the years,” said Michelle Santrock, the winning coach.”
       High Maintenance pitcher Bailea Kneedler went the six-inning distance.
       “I threw fastballs,” said Kneedler, an Edgewood Middle School eighth-grader-to-be. “I only threw one change-up.”
       Kneedler, a newcomer to the team, had 11 strikeouts.
       “They're all really nice girls on this team,” she said. “They're awesome.”
       10-and-Under
       Moriarty's Whitaker Electric Stars upset the Estancia Lady Bears 15-10 in a three-inning game in their championship contest.
       “It was great,” Stars coach Kathy Sours said. “The girls were so happy. We were in second place after the regular season. The girls just wanted it and got it.”
       The move away from machine pitching at midseason didn't bode well for Estancia.
       “It was hard,” Bears coach Heather Aday said. “It's hard doing girl pitch. But they played hard. They went out swinging.”
       

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