The weather has finally cooperated, school’s out and the sports fields around Pleasanton are alive with activity. Summer weather is here, finally. The city and local sports organizations will once again offer a wide variety of sports for the young and young-at-heart. Visit www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/services/recreation/sports-and-sport-fields.html as a starting point for finding the activity that are best for you.
Pleasanton Girls’ Softball U14, Major Upper
Caylee Heller played great defense and hit a solid double to score the winning run for the ICE, giving them a 3-2 win over the Force. Dara Schott contributed a double and RBI. Stephanie Ropp had two great catches in left field to rob the Force of extra base hits. Winning pitcher Katie Echavia pitched seven strong innings in a complete game effort.U14–Major Rec Softball championship game
The Blue Thunder backed their 12-2 regular season record and division title by rallying from an 8-1 deficit to win the 2006 Major Rec Division Championship 10-9 over the Gold Rush.Kacey Higgins supplied the game-winning hit when she singled sharply into left field, allowing Chelsi Bias to score from third base with the winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Blue Thunder rally was sparked by clutch-hitting by Stephanie Bricker, Courtney DeMello and Julia Carvahal during a five-run second inning. Strong pitching from Kacey Higgins coupled with a superb defensive performance over the final three innings set the stage for the dramatic finish.
The defense was led by Lexi Hanks, who made a terrific catch in left center field to stop a rally in the fourth inning, and by the clutch play of the middle infielders, Hayley Christensen, Megha Lambah, Divya Lambah, Nicole Santana and Christiana Chan, as six of the final nine outs of the game were groundouts on the infield.
U12–Minor Upper Softball championship game
In an intense game that went eight innings, the P-town Rip-Its defeated the Crossfire 5-4. Jenny Yang of the Crossfire turned up the heat when she stole home to tie the game late. Using an international tiebreaker system that has teams start an inning with a runner starting on second base, the Rip-Its were able to win the game in the eighth inning.Nicole Borchard was on a mission and kept the Crossfire at bay with 14 strikeouts while allowing only three hits. The Rip-Its played solid defense lead by the slick fielding of Sydney Ruegsegger, Natalie Tiongco and Jessica Klahr, who made a game-saving catch in center field. Leading batters for the Rip-Its were Borchard, Tiongco, Ruesegger and Nicole Huggins. Huggins knocked in the game winner in the eighth.
The Crossfire was led by Krista Williams, who pitched a great game highlighted by 12 strikeouts. Leading hitters for Crossfire were Jenny Yang and Kaitlin Crawford.
2006 dates for Rage college showcase are set
Pleasanton will once again stake a claim to the title of Soccer City USA when it plays host to the U.S. Soccer Club-sanctioned Pleasanton Rage Soccer College Showcase. The showcase, attended by more than 50 women’s college soccer coaches representing more than 30 schools, provides the Pleasanton Rage Soccer Club a chance to show off the city of Pleasanton, its facilities and of course, its soccer talent.The Showcase provides the players an opportunity to show their talents and abilities to attending college coaches. For the coaches, the tournament offers a rare gathering of top prospects in one setting.
The dates for the tournament are July 29-30 with participation for girls eligible for play in the U15 through U19 soccer age groups. An estimated 120 teams from as many as seven states and Canada are expected to participate.
For more information on the tournament, visit the Pleasanton Rage Web site at www.Pleasantonrage.org.
2006 BUSC summer classic
Not to be forgotten, the BUSC will host its annual tournament beginning Aug. 18 and running through Aug. 20. Information regarding this tournament is available at the Summer Classic Web site at http://summerclassic.busc.org.
