12U gold team qualifies for B Nationals
By Hector Trujillo
Scripps Ranch Softball Association (SRSA) All-Stars 12U gold team finished second overall in the Southern California B state tournament, which featured 36 teams, held in June to move on to nationals in Corona, Calif.
The national tournament runs from July 26 to 31 and will feature the best teams from around the country, all vying to be crowned champion.
“The results for our 12U gold team are particularly exciting,” said SRSA Tournament Director Chris McChesney. “Many of these girls are tremendous softball players competing in their final games with Scripps Ranch Softball before moving on to high school and advanced teams.”
The team qualified by beating Tustin 7-1 in its opening game, with Naya Leuck hitting a home run.
Players and coaches celebrated the victory later that evening by attending the annual state parade where teams dressed up in themed costumes. The next morning, the All-Stars shutout El Segundo 8-0 with Leuck hitting yet another home run. That was followed with a dominating 12-0 victory over Navajo. On the third and final day, the team played five contests, starting off with a 6-0 loss against Ranch Trabuco, which placed them in a double elimination tournament that they were able to climb out of all the way to the championship game. That road included a 14-3 win over Ventura, and a 7-6 nail-biting victory over Beach after being down three runs with two outs in the final at bat.
“We came back to score four runs to win in walk off fashion with Sammy Ippolito providing the game tying hit and CJ Bulatao with the game winner,” said assistant coach Rich Schramm.
The fourth game of the day was a dominating 7-1 win over Thousand Oaks, with the team ultimately falling to Rancho Trabuco in the final.
Overall, the 12U gold All Stars finished 40-5-1 on the year along with being crowned Northern San Di-ego District champs and So Cal State runner ups. The SRSA 12U silver and 8U gold teams placed second at their district tournaments, earning them a spot for the state tournament in Lancaster, Calif.
“Both teams played at the state tournament and represented Scripps Ranch well,” McChesney said. “As tournament director, these results are fantastic to see. The girls are having fun, growing their skills and measuring up well against the other leagues in our areas. We hope to build on this great showing next season across all age groups.”
State tournaments for all three teams were in Lancaster. The District tournament for 12U silver and 8U gold were in Ramona, and the 12U gold districts were in San Marcos.
