Heat 14U team takes first at Bagby Classic
The Hollister Heat 10U travel team has taken two first-place trophies from three tournaments so far this season, including a top-spot finish at a tourney in Salinas just last weekend.
The Heat went 5-1 in Salinas, and triumphed in the championship game with a 6-3 win over the Los Gatos Magic. Earlier on Sunday, Hollister beat the Santa Cruz Trouble 3-1 and the West Valley Slammers 2, 3-0.
“Our pitching has been pretty solid,” manager Leo Ibarra said. “It’s been keeping us in games and allowing us to win ball games.”
In their first two tournaments of the season – at Morgan Hill and at Clovis – Hollister compiled records of 6-0 and 2-3, respectively.
But Ibarra spoke of the simple but important fact regarding experience.
“In Morgan Hill, we probably looked our best, but a lot of those teams had just formed,” Ibarra said. “In Clovis, those teams had been formed since February. The fact of having more practices and more games under your belt can be a little bit of an advantage.”
The Heat were formed in early May, but with already three tournaments and a slew of practices to date simply adding to their experience and chemistry level, Hollister will tackle their next tournament – the Triple Crown World Series.
The World Series will be held in Park City, Utah from July 6-12.
Meanwhile, the Hollister Heat 14U travel team took their first tournament over the Father’s Day weekend when they compiled a 5-1 record and outscored their opponents by a 53-19 margin at the Bagby Classic in San Jose.
The Heat even avenged their lone loss from the tournament in the championship game when they narrowly defeated the Mountain Dream 9-6 to grab the first-place trophy.
In their third game of the tournament, Hollister lost to the Mountain Dream 8-2.
“They just don’t give up,” Heat manager Larry Diaz said. “They fought all weekend long and played their hardest, whether they were up or down.”
Catcher Carly Snook was named to the all-tournament team as well, a team that was selected by opposing coaches.
Hollister was led on the mound by Morgan Daleo, who pitched all six games for the Heat.
“Mo works hard and does what she is supposed to. She relied on her defense and they didn’t let her down this weekend.”
The Heat started the tournament off rather perfectly as they cruised by the Palo Alto Heat 13-0 and the Foster City Riptide 15-0 in back-to-back contests on day one.
After suffering the six-run defeat to the Mountain Dream, Hollister was seeded second heading to the final day of the tournament.
With another loss meaning an early exit, the Heat opened day two of the tourney with a 10-3 victory over the San Jose Quicksilver, which placed them into the semifinals.
There, Snook made her name known when she blasted a grand slam to left field, supplying the Heat with all the run support they would need as Hollister upended Mountain View Nova 7-3.
In the championship against the Mountain Dream, Hollister fell into a five-run hole early, but plated six runs in the bottom half of the fifth to steal a one-run lead.
The Heat then tacked on some insurance in the sixth when they scored three more runs, and eventually held on for the 9-6 triumph.
