The 14U Hollister Heat refused to lose at a Halloween tournament
last weekend in Modesto
MODESTO
The Hollister Heat 14U travel team wrapped up the fall travel season with a win at the Halloween Tournament in Modesto.
“This is a tournament we all look forward to every year,” Manager Larry Diaz said. “This tournament is different from any other because the girls play in Halloween costumes on Saturday.”
The Heat girls wore red and black Superman pajamas and backed up their costume with superhero-like play on the field. The team had been building up to this win over the last three tournaments.
“We were playing good softball and getting better each tournament,” Diaz said, “we just had to put it all together when it mattered most on Sunday.”
Saturday started off in the right direction with three convincing wins which seated the Heat team second out of eight teams going into Sunday’s single elimination.
On offense the girls used a combination of small ball, timely hitting and excellent base running. Defensively, they made the routine plays and kept mistakes at a minimum. Couple a tight defense with solid pitching and catching and it makes it difficult for other teams to score runs.
On Sunday the girls made quick work of their first opponent, needing only three innings to win the game by way of the mercy rule. This quick win gave them plenty of time to rest in the shade before the next game.
In the second game, the Heat started off by scoring 10 runs in the first inning. Although their opponents, RR Gold, battled back to make things interesting, Hollister’s 10-run first inning held up and they won the semifinal game.
The championship game matched the Heat up with the Elk Grove Thunder. The Heat girls continued their hot hitting and got out to an early lead that they never relinquished.
This Sunday, the girls played super and put it all together when it mattered most. This Sunday, the girls were champions!
All weekend long Morgan Daleo and Brittney Sparrer shared pitching duties. Both girls had great control and kept their opponents off balance with a mix of fastballs, change-ups and dropballs.
Carly Snook battled the heat and did an excellent job of catching. It usually only takes one attempt before runners think twice about stealing against the veteran catcher.
Kali Avera was solid at first base, Mia Vodanovich was a ball magnet at second base, Morgan Daleo and Brittney Sparrer locked down the shortstop position and Kimberly Sparrer was a vacuum at third all weekend. Roaming the outfield were Becky Hval, Cassey Torrez, Celeste Munoz, Bella Diaz and Codie Dalton.
Story prepared by head coach Nick Daleo.
