Finishing with a 6-4 record, the Hollister Havoc 14U fastpitch
softball team brought its 2009 summer travel season to a close last
month with a second-place finish at the USSSA Triple Crown World
Series in Manteca.
HOLLISTER
Finishing with a 6-4 record, the Hollister Havoc 14U fastpitch softball team brought its 2009 summer travel season to a close last month with a second-place finish at the USSSA Triple Crown World Series in Manteca.
Held during the week of July 27, with teams coming from Arizona, Washington and all over California, the Triple Crown World Series was a true test for the Havoc, which in five tournaments this season had amassed an 18-7 record, including two first-place finishes and a third-place finish at the USSSA State Tournament.
“Our season had been pretty successful, so our girls were looking to continue playing at a high level while really enjoying the entire experience of the World Series,” Havoc manager Nick Daleo said.
Day one of pool play had the Havoc matched up against the Fury from Rancho Cordova. Although both teams played well, Daleo said, the Havoc walked away with the 5-3 loss.
Hollister rebounded on the second day of pool play, though, when it edged the Washington Huskies for a 3-2 victory. The Havoc could not continue the trend when it lost 8-4 to the California Crossfire in what was the third meeting between the two teams – the Havoc and Crossfire had split the first two contests.
Daleo said his team came out of pool play confident, however, despite going 1-2 during the two-day stretch and heading into a double-elimination bracket.
“We played some good softball against really strong teams in our pool and that helped get us ready for the elimination bracket,” Havoc coach Max Sparrer said.
Hollister was solid during its 7-2 win against the San Jose Renegades to open bracket play, which turned out to be a mere warm-up prior to the team’s next game – a meeting with the Sacramento Stomperz, which at 29-1 on the season were the favorite to win the Manteca tournament.
“The way our pitching, catching and defense had been playing, we knew we could win the game if our bats came alive,” Sparrer said.
And the Havoc’s X-factor came alive early against Sacramento, allowing Hollister to jump out to a lead en route to a 5-3 win, and setting up a rematch with the Crossfire.
It was another well played game on both sides, Daleo said, but again Hollister walked away with a loss, a 3-2 defeat to the Crossfire that put the Havoc in the elimination bracket.
With one more loss equaling an early exit, Hollister opened play in the elimination bracket against the She Devils of Manteca, a team the Havoc previously had played twice before, each game separated by a single run.
“We get along really good with this team, which makes playing against them fun, even when the games are tight,” Daleo said.
Aside from what the teams’ one-run history may have suggested, though, Hollister opened up a sizable lead en route to a 7-3 triumph, a victory that advanced the Havoc into final-four contention.
“We were all happy to be playing so well and the girls really started believing that they could win this tournament,” Daleo said.
Narrowly dispatching the Salinas Storm by a tight 2-1 margin, Hollister advanced to the semifinals to play the Crossfire, which previously had outlasted the Havoc by 8-4 and 3-2 margins earlier in the tournament.
But once again history suggested very little, as the Havoc exploded at the plate, Daleo said, and mercy-ruled the Crossfire with a comfortable 10-0 win to advance to the title game against the Fury from Rancho Cordova.
Although Hollister previously had fallen to the Fury by a 5-3 score to open the tournament, the local 14U fastpitch softball team found an unlikely fan heading into the championship final when the Crossfire offered insight and support. The two teams even came together to snap a pregame photograph.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Daleo said. “Those girls sat right outside our dugout, and throughout the entire game, cheered loudly and offered high-fives to our team.”
Added Sparrer, “The energy around the game was amazing and the Crossfire girls really added to it.”
As for the game itself, one-run lead changes and clutch hitting were the norm, while runners were left stranded from strong defensive plays, Daleo said. In the end, however, the Fury staved off Hollister’s best efforts with a 3-2 victory, placing the Havoc runner-up after 10 games.
“Although the girls from Hollister wanted the win, there were no tears of disappointment,” Daleo said. “They knew they gave it everything they had and they walked away proud of what they accomplished.”
