2010 NSA Fall State Championships

December 11-12, 2010

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks took to the fields for the final tournament of 2010 in Bartow at the NSA 16U Gold Fall State Championships. The RedHawks were sharp and ready as they won 5 of 6 games, losing the championship game in extra innings.

On Saturday, the RedHawks started the day against Diamonds Fastpitch, scoring one run in each of the first two innings and two more in the third inning to build a 4-0 lead. In the fifth, the RedHawk bats took control as they scored five runs on seven hits, eventually running out the game clock in a 9-0 victory.  Kellee Ramsey and Nichole Lewis combined for the shutout victory and Lexi Ackroyd, Megin Eskew, and Chelsea Armstrong added two hits each in the team’s 13 hit performance.

In the second seed game, the RedHawks faced the Florida Fire, a team they lost to 4-3 the week before.  The Fire opened the scoring in the third inning with two runs and the RedHawks responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The RedHawks added a run in the third inning on a RBI double by Chelsea Armstrong, scoring Kellee Ramsey. In the fifth inning, the RedHawks scored four runs on five hits highlighted by Torey Scotts two-RBI triple. The RedHawks gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning finishing the scoring with a 7-3 victory. Katlin Hall pitched the complete game, giving up one earned run over six innings.

In the third seed game, the RedHawks faced the Jacksonville Players with an opportunity to finish 3-0 on the day and earn a high seed for Sunday’s elimination bracket play. In a hard-fought contest, the RedHawks prevailed 3-2, scoring a run in the second, third and fourth innings. Katlin Hall had two of the six RedHawks hits and Kellee Ramsey pitched the complete game victory, yielding one earned run over five innings.

In Sunday’s elimination round, the RedHawks earned the second seed and earned a bye into the second round against the Diamond Smashers.  The Diamond Smashers opened the scoring in the top of the first with a run but the RedHawks responded with a three runs in the bottom of the inning on RBI hits from Kara Oberer and Katlin Hall.  The RedHawks added a run in the second inning for a one run lead but the the Diamond Smashers responded with three runs in the third to tie the game at 4-4. In the bottom of the third, the RedHawks played small ball; bunting runners on as they scored four runs on their way to an 8-4 victory.  Torey Scott lead the RedHawks hitters with two RBI’s on a single, triple and sacrifice fly.

In the second game versus the Tampa Heatwave, the RedHawks fell behind 5-0 in the first inning on a controversial foul ball hit off the lower half of the left field fence that was eventually ruled a grand slam. The Heatwave added two more runs in the second inning to build a 7-0 lead. In the third inning, Torey Scott started the scoring with an RBI double in a five-run inning that saw the RedHawks close the gap to 7-5. In the fourth and final inning, the RedHawks loaded the bases with two outs. Katlin Hall singled to center scoring Lexi Ackroyd and Torey Scott and advancing Kara Oberer to third to tie the game at 7-7. Christina Linton hit a hot shot to the second baseman’s back hand which proved to hard to handle as Kara Oberer scored the winning run. Katlin Hall shut down the Heatwave scoring in the last two innings and joined Torey Scott, Kara Oberer, and Christina Linton with two hits apiece. The RedHawks scored their eight runs on thirteen hits.

The RedHawks next faced Team North Florida with an opportunity to win the State Championship. Team North Florida opened the scoring with two runs in the fourth inning. The RedHawks struck back with a laser shot home run by Christina Linton over the right field fence to cut the lead to 2-1. In the fifth inning, the RedHawks tied the game at 2-2 when Jazzmin Romero hit a line drive double off the left field fence and later scored on Ashley Weisman’s single to center. In the sixth, the RedHawks started the inning with two hits but could not score, eventually sending the game to an eighth inning, Texas tie-breaker. Team North Florida scored on a one out ground out to second base to take a 3-2 lead. The RedHawks were able to advance a runner to third base but were unable to score; sealing a 3-2 victory for Team North Florida.

The RedHawks finished 5-1, had a team batting average of  .413 and scored 37 runs.   The Tampa Bay RedHawks conclude their Fall/Winter Schedule at the Rising Stars Winter Showcase in Davie Florida on January 7-9 in Davie, Florida.

Player Highlights:

• Lexi Ackroyd: .357 Avg, 6 Runs Scored
• Chelsea Armstrong: .583 Avg
• Katlin Hall: .429 Avg, 8 RBI, 3-1 W-L
• Christina Linton: .500 Avg, 4 RBI’s, 1 Home Run
• Kara Oberer: .462 Avg, 5 Runs Scored
• Isabella Ordorica: .429 Avg, 3 SB
• Jazzmin Romero: .455 Avg, 3 RBI
• Torey Scott: .389 Avg, 8 RBI, 6 Runs Scored
• Ashley Weisman: .750 Avg, 3 RBI, 6 Runs Scored
• Kellee Ramsey: 2-0 W-L, 0.88 ERA

RedHawks at PFX Tour in Clermont FL

November 20-21, 2010

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks took to the fields at NTC in Clermont Florida at the last stop for the PFX Tour for the 2010 season.  Participants enjoyed a PFX professional game Friday night and began seed play on Saturday morning.  The RedHawks began the day with their first of three seed games against Lutz Lightning – Mitch at Hancock Park.

The RedHawks were slow to get their bats going, but adjusted to the pitcher as the game went on, earning a 5-0 victory.  Nichole Lewis and Kellee Ramsey split the pitching duties in the shutout victory.

The RedHawks then moved to the NTC Softball Complex for back-to-back games.  The first game pitted the Sarasota Heat against the RedHawks.  The RedHawks scored two in the first and added two in the second as they shut down the Heat in a 4-0 victory.  Christina Linton lead the offense with two hits and two RBI’s.  Katlin Hall and Kellee Ramsey each pitched three, shut out  innings.

In the day’s final game, the RedHawks faced Florida Select in what proved to be the best game of the day for the RedHawks.  The RedHawks took a 3-2 lead into the fifth and final inning.  Megin Eskew grounded out to second bringing in an insurance run and prompting a pitching change by Florida Select.  The RedHawks added three more runs and Kellee Ramsey pitched a perfect bottom of the inning to seal the 7-2 victory.  Katlin Hall earned the victory, pitching four strong innings and Jazzmin Romero lead the offensive charge with two hits and three RBI’s.  The RedHawks finished 3-0 in seed game play and earned the number 1 seed and a first round bye.

In Sunday’s first elimination game, the RedHawks faced Lutz Lightning 96.  Nichole Lewis held the Lightning hitters in check as the RedHawks scored in three of the five innings to earn a 5-2 victory.  Torey Scott, Katlin Hall, and Ashley Weisman lead the offense with two hits, one RBI each in the game.

The RedHawks then faced a rematch with Florida Select in the semi-finals.  Again, Katlin Hall pitched well, but Florida Select took advantage two unearned runs and held the RedHawks to two hits to earn a 3-0 victory.

The RedHawks finished the weekend with a 4-1 record and outscored their opponents 21-5 in five games.  The RedHawks next play in the NSA State Warm-up in Tampa Florida.

RedHawks Pitch for the Cure Tournament

November 6-7, 2010

The Tampa Bay RedHawks hosted their second annual Pitch for the Cure Tournament in Tampa and Clearwater Florida. The Pitch for the Cure Tournament promotes breast cancer awareness and fund raising for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Teams are encouraged to wear pink uniform shirts in recognition of breast cancer awareness and had the privilege of having a breast cancer survivor perform the coin toss for one of their games. The tournament was a tremendous success as 54 teams participated, raising almost $8,000 for the Komen Foundation. Hundreds of pieces of breast cancer information, donated by The Moffitt Cancer Center, were passed out to spectators of the 2-day event.

On the field, the RedHawks finished with a 5-2 record.  In their first game, the RedHawks had a 13-hit performance as they jumped out to a 14-0 first-inning lead against over-matched Lutz Lightning – Mitch before cruising to a 14-0 victory.  Christina Linton, Nichole Lewis, and Savannah Scott had two hits each and Katlin Hall pitched the one-hit shutout.

In the second game, the RedHawks pounded out 13 more hits against Tampa Mustangs – Jeff, taking a 2-1 lead before adding three runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth inning to seal a 6-1 victory.  Torey Scott, Christina Linton, Katlin Hall, and Chelsea Armstrong all had two hits each in the game.  Kellee Ramsey pitched all 5 innings, giving up no earned runs and striking out four.

After a break, the RedHawks matched up against the NTC Extreme from Clermont Florida.  The RedHawks took an early 3-0 lead but had a rough bottom of the second inning giving up three walks and three runs.  In the third, Chelsea Armstrong ignited the offense with a 2-RBI triple and later scored on a Nicole Lewis single giving the RedHawks a 6-3 lead.  Each team tallied one more run as the RedHawks earned a 7-4 victory.

In the day’s final game, the RedHawks faced the Naples Bombers.  The Bombers scored one run in the first and held the RedHawk batters in check to shut out the RedHawks.  The Bombers added two unearned runs in the final inning to seal their 3-0 victory.

In Sunday’s first elimination game, the RedHawks were re-matched against the NTC Extreme.  Katlin Hall pitched a no-hit shutout and RedHawks strung together a few well executed bunts on their way to a 3-0 RedHawks victory.

The RedHawks faced the Florida Shamrocks in the second elimination game.  The Shamrocks scored two runs in the first inning but were shut down the rest of the way as the RedHawks struck back with seven unanswered runs to win by the final score of 7-2.

In the semi-finals, the RedHawks faced the Oviedo Blaze.  The Blaze jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first and added four more runs in the second as the dominated play in an 11-0 Blaze victory over the RedHawks.  The Blaze went on to win the tournament championship by a 5-2 score over the Florida Fire.

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks next play in the PFX Tour Tournament in Clermont Florida on November 20-21, 2010.

Tournament Highlights:

• Savannah Scott: .636 AVG, 4 RBI’s
• Christina Linton: .571 AVG, 4 RBI’s
• Jazzmin Romero: .571 AVG, 3 RBI’s
• Nichole Lewis: .444 AVG
• Ashley Weisman: .444 AVG
• Kellee Ramsey: 2-0 W-L, 0 Earned Runs in 7.2 IP
• Katlin Hall: .500AVG, 2-1 W-L, 2 shutouts, 1 no hitter

Tampa Bay RedHawks at Florida's Finest Showcase in Tampa

October 30-31, 2010

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks participated in the invitational Florida’s Finest ASA Showcase in Tampa, Florida. The 24-team field was comprised of some of the top high school and junior college level teams in the state in a combination showcase / single elimination tournament.

The RedHawks began showcase play on Saturday morning in New Tampa versus the Florida Gold. The pitching was strong and the RedHawks offense didn’t score as the Florida Gold executed a couple of key hits in the late innings to earn a 2-0 victory.

The RedHawks moved over to the Greco Softball Complex near USF for the remainder of the tournament and faced the Brevard County Stealers 16U Gold. The pitching remained strong and the offense started to come to life, taking advantage of several Stealer defensive miscues, as they played to a 6-0 victory.  Kellee Ramsey dominated in the circle to close the shutout pitching performance.

In the day’s final game, the RedHawks were up against Tampa Mustangs – Phil. The RedHawks struck in the first inning with a 2-run single by Megin Eskew but the Mustangs were able to battle back for 2 runs of their own. In the late innings, the RedHawks were able to hold the Mustangs in check as they added 3 runs to earn a 5-2 victory.

Sunday began and ended with an elimination game against Southern Shockers – Jeter. The Southern Shockers took an early 2-0 lead before an uncharacteristic, error-filled late inning allowed the Southern Shockers to extend their lead to 10-0. The RedHawks showed their pride in the bottom of the inning, ignited by a home run off the bat of Alexis Wilt, defensive errors, and timely hitting, scoring seven. The game ended with the leading run at the plate as Southern Shockers pitching recorded a ground out with bases loaded to end the game with a 10-7 victory.

The RedHawks finished the weekend with a 2-2 record, batting .338 and posting a 1.33 ERA.  The RedHawks next host and play in their 2nd Annual Pitch for the Cure Tournament at Ed Radice Park in Tampa Florida.  This Pitch for the Cure tournament promotes Breast Cancer Awareness and fund raising for the Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.

Tournament Highlights:

• Ashley Weisman – .424 Batting Average
• Torey Scott – .400 Batting Average
• Alexis Wilt – .444 Batting Average, 1 home run
• Kellee Ramsey – 1-1 W-L, 0.88 ERA

RedHawks at Rising Stars Showcase in Davie Florida

October 22-24, 2010

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks participated in the Rising Stars Fall Showcase in Davie Florida this weekend in a tournament that featured over 180 teams in a college showcase format. The RedHawks played five games in the 3-day tournament, unofficially winning all five games and outscoring their opponents 45-7.

The RedHawks began play on Friday evening against the Central Florida Stingrays. The RedHawks took advantage of Stingray walks and played well enough to earn a 8-3 victory.  Alexis Wilt provided the offensive spark that ignited the offense with a home run to left center field.

On Saturday, the 16U RedHawks played the first game of the day against the Florida Fire.  The RedHawks started hot and continued hitting hard as they played to a 11-2 victory.  Immediately following, the second game of the day was played against the Mississippi Eclipse.  The RedHawks bats remained hot as they peppered the Eclipse by a 7-2 score including an in-the-park home run into the right field corner by Christina Linton.  Later in the afternoon, the RedHawks played the day’s final game against the Mizuno Krusherz – Bobby.  The RedHawks continued their dominating play as they pounded out 8 runs against the Krusherz and were backed up by Kellee Ramsey and Nichole Lewis, who combined for a shut out pitching performance.

On Sunday, the RedHawks played their final game of the tournament against the Clay Elite.  The RedHawks bats stayed hot as they finished the weekend with an 11-0 victory.  Megin Eskew pitched the complete game shutout.

For the weekend the RedHawks offense batted .399, had a .468 OBP, and scored 45 runs.  The pitching staff finished with a 5-0 record, only giving up 6 earned runs in 33 inning (1.27 ERA).

Tournament Highlights:

• Alexis Wilt – .643 BA, 3 Doubles, 1 Home Run
• Christina Linton – .636 BA, 5 RBI, 1 Home Run
• Jazzmin Romero – .556 BA, 5 runs scored
• Chelsea Armstrong – .500 BA, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored
• Megin Eskew – .538 BA, 3 runs scored; 2-0 W-L, 1.40 ERA in 15 IP
• Nichole Lewis – .428 BA, 4 RBI, 5 runs scored; 2-0 W-L, 0.78 ERA, 7 K’s in 9 IP
• Kellee Ramsey – 1-0 W-L, 1.56 ERA, 1.56 ERA in 9 IP

The Tampa Bay RedHawks will be hosting a their 2nd annual Pitch for the Cure Tournament.  It is a NSA, 2-day tournament and will be at Ed Radice Park in Tampa Florida on November 6-7, 2010.  A portion of each teams entry fee will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The tournament will also be raising donations through corporate sponsors as well as themed concessions and “for sale” items at the tournament.  This tournament last year had over 60 teams and raised a significant amount of money. The goal this year is to reach 80+ teams and raise even more.

This tournament is an NSA sanctioned. To register your team and support breast cancer awareness, contact Pat Affrunti at baseball1970@hotmail.com.

• Tournament: NSA Pitch for the Cure
• Format: 3 seed game into single elimination
• Where: Ed Radice Park, Tampa Florida (map)
• When: November 6-7, 2010
• Age Groups: girls 8U-18U

Tampa Bay RedHawks at Disney's Atlantic Citrus Classic

October 8-10, 2010

The Tampa Bay RedHawks 16U fastpitch softball team traveled to Kissimmee Florida to participate in the Disney Atlantic Citrus Classic for an opportunity to earn a birth to the 2011 ASA Hall of Fame Tournament.

The tournament started on Friday evening with a single pool play game versus the Central Florida Stingrays.  The Stingrays capitalized on a couple of RedHawk mistakes in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, but the RedHawks countered in the bottom of the inning to even the score at 2-2.  After the first inning, the RedHawks defense tightened as the RedHawks went on to a 7-3 victory.

Saturday morning began with an 8am contest against the New Tampa Predators.  The Predators took an early 5-1 lead but the RedHawks battled back to 5-4 by the bottom of the sixth inning.  RedHawk errors proved to be too costly as the Predators added 5 runs in the seventh inning and routed the RedHawks by a 10-4 final.  The loss put the RedHawks in the loser’s bracket and they were facing elimination in a 12pm contest versus Lake County Lady Canes.

In 12pm elimination game, the RedHawks struck first with a run in the first inning to take a 1-0 inning.  After a couple of scoreless innings, the RedHawks combined aggressive base running and timely hitting to extend their lead and win the contest by the score of 5-1.  The victory ensured the RedHawks of a Sunday contest versus the Central Florida Stingrays.

On Sunday morning, the RedHawks looked sharp in all phases of the game and defeating the Stingrays by a final score of 7-0.  Nicole Lewis pitched the 7-inning shutout.  Immediately following the victory, the RedHawks faced the Tampa Heatwave.  The RedHawks again were strong on defense and at the plate, grabbing an 7-2 lead before finishing with a 9-5 win.  The victory put the RedHawks in the championship round against the New Tampa Predators, needing to beat the Predators twice to win the championship.

In the first game of the championship round, the RedHawks played a near flawless game as they slugged their way to an 8-1 victory.  In the “if necessary” game, however, the Predators were the sharper team, making the key defensive plays and hits as they were victorious in the championship game, winning by the score of 3-1.

The RedHawks finished with a 5-2 record and their second runner-up finish in as many tournaments.  The RedHawks next play at the Rising Stars Fall Showcase in Davie Florida on October 22-24th.

Tournament Highlights:

• Nichole Lewis – 3-0 Record, 19 IP,  1.47 ERA and 1 Shutout
• Megin Eskew – batted .625 with 2 doubles
• Ashley Weisman – batted .429 with 2 doubles
• Chelsea Armstrong – batted .409 with a triple
• Jazzmin Romero – batted .375 with a double and 5 RBI’s

RedHawks at ISF World Cup Qualifier

September 25-26, 2010

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks participated in the first Florida ISF World Cup Qualifier at Christina Park in Lakeland Florida.  After a grueling, 5-games on Saturday, the RedHawks made their efforts pay off with an entry into the championship game on Sunday.

The RedHawks capitalized on erratic pitching by Team North Florida and a solid defensive performance of their own for an 8-1 victory.  However, the RedHawks fell flat in the second game, losing in convincing fashion to the Sarasota Quicksilver and setting up a long journey in the loser’s bracket of this double-elimination tournament.  The RedHawks rebounded with a 4-0 shutout of Florida Gold and followed that up with a convincing 12-1 win against the New Tampa Predators.

In the fifth and final game of the day, the RedHawks battled Tropic Wave, taking a 4-1 lead into the last inning.  The strong-hitting Tropic Wave battled back to a 4-4 tie, forcing a Texas tie-breaker.  After a scoreless inning, the RedHawks struck for 3 runs in the second tie-breaking inning only to see the Tropic Wave battle back with 3 runs of their own.  In the top of the third tie-breaking inning, the RedHawks hit a 2-out, 2-run homerun to take a 2-run lead.  As the teams prepared for the bottom of the inning, play time expired.  The game resumed on Sunday morning and the RedHawks held Tropic Wave to 1 run, winning by a final score of 9-8.

After the completion of the Tropic Wave game, the RedHawks immediately took on Team North Florida in a rematch of Saturday’s first game.  Team North Florida fixed their pitching woes from Saturday, but the RedHawks pitchers proved to be a little better as they squeaked out a 2-0 victory.  In another rematch, the RedHawks faced the Sarasota Quicksilver, who again jumped out to a lead scoring 3 runs in the top of the first inning.  This time, the RedHawks responded with a 10-run outburst in the bottom of the inning and rolled to a 12-5 victory setting up a championship game against the 4-0 Oviedo Blaze.

In the championship game against the Blaze, the RedHawks scratched out a 2-1 lead, but the Oviedo Blaze were able to score in the bottom of the sixth inning and forced a Texas tie-breaker.  In the tie-breaker, the RedHawks were unable to score in the top of the inning and the Blaze were able to score the winning run on a single to left field, earning the Blaze the tournament championship.

The RedHawks finished with a 6-2 record in the tournament scoring 54 runs in 6-games.  The RedHawks next play at the Disney ASA Hall of Fame Qualifier in Orlando Florida on October 8-10, 2010.

Tournament Highlights:

• Danielle (Marinna) Shadley – batted .524 with 4 doubles and 1 game-winning home run
• Alexis Wilt – batted .522 with 5 doubles
• Ashley Weisman – batted .500 and had a .647 on base percentage
• Christina Linton – batted .435 with 3 doubles and 1 triple
• Lexi Ackroyd – batted .391 with a .517 on base percentage and hit 4 doubles
• Megin Eskew – finished with a 3-1 record, and 1 shutout in 27 innings pitched
• Nichole Lewis – finished with a 3-1 record in 21 innings pitched

RedHawks at Michelle Smith Showcase

September 18-19,

The 16U Tampa Bay RedHawks participated in the annual NSA Michelle Smith Showcase tournament in Clearwater Florida.  The RedHawks earned an opportunity to play against the top 18U teams in the 4-game showcase format on Saturday.  The teams included Florida Havoc – Figuerdo, Southern Shockers, Central Florida Hurricanes, and the Florida Wildfire.  Although the results were unofficial, the RedHawks fared favorably in the score book; playing impressively in front of the college coaches and scouts in attendance.

On Sunday, the RedHawks the RedHawks came out flying with strong wins against Clearwater Bombers-Ben, South Tampa Spartans, and Central Florida Sting.  The RedHawks were eliminated in the semi-finals by Clearwater Bombers-Estes by the score of 3-2 in a Texas tie-breaker.

The 16U RedHawks next play in the ISF World Cup Qualifier at Christina Park in Lakeland Florida on September 26-27th.

RedHawks Champions at 2010 NSA Lutz Lightning Labor Day Tournament

September 4-5, 2010

The RedHawks started their 2010 Fall Season at the NSA Lutz Lightning Labor Day Tournament and finished with a championship victory. The RedHawks played 6 games in the 2-day tournament, finishing with a perfect 6-0 record.

On Saturday, The RedHawks defeated the Lady Phantoms, Shamrocks, and Lightning ’96 in back-to-back-to-back games to finish 3-0 in their seed games and earning the #2 seed.  On Sunday, the RedHawks shut out the Lady Phantoms, setting up a semi-final game versus the South Florida Minibulls where the RedHawks again won by shutout.  In the championship game, the RedHawks faced the New Tampa Predators and jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.  The Predator scored one run in the first and third innings, as the RedHawks earned the tournament championship by a 4-2 final score.