Dates: July 26-30
Location: Hemet, CaliforniaIt was a sensational time at the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series in Hemet, California, as 43 teams across five age divisions participated in 115 games at Diamond Valley Lake Park. After five days of battling the competition and the 100 degree heat, five championship-winning teams rose above the rest of the field to earn the title of PONY Girls Softball West Zone champions.
Pinto 8U Championship: Indio, California 4 Redlands, California 3
Down a run in the top of the sixth inning, Indio, California had one final at-bat to pull off the comeback in the Pinto 8U championship game of the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series. Thanks to two clutch hits by Belinda Rivera and Mellani Tamayo and three strikeouts, defensively, in the bottom of the sixth, Indio was able to obtain victory from the jaws of defeat 4-3.
Indio struck first in the top of the first inning, when Valeria Balbuena was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a Melanie Vasquez single, as Redlands threw the ball around. But Redlands struck back in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a Jadah Norby inside-the-park home run, which tied the game. Camrynn Culp then singled, she was advanced to second on an error and then to third on Addison King's single during the next at-bat. Culp then scored on another Redlands error, making it 2-1, and Redlands would later get another run in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, three-straight errors led to an Indio run, but that was all the squad could get in the inning. The team also squandered another opportunity in the top of the fifth, when the bases were loaded with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the scoring threat.
It was then in the top of the sixth that Indio turned on the "on switch," as the team was facing defeat if it could not score a run. Balbuena led off the inning with a single and was scored on Rivera's triple to left field, tying the game at three. With the go-ahead run on third base, Tamayo knocked a double into left to give her team a 4-3 lead.
Unfortunately for Redlands, three-consecutive strikeouts in the bottom of the sixth inning ended the game.
Stats (Indio-Redlands): HERE
Mustang 10U Championship: Moreno Valley, California 9 Coachella, California 4
After building a 9-2 lead after the first two innings and getting out of three jams defensively in the middle innings of the game, Moreno Valley, California was able to outlast Coachella, California and win a title (9-4) in the Mustang 10U championship game at the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series.
The Coachella bats were hot to start out the game, as the first three hitters in the top of the first all singled to give their team a 2-0 lead. Moreno Valley did its damage with two outs in the bottom of the first. With runners on the corners, Madison Barrios hit a pop fly and reached on an error, which scored Imani Shannon. Another error loaded the bases, and Lucero Robles knocked in Judith Carbajal to tie the game at two. Ezebelle Ward broke the game open and gave her team a lead on the next at-bat, as she hit a bases-clearing triple, ending the scoring for the inning (5-2 Moreno Valley).
Moreno Valley added on in the bottom of the second, when Aubrey Sollano first tripled and then was scored on a Makayla Overton single into left. After a sacrifice bunt, Emani Moore tripled to left, scoring Overton, and a Giselle Morales single up the middle on the next at-bat scored Moore. Later in the inning, Robles singled, bringing home Morales in the process, as Moreno Valley built itself a comfortable 9-2 lead.
Coachella got a run back in the top of the third on a Jaeda Diaz RBI single, but the team wasn't able to add on any more runs after a strikeout and caught stealing attempt. Coachella once again left two runners stranded in the top of the fourth, and after getting another run in the top of the fifth, when Victoria Guzman scored on a wild pitch, Coachella stranded the bases loaded trailing 9-4.
Morales came in to close in the top of the sixth for Moreno Valley, relieving Moore. Morales gave up a leadoff triple to Leilani Landeros, but she was caught trying to steal home on the next at-bat. After allowing a single, Morales recorded a strikeout and a ground out to win the game for Moreno Valley 9-4.
Stats (Moreno Valley-Coachella): HERE
Bronco 12U Championship: Redlands, California 11 Ramona, California 1
Redlands, California started off the Bronco 12U championship game of the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series tagging Ramona, California for five runs and never looked back, scoring runs in each of the following innings, while playing sensational defense, to win 11-1 in a shortened 10-run rule game.
In the top of the first inning, with two outs, Redlands went on a rally of five-straight singles, which resulted in five runs scored to set the tone for the game. Redlands continued to add on in the top of the second, when Jayna Lopesz hit a two-RBI single to right field to make it 7-0. But Ramona responded with a RBI single of its own in the bottom of the second. A double play with two runners in scoring position ended a chance for Ramona to cut the deficit after two complete (7-1 Redlands).
A single and a walk set the table for Redlands in the top of the third, and Anessa Jimenez scored, when starting pitcher Rosalinda Ramirez reached on an error. After allowing a single in the bottom of the third, Ramirez retired the next nine-consecutive batters she faced, as her team built a 10-run lead. Ramirez finished the day going five innings strong, allowing just one run on three hits, while striking out two and walking two, as Redlands came away with the 10-run rule victory 11-1 in five innings.
Stats (Redlands-Ramona): HERE
Pony 14U Championship: El Monte, California 6 High Desert (Revenge), California 4
El Monte starting pitcher Xitlali Montes was cruising through the first six innings of the Pony 14U championship game of the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series, before High Desert (Revenge), California made its comeback in its final chance at the plate. But after scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to two, High Desert could not come up with the hit it needed, as El Monte came away with the win 6-4.
The game started off well for El Monte, as four-straight singles and a sacrifice fly gave the team a 3-0 advantage after one complete. El Monte added a run in the bottom of the third, when Abril Gonzalez doubled home Mariah Torres, after she recorded a single and advanced to second on a passed ball (4-0).
After sending down the first 11 High Desert batters she faced to start the game, Montes finally allowed a single in the top of the fourth, but she quickly responded with a ground out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, El Monte's Charlene Sanchez singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball to start the inning. Alexis Ortega walked, and Alexis Cobos hit a blooper into right field that was misplayed for an error, scoring Sanchez and moving Ortega to third. Torres then grounded out, but she recorded a valuable RBI to give El Monte a 6-0 lead. High Desert was finally able to get to Montes in the top of the fifth, as a couple of wild pitches cost her team a run.
The climactic moment of the game was in the top of the seventh, when High Desert's Selena Frasto hit a double, Lita Suarez bunted and reached on an error, scoring Frasto and Rylin Carrillo tripled to score Suarez to cut the lead to three. Montes was then relieved by Ortega, finishing her solid performance in the championship game. But after a High Desert RBI ground out, the lead was just two. After a pop out, High Desert's Alina Lopez reached on an error, but Ortega was able to induce a ground ball and get the out to win the game 6-4.
Three earned runs were charged to Montes, but she finished the game with six innings pitched and a strikeout, while allowing six hits and a walk. Ortega completed one inning, allowing two hits, but no runs.
Stats (El Monte-High Desert): HERE
Colt/Palomino combined 16/18U Championship: Manila, Philippines 7 Hemet/San Jacinto (Xplozion), California 1
Thanks to a complete game, two-hit, one earned run (on a home run) performance by starting pitcher Alma Tauli, Manila, Philippines was able to build a sizable lead and lean on the talents of their winning pitcher to record a 7-1 victory over Hemet/San Jacinto (Xplozion), California in the Colt/Palomino 16/18U championship game of the PONY West Zone Girls Softball World Series.
A two-out, two-RBI double by Khrisha Cantor gave Manila an early 2-0 lead after the first half-inning of the game. Solo home runs by Mary Pasadas in the top of the second and Ma Angelu Gabriel in the top of the fourth gave the Asia-Pacific Zone squad a comfortable 4-0 lead, and the Filipinos really broke the game open later in the top of the fifth, when Cantor hit a bases clearly double (7-0).
After sending nine-consecutive Hemet/San Jacinto batters down in order from the first through fourth innings, the Californians finally got to Tauli, as Danielle Lebsock hit a solo homer to left (7-1 Manila). But over the next half of the game, Tauli was arguably just as good as the first, as she went the distance (seven innings), allowing just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out five.
Gabriel and Maria Bautista paced Manila with three hits each, while Cantor led the team with five RBI. Bautista and Shaina Camacho both recorded two runs scored apiece, leading the team, as Manila came away with a 7-1 victory.
Stats (Manila-Hemet/San Jacinto): HERE