West Boca Diamonds 14U (Black) Take Second at Pines Memorial Day Tournament
After a weekend marked by excruciatingly long rain delays, the West Boca Diamonds 14U-Black team finished second at the 2009 Pines Memorial Day Tournament. The Diamonds arrived in Pembroke Pines on Saturday, May 23, 2009 for a 11:00 game, only to go home in the late afternoon without playing.
The Diamonds took the field on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. to face the Miami Eagles in the seeding game. In the first inning, Whitney Testorf drove in Aleisha Alexander for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles started the game strong with three hits and a run. Pitcher Sydney Elkin did not allow any additional hits for the remainder of the game. With a two-out double, Sydney Schaefer drove in Testorf and Stephanie Mandarano in the last inning to lead the Diamonds to a 3-1 win and a second seed.
After a close to four-hour delay, the Diamonds faced the Eagles again in the first bracket game. After seven minutes, the game was stopped, moved to another field, and resumed about two hours later. In the first inning, Amanda Edelmann stole both third and home (passed balls) for the only score of the game. Edelmann's pitching and clutch defense held the Eagles scoreless for the 1-0 win.
In the championship game against the West Pines Diamond Dusters, the Diamonds gave up five runs in the top of the first inning. Three runs by Amanda Edelmann, Lauren Alexander, and Whitney Testorf cut the deficit to 5-3. A two-run home run by Kayla Kadel knotted the game 5-5 in the second inning. Time expired in the fourth inning, forcing extra innings. The Diamond Dusters scored two runs in the top of the fifth to take a 7-5 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Aleisha Alexander scored on an error while the Diamonds had the tying run on third and winning run on second with one out.
The Diamond Dusters were able to get the last two batters out and win the game 7-6.
Although the team did more shopping than softball, their patience, perseverance and performance were outstanding.
West Boca Diamonds 14U (Black) Repeat as Champs at the 2009 Iron Women Tournament
Playing on their home field, the Diamonds (Black) 14U team won the Iron Women tournament for the second year in a row. On a demanding four-game seeding day, the team dropped their first game 2-1 and then won their next three games by a combined total of 32-6, securing the first seed.
In the first game on Sunday, the Diamonds' bats came alive in a six-run second inning to break a 2-2 tie with a tenacious West Boynton Lady Bandits team. The Diamonds scored four more runs in the fifth inning to win by a score of 12-3. The game was highlighted by strong pitching from Sydney Elkin and home runs by Savannah Fruin and Whitney Testorf.
In the Championship game, the Diamonds overcame a two-run deficit to beat the TNT by a score of 3-2. Savannah Fruin drove in the winning run (Kelsey Whalen) on a two-out single as time expired in the sixth inning. Pitcher Amanda Edelmann settled in and threw a shutout in the last four innings.
Explosive hitting and aggressive base running were the key ingredients to the Diamonds' success. Once again, every player made contributions at key points during the tournament.
West Boca Diamonds 14U- Black Champions at the Lake Lytal Classic, West Palm Beach, FL May 1-3, 2009
Players in Picture:Top row: Coach Steve Mandarano, Coach Neal Elkin; Middle row: Coach Dan Alexander, Lauren Alexander, Kelsey Whalen, Stephanie Mandarano, Kayla Kadel, Sydney Elkin, Whitney Testorf;Bottom row:Sydney Schaefer, Amanda Edelmann, Marina Costa, Aleisha Alexander; Not Pictured: Quinn DeWald and Savannah Fruin
The West Boca Diamonds 14 (Black) team won the Lake Lytal Classic on May 3, 2009.The Diamonds were 1-1-1 in seeding play.They defeated the Fusion 8-7 in a Friday night game.On Saturday, they played to a 2-2 tie with the Sunrise Thunder and lost 5-3 to the Palm Beach Gardens Gators.
In Sunday’s first game, the Diamonds beat the Cooper City Cobras by a score of 3-1. Pitcher Lauren Alexander allowed only two hits and Amanda Edelmann came in for relief in the last inning.
In the second game, the Diamonds defeated the Gators by a score of 3-0.Sydney Elkin was supported by strong defense as she pitched five shut out innings.Whitney Testorf scored two of the three runs.This was a big win against a quality team.
In the championship game, the Diamonds had to overcome a two run deficit to win by a score of 4-3 over the Thunder.Amanda Edelmann pitched five strong innings.Kelsey Whalen finished three solid games behind the plate and contributed to the cause with three hits.Batting from the bottom three positions in the order, Sydney Elkin, Sydney Schaefer, and Marina Costa sparked the comeback with timely hits. They also scored runs to lead the fifth inning charge.
Throughout the tournament, Aleisha Alexander, Kayla Kadel and Stephanie Mandarano played excellent defense and got hits in key situations. When someone faltered, another player picked up their game and made good things happen.This tournament win was truly a team effort that will not soon be forgotten.
