Beaverton Based Team Takes Title

The Beaverton based Northwest Blaze 16U ASA softball team captured the national championship this past Sunday evening in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Blaze came from two runs down in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat the Arizona Killer Bees 5-4, on a walk-off three run home run by Kaitlin Inglesby.

Inglesby, who plays for the Central Catholic Rams, also picked up the win, pitching in relief for the second time of the day over the Killer Bees, in the double elimination tournament. It was the second consecutive 5-4 win for the Blaze over the Killer Bees.

There could not have been much more drama to the finale of the ASA 16-under girls fastpitch national softball championship at Sherman Park on Sunday, as lightning flashing in the western sky.

In the second title game, and the Northwest Blaze down 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh - and final - inning, time was running out, but the Blaze had their big bats coming up against the Arizona Killer Bees, who had built a 4-0 lead after three innings.

As storm clouds rolled in, leadoff hitter Alyssa Gillespie of Glencoe and Tara Glover from Grants Pass rapped out back-to-back singles, setting the stage for third-place batter Inglesby, who won the first title game pitching relief and was working in relief once again.


On the second pitch, Inglesby launched a shot over the fence in right field for the three-run, walk-off homer, and the 5-4 win, which set off a wild victory celebration by the Beaverton, Ore., squad.

"I just knew I needed to get a hit right then," she said. "She (Bees pitcher Olivia Bergman, who delivered a yeoman's work on the mound), was pitching me down the middle every time, so I figured after the first pitch, she would throw me another one - and she did."

As soon as Inglesby made contact, there was never a doubt it would leave the park.

The victory came in the 18th game of the tournament for the Blaze, who ended the season with a 57-3 record and a national championship in their sixth try.



The Killer Bees, from the Tucson area, ended the season with a 73-19 record, and nearly rallied to win the title in the first game.

The Bees tied that game at 4-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Ashley Cruz and Darlene Valles.

But the never-say-die Blaze came up with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Krystin Jantzer, also from Grants Pass, with the bases loaded and no outs.

"Incredible. They were just unbelievable," Blaze coach Chris Kelly said of his squad's twin last-bat wins.

"After we finished seventh in the nationals last year, these kids said they wanted another shot - and this was the sixth time they've been to nationals, and they knew this was it. It was now or never."

After losing in the second championship bracket game earlier last week, the Blaze had no more room for error.

"We knew then it wouldn't be easy," Inglesby said, "but we also knew if anybody could do it, it would be us."

For Inglesby, it was her third strong pitching performance of the day.

"I wasn't tired. I used my curve a lot. I just wanted to keep them guessing and get them to pop up," she said. "I needed to show them I still had my best stuff."

The Blaze had 11 hits in the final game and 10 in the first, while the Killer Bees had 10 in each outing.



Catcher Elizabeth Brenner from Jesuit had a key two-run homer in the first game to give the Blaze a 4-1 lead before the Bees rallied late.

Other members of the Northwest Blaze include Sloan Anderson of Glencoe, Abby Komin of Southridge, Cayleigh Andress from Hillsboro, Izabelle Batayola from Seattle, who is verbally comitted to play for Oregon State, Krystin Jantzer from Grants Pass, Ashley Worthey from Century, Jordan Krieger from Grants Pass, and Morgan Barnes, also from Grants Pass, who has committed to Boise St.



Sunday's final round scores:



AZ Killer Bees 5, Birmingham (Ala) Vipers -Hays 0

AZ Hot Shots -Householder 3, Indiana Shockwaves 1

So Cal Athletics 2, Team Smith (Calif) 0

Northwest Blaze 2, Colorado Styxx 1

Indiana Shockwaves 2, S. Cal Athletics 0

Northwest Blaze 8, Birmingham Vipers - Hayes 0

AZ Killer Bees 5, AZ Hot Shots - Householder 2

Northwest Blaze 3, Indiana Shockwaves 2

Northwest Blaze 5, AZ Killer Bees 4

Northwest Blaze 5, AZ Killer Bees 4




Blaze homepage:



http://www.northwestblaze.com/