Perfection was the theme for the weekend. Phil Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history, though not without some controversy. Whether or not Brendan Ryan checked his swing, Humber threw an incredible 96 pitch game in what was only his 30th start since he was drafted in 2004. Credit should also be given to both the Seattle Mariners fans and Brendan Ryan himself. After the final out, the Seattle Mariner fans gave Humber a standing ovation, knowing that they had witnessed history. Even though Brendan Ryan initially argued with the home plate umpire about his check swing, he is refusing to comment on the at bat. He recognizes that Humber threw an incredible game and does not want to take away from that fact. The amount of respect shown by both the fans and Ryan are something that should truly be commended.
Humber’s perfect game wasn’t the only piece of perfection this weekend. In the eight divisions playing in the 2012 Heritage Classic, six of them were won by teams going undefeated all weekend. The Heritage was also the first of our 2012 Strike Out Hunger tournaments. $50 of every entry fee will be donated to the Race for the Cure. Thank you to the teams that played for helping us raise $2500 this weekend. Keep your eyes open for more Strike Out Hunger events.
Big League Dreams:
The clouds were looming early on Saturday, but after they burned off, we were ready for some good baseball. The 11-Under So Cal Defenders had a perfect weekend, giving up only 16 total runs in their 4-0 run to the championship. In the 12-Under, the undefeated IE Elite and undefeated Rancho Cucamonga Bulldogs met in the championship game, where the IE Elite took home a hard fought 4-0 victory. In the 13-Under tournament, the 12U Team Phenom showed that they can play with the big boys. They outscored their opponents 29-7 in their 3 win and 1 loss run to first place, showing why they are one of the strongest 12-Under teams in the country. The undefeated 14-Under Synergy had to fight for their 2-1 semi-final victory to face the undefeated Naranjeros. Naranjeros took home the first place trophy to cap off their 4-0 weekend.
Fountain Valley Sports Park:
Who would have thought that Kobe Bryant being at the park to watch his daughter play softball could be overshadowed? The 4th Seed FCBA Titans took on the 1st Seed So Cal Mustangs in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon. The Mustangs took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd Inning, with the FCBA Titans answering with 2 runs in the 5th. In the bottom of the 6th, the Mustangs had a runner on 3rd with one out. The starting pitcher for the Titans, now in his last available inning for the day, struck out the next two batters to force the game into extra innings. The Titans went up 4-2 in the top of the 7th and had to bring in their closer to hold of the Mustangs for the win. It was one of the loudest and exciting baseball games in a long time.
The Titans went on to face the undefeated Oakley Stingrays Green in finals. The Stingrays drove in from Vegas and did not waste their trip. They went 4-0 for the weekend, clinching the championship game 5-0. Thank you to the Stingrays for making the trip with two teams.
In the 12-Under division, games were incredibly competitive on Saturday. No team scored more than five runs, and the biggest run differential was +4. On Sunday, the undefeated SC Sidewinders took on the So Cal Redwings in the finals. The Sidewinders had defeated the Redwings on Saturday, but the Redwings got redemption by winning the championship game.
Steed Park, San Clemente:
In San Clemente, the sun poked its head through on Saturday, but the marine layer blew right back in to keep everyone cool the rest of the weekend. It didn’t slow down the great play though. In the 13-Under division, the Lookouts Black stumbled a little on Saturday, but came back to win two strong games on Sunday to with the Silver Bracket. In the Gold Bracket, undefeated Rox Baseball met undefeated Tustin Knights in the semifinal game. Rox squeezed out a 2-0 victory to advance to the final to meet the winner of Real Deal BBC and HB Khaos.
4th Seed Real Deal BBC jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the 1st Seed HB Khaos in the 3rd inning. Khaos battled back to make it 4-3 in the 5th, but Real Deal scored two more to extend their lead to 6-3. Khaos weren’t done yet though. They scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th to tie the game at 6-6. The game went extra innings, where Khaos were able to get a walk off run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to carry the momentum into the final game, where the Rox capped off their undefeated weekend with a win to take home first place.
In the 14-Under, play was very competitive on Saturday. The US Stars and Total Baseball met again in the championship game. They tied their first game, but US Stars went on to win the championship game.
Thank you to all the teams that played this weekend.
Spring Shootout – April 28-29, 2012
The Spring Shoot out at BLD Riverside and West Covina is next weekend. There are still openings in most divisions, but space is limited, so sign up soon
Cinco De Mayo NIT – May 5-6, 2012
The Cinco De Mayo NIT will be held at Big League Dreams Chino Hills, Riverside, and West Covina. This is a double points event, so all teams will receive double points at usssa.com. The first place teams from each division will also receive USSSA Batting Cage Jackets.
See you on the fields
-AC
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