PGF Nationals: Batbusters win title (8/2)
PGF Nationals: Batbusters win title (8/2)
Mike Stith had a plan.
The coach, who for all intents and purposes is the day-to-day administrative coach, drill sergeant and strategist for the OC Batbusters-Haning team, took the team to the Boulder Independence Day tournament a month ago to toughen them up.
“I wanted to fatigue them,” Stith explained after the Batbusters won today’s PGF 18U Premier Nationals over the Corona Angels 3-0. “And I wanted them to learn how to handle tough situations and the little, everyday struggles that bring a team together.”
He then smiles when he says, “I wanted to prepare them for this weekend because winning here is more important than winning Boulder.”
When the Batbusters played the Angels in early June, they fell 5-4 in the semis of the tournament that the Angels would go on to win. The next two weeks they’d make the finals at Champions Cup and then win the TC/USA Nationals in Georgia.
But when the Batbusters played the Angels in Colorado in early June, there was one major difference.
“We started Mariah Lopez (2016, Oklahoma),” continues the coach, “because we wanted to prepare her for big games down the line, like yesterday when she helped us beat the So Cal A’s to get there.”
“But also we wanted to hide Taylor McQuillin (2015, Arizona) and not show what she could do to the Angels as we thought there’d be a good chance we’d see them here (at PGF Nationals).”
That plan worked to perfection on Saturday at the Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif.
Before a packed house of well over 1,000 fans – which included everyone from the Univ. of Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea to club coaches like Richard Shea of the Birmingham Thunderbolts, John Corn from NC Lady Lightning and Bill Conroy of the Beverly Bandits—all of whom finished in the top 10 of this week’s PGF 18U Premier Nationals playoffs—the title game went surprisingly quickly at an hour and 14 minutes and was efficiently played as there were only seven hits, no walks and no errors.
McQuillin was the difference and if it took hiding her in Boulder to let her shine on club softball’s biggest stage, so be it.
The Gatorade National Player of the Year, who led Mission Viejo High to the No. 1 national ranking in the Student Sports-produced FAB 50 ratings, went the distance and only gave up two hits and no walks while striking out four.
The first hit came in the bottom of the 4th inning to Jazymyn Jackson (2014, Cal) on an infield single. Jackson would be bunted over to second but would be left stranded on third as the inning came to a close and that would be the closest the Angels would get to scoring.
Marina Ili (2014, UNLV) pinch hit in the bottom of the 6th and led the inning off with a single, but the home team was unable to mount a threat and the game was essentially over.
Those were the only hits Marty Tyson’s team could muster, but the Batbusters were limited offensively as well.
Rachel Garcia (2015, UCLA) started for the Angels and both she and McQuillin were perfect heading into the top of the 4th.
While McQuillin was effective in mixing up speeds and using a tough rise, drop and screwball, Garcia was blowing heat, several times hitting the radar gun (which was set up right next to me) at 68 mph, and she ended up with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3rd innings.
Arguably the best hitter in the country, Amanda Lorenz (2015, Florida), broke the drought when she singled to left to start off the top of the 4th inning. She would move to second on a sac bunt and then come home on a single by Sydney Romero (2015, Oklahoma) to put the first run on the board.
Lorenz would be key the next inning as well.
Maddy Jelenicky (2014, UCLA) singled to lead off the inning, but it looked like Garcia would escape unscathed when she got the next two hitters out.
However, Taylon Snow (2017, Washington) crushed a two-strike pitch to deep center to bring in Jelenicky to put the score at 2-0 and Lorenz followed with an RBI down the right field line to finish off the scoring for the game.
“I was expecting outside, but it was high and in and I just wanted to hit something hard so I went after it.”
The Batbusters offense did what it needed to do to support McQuillin’s masterpiece in the circle.
“We just kept telling her, ‘You keep pitching your ass off like you’re doing ‘cause we’re going to get runs for you’ and we did. It was a little slow to start and I’m so happy that we did because she deserves it. She’s worked her butt off, all of our pitchers have.”
That would include Kaylee Carlson (2014, North Carolina), Lopez and McQuillin—collectively the top trio of pitchers in club ball.
However, it took a bit of foresight in pulling the right strings by Stith, Gary Haning, Mark Campbell, Dan Hay and the other coaches who make up the formidable Batbuster staff to set up who the competition would face down the road.
In reality, this championship—which Coach Haning says is the first for the Batbusters in seven years–began in Boulder a month ago with a bit of planning on which pitchers would be seen… and not seen.
It would take looking ahead and patience and, obviously, all the balls had to bounce just right for these juggernauts to face each other but it did play out that way and Stith, apparently three steps ahead of everybody else, could smile at the end.
“This feels so good for these girls who love each other,” he concluded. “There’s not a bit of jealousy anywhere and that team chemistry is what makes this team so special.”
Starting Line-ups – OC Batbusters (visitors)
18 – CF Amanda Lorenz (2015, Florida)
27 – SS McKenna Arriola (2014, Oregon State)
4 – 2B Sydney Romero (2015, Oklahoma)
32 – LF Alyssa Palomino (2015, Arizona)
9 – 3B Tannon Snow (2015, Washington)
88 – DH Maddy Jelenicky (2014, UCLA)
5 – 1B Janell Wheaton (2014, Florida)
47 – C Morganne Flores (2015, Washington)
2 – RF Taylon Snow (2017, Washington)
19 – Flex/P Taylor McQuillin (2015, Arizona)
Starting Line-ups – Corona Angels (home team)
10 – 2B Jazymyn Jackson (2014, Cal)
15 – Jessica Scroggins (2014, Baylor)
17 – SS Shay Knighten (2015, Oklahoma)
24 – 3B Ashley Goodwin (2014, Ohio State)
00 – P Rachel Garcia (2015, UCLA)
4 – RF Taylor White (2014, Ohio State)
44 – 1B Abby Lockman (2015, Tennessee)
9 – DH Paulina Anasis (2015, Northwestern)
27 – C Lea Wodach (2014, Oklahoma)
6 – Flex Zoe Casas (2015, Florida State)