Boulder IDT to DeMarini Invite

With only a few days of rest, we knew matching the success of an 8-1 finish at the Boulder IDT tournament would not be simple because of the older competitors and quality programs at the Demarini Invitational Showcase. 

Our Wednesday night game was pretty much the result of overdrive. Eight of our players had participated in the OnDeck camp that same day, which started in the early morning and didn’t end until an hour before game time. Despite the long day, we played a solid game against the 16U OC Batbusters and pulled out a victory to start the tournament. 

Thursday morning, we all felt the effects of the long day before. During pregame, extra stretching was a necessity, as well as the applying of Icy Hot to a few sore shoulders. By game time, we had put our worries aside and were ready to roll. 

Being a 14U team, we knew we would have to fight and limit our mistakes against the well respected 18U Georgia Impact. Although we lost, there were many victories to take away. The game really helped all of us to see that even though we may be a few years younger, we belonged in a tournament as tough and competitive as the Demarini Invitational. When we play our best softball, we can beat anyone.

The Little Things Matter

We started the second game against the 16U Carolina Elite with a bang with two bombs putting us up 3-0 in the top of the first. The irony to the first inning of that game was the home runs came after Coach Ben Robles pointed out the difference of the ball flight between Illinois and Colorado. He told us that home runs would be difficult in the denser air, so we all needed to focus on hitting hard ground balls. 

After the first inning, the Elite took advantage of our defensive miscues to eventually catch up to our three run lead. We finished the game in a tie. Letting up our early lead reminded us of the quality of softball we needed to play. Little mistakes cost us while playing against these high caliber teams.

The Game Doesn't Know How Old You Are

Coming off about an hour break, we started our last game of the day against the 16U Arizona Athletics. The age factor, however, didn’t intimidate us one bit and we were able to play our strongest game of the day.

Our momentum during the game was stalled by a short lightning delay. All the teams in the tournament huddled under the coaches tent or the pavilion in the middle of the complex, anxiously waiting for the storm to pass. 

Even though we spent the delay fighting over donuts that we weren’t allowed to eat, everyone came back fresh and ready to play. We did a fantastic job of being patient at the plate and making the pitchers throw strikes, allowing us to score a total of nine runs. 

In just two short days, the 14U Illinois Chill learned what we can accomplish against tough competition. The rest of this weekend will definitely help us prepare for Nationals in Huntington Beach at the end of this month.

Emmie Farnam
Illinois Chill 14U