Sunnyvale Tournament, August 9th - 10th

The Alameda Blaze Red 14-U girls ended their season with a strong showing in Sunnyvale,
with numerous comebacks and tight, competitive games.

Saturday, August 9th

Kerman Khaos 9 vs. Alameda Blaze Red 8

The Blaze Red dropped a heartbreaker in the tournament opener. Kerman took an early 3-0 lead, but the Blaze stormed back with 3 of their own first inning runs on hits by Hannah Johnson and Alison Ganci, a big RBI double by Sydney Lewis, and a two-RBI single by Lindsi Tu. After dropping behind 7-3 in the second, the Blaze again came back with 5 runs to take the lead on a Kelly Hosokawa single, a two-RBI Ganci single, another RBI hit from Lewis, and a squeeze bunt by Emma Fraser. Kerman shut down the Blaze after that, and scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to take the lead. The Blaze put runners on 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the fifth when Emily Cooper drew a walk and Alexis Konstantino singled, but they couldn’t push the game winner across. The Blaze defense came through with some nice plays, including running catches by Lewis in left field and Fraser at first base. Lewis led the hitting with hits in all 3 at bats.

Vallejo Hurricanes 13 vs. Alameda Blaze Red  2

The Blaze fell to the top-seeded Hurricanes, falling behind early again, trailing 10-0 after two innings. The Blaze defense tightened in the last few innings, including two double plays on line drives, one started by shortstop Hosokawa, and one by Emily Cooper at pitcher. The Blaze bats were silent in this game, as they were no-hit in 4 innings, capitalizing on 6 walks to score their two runs. Catcher Alexis Konstantino threw out a runner with a perfect throw that nailed the Hurricane’s speedy leadoff hitter trying to steal second.

Alameda Blaze Red 7 vs. Gonzales Rampage 7

The Blaze came from behind again in this tight contest, scoring 4 runs in the 3rd inning to take a 4-3 lead on a Sydney Lewis single, a two-RBI Lindsi Tu double, and a two-RBI single down the right field line by Emma Fraser.  After the Rampage tied the game, the Blaze came back again with 3 in the top of the fourth on hits by Alexis Konstantino and Hannah Johnson, a two-RBI single by Kelly Hosokawa, and yet another RBI double by the hot-hitting Lewis.  The Rampage came back to score 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth to force a tie game as time expired.  Centerfielder Elizabeth Ahrens had two assists, one hustling in to throw out the runner at 2nd to end a rally and the inning, the other gunning down a runner attempting to advance to third. The Blaze also managed to turn their third double play of the day, this time on a line drive to second baseman Alison Ganci.

Alameda Blaze Red 6 vs. Fremont Flyers 6

The Blaze finished seeding play earning the number 6 seed with yet another tie game. Again the Blaze fell behind 3-0 before finally pushing a run across in the bottom of the third on a Hannah Johnson single, and an RBI single by Lexus Rawlyk. The Blaze scored two more in the fourth to trail by 4-3 thanks to a big RBI double by Alexis Konstantino and Johnson’s third hit of the game. The Blaze had their backs to the wall after giving up two runs in the top of the fifth to trail 6-3 with time expired. However, the Blaze again would not give up. Sydney Lewis and Lexus Rawlyk led off with singles, and came around to score on a two-RBI Lindsi Tu single. Emma Fraser drove home the tying run, and the Blaze came home with their second tie game of the tournament. Kelly Hosokawa threw her second consecutive strong game, striking out 5 and walking only one.

Sunday, August 10th

Kerman Khaos 6 vs. Alameda Blaze Red 4

The Blaze started elimination play on Sunday with a rematch against the number 3 seeded Khaos. The game started as a classic pitchers duel, with the Khaos scoring first with three runs in the third, only one earned. Left fielder Sydney Lewis prevented more damage with a nice running catch of a sinking line drive. The Blaze finally came through with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a double down the right field line by Kelly Hosokawa, an RBI double belted over the left fielder’s head by Darby Nordin, and an RBI single by Emma Fraser to bring the game back to 4-2. The Khaos scored two more unearned runs in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead, but the Blaze came right back with two more in the bottom of the fifth on a Hannah Johnson single, a Kelly Hosokawa RBI single, and an RBI single by Alison Ganci. The game was unusually fast paced, allowing it to be played to completion for the full seven innings. The Blaze locked down the Khaos in the sixth and seventh, and threatened in the bottom of each inning, on hits by Nordin and Johnson, but were unable to push another run across. Kelly Hosokawa pitched a magnificent 7-inning complete game, striking out 6, nearly all in clutch situations, and walking only 1. Johnson led all hitters with 3 hits, and finished 8-14 for the tournament, scoring 6 runs. Lewis finished 7-13 with three doubles.