Dramatics on Final Day of So Cal A’s Invitational (6/21)

Dramatics on Final Day of So Cal A’s Invitational (6/21)

Jun 22, 2015 by Brentt Eads
Dramatics on Final Day of So Cal A’s Invitational (6/21)

It became clear as the So Cal A’s Invitational was winding down that the championship game of the event would likely not be contested once again.

 Home / Live Blog / Softball: Plenty of Dramatics on Final Day of So Cal A’s Invitational Softball: Plenty of Dramatics on Final Day of So Cal A’s Invitational     By Carlos Arias     Updated: 06/21/2015 MK Bonamy was a big part of Jersey Intensity's huge 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Corona Angels at the So Cal A's Invitational on Sunday, June 21, at Hillview School in Santa Ana, Calif. PHOTO BY BRENTT EADS. MK Bonamy was a big part of Jersey Intensity’s huge 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Corona Angels at the So Cal A’s Invitational on Sunday, June 21, at Hillview School in Santa Ana, Calif.
MK Bonamy was a big part of Jersey Intensity’s huge 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Corona Angels at the So Cal A’s Invitational Sunday.

The main thrust of the tournament is to get teams ready for the six-week run leading up to the PGF Nationals and the USA Softball JO Cup in August. But that didn’t mean there weren’t some amazing performances and dramatic finishes on the final day of the So Cal A’s Invitational on Sunday, June 21, at Hillview School.

Jersey Intensity (NJ) found itself in a 7-1 hole against the Corona Angels (Calif.) heading to the bottom of the seventh in a quarterfinal game. Tennessee-bound Abby Lockman and Nebraska-commit Tristen Edwards hit back-to-back homers in the top of the sixth and Washington-committed Noelle Hee belted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to build a six-run cushion for the Angels.

Jersey Intensity could have easily checked out and packed it in, but Intensity coach Kevin O’Donnell said his team has a knack for embracing these challenges. It started off with an RBI single from Lacey Summerlin, an RBI double from MK Bonamy and a two-run double from Deven Kennedy to make it a 7-5 game.

Suddenly, the Intensity was within striking distance, but the Angels only needed one more out. Katie Marino tied it with a two-run single and it all came back to Summerlin, who came through with a walk-off single to complete the improbable comeback.

“This is about experiencing it and living it and that’s what they did. They overcame it,” O’Donnell said. “One of the things we preach is prepare, perform and persevere … and they persevered. It’s a game of inches and timing and nothing was going our way call-wise and we fought through it.

“As we started the tournament, I told you these were the comeback kids. That’s what they like, when it’s all on the line, they find a way to persevere through it.

Intensity’s amazing run came to an end with a 5-2 loss to the So Cal A’s in the semifinals, but they proved they have what it takes to be dangerous against any team in the nation no matter the circumstances.

Arizona-bound Taylor McQuillin scattered six hits and struck out 10 with no walks and Arizona-committed Zia Norris went 2 for 2 with two doubles in the OC Batbusters’ 3-1 win over the Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) in the other semifinal. The A’s and Batbusters decided not to play the finals after a long weekend of softball. Batbusters SS/OF Taylon Snow got cut on the pointing finger on her glove hand during a steal attempt early in the game and had to be taken to the doctor to get checked out.

In other quarterfinal games:

Mackenzie Boesel at the plat for the So Cal A's.
Mackenzie Boesel at the plat for the So Cal A’s.

So Cal A’s (Calif.) 4, Beverly Bandits (Ill.) 3: South Carolina-committed Mackenzie Boesel led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, scored on Tennessee-bound Taylor Rowland’s double and Tennessee-commit Maddi Pacini drove in Rowland with a walk-off single to win it for the A’s.

Firecrackers-Rico (Calif.) 6, Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) 5: In another back-and-forth battle, Michigan-commit Alexis Allan delivered an RBI single in the top of the sixth to give the Firecrackers the lead and they held on for the win. The Firecrackers ran out of pitching after a pair of wild slugfests and asked the Thunderbolts to replace them in the semifinals.

In first round games:

Firecrackers-Rico (Calif.) 11, Texas Glory (Tex.) 10: Twice the Firecrackers found themselves facing huge deficits and twice they found the answer to pull out the victory over the Glory. Louisiana Tech-commit Marilyn Rizzato’s solo bomb in the top of the fifth gave to Glory a 7-3 advantage.

Oklahoma-commit Eliyah Flores and Oregon-commit Mary Iakopo came through with two-run singles for the Firecrackers in the bottom of the fifth as the time limit expired to extend the game into ITB.

The Glory appeared to seal the Firecrackers fate when Louisiana Tech-bound Morgan Turkoly connected on an RBI double and Oklahoma State-bound Madison Montgomery added a two-run double for a 10-7 lead.

But the Firecrackers responded with four more runs, including a walk-off slap single over the shortstop by Notre Dame-commit Riley Wester to drive in two runs for the win.

Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) 3, East Cobb Bullets-Schnute (Ga.) 1: In ITB in the top of the sixth, Kendall Veach drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left and the Bolts piked up an unearned run for a 3-1 advantage, then Arizona-bound Tamara Statman shut down the Bullets in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.

Beverly Bandits (Ill.) 7, Gold Coast Hurricanes (Fla.) 0: South Carolina-bound Alexis Mack led off the game with a triple, scored on Oregon-committed Miranda Elish’s squeeze and the Bandits were off and running. The Bandits used a combination of good hitting, small ball and base running to take down the Hurricanes.

“That’s why we’re called the Bandits,” Bandits coach Bill Conroy said, “because we steal everything.”

Elish tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts to record the shutout for the Bandits.

Jersey Intensity (NJ) 7, So Cal Choppers (Calif.) 0: Notre Dame-bound MK Bonamy went 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI and Alabama-bound Kyra Lockhart hit a two-run home run to lead the Intensity over the Choppers. Kelsey Oh pitched five innings and Maddy Smith closed out the final two innings to combine on the shutout.

SO CAL A’S INVITATIONAL AT HILLVIEW SCHOOL, SANTA ANA, CALIF.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) 3, East Cobb Bullets-Schnute (Ga.) 1

Beverly Bandits (Ill.) 7, Gold Coast Hurricanes (Fla.) 0

Jersey Intensity (NJ) 7, So Cal Choppers (Calif.) 0

Firecrackers-Rico (Calif.) 11, Texas Glory (Tex.) 10

QUARTERFINALS

So Cal A’s (Calif.) 4, Beverly Bandits (Ill.) 3

Firecrackers-Rico (Calif.) 6, Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) 5

OC Batbusters (Calif.) 8, Wichita Mustangs (Kan.) 1

Jersey Intensity (NJ) 8, Corona Angels (Calif.) 7

SEMIFINALS

OC Batbusters (Calif.) 3, Birmingham Thunderbolts (Ala.) 1

So Cal A’s (Calif.) 5, Jersey Intensity (NJ) 2

CHAMPIONSHIP

Did not play