Sports
Big winners
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| First place: The 2010 St. David varsity softball team celebrates following a 6-0 start to the season. (Photo courtesy Ira Lewis). |
Tigers start season 6-0 with tournament title
Staff Report
As Coach Ira Lewis predicted at the start of the season, a more seasoned Tigers softball team would make an impact in 2010. The Lady Tigers improved to 6-0 last week, dominating several opponents.
The Lady Tigers opened their season against 2A Tombstone last Tuesday, winning 11-1.
In a game stopped after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule, the Tigers got off to an early lead and never trailed.
"We were a little nervous about this game because our number one pitcher wasn't able to go, our number two pitcher had missed some practice time due to another commitment, and we were starting a freshman on the mound. As it turns out we shouldn't have been very nervous at all," said Lewis.
Tarryn Lee pitched the first four innings for the Tigers and shut the visitors out on three hits over those innings.
She got tired in the fourth, and the Tigers turned to their top pitcher Cyndal Mayberry, who finished the game, but wasn't sharp.
"We got some great defense when we needed it behind our pitchers. Some timely hitting also helped along the way," Lewis said.
Marissa Garcia led the Tigers at bat, going 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs. Amorette Jacquez was 2 for 3 with two runs, and Tarryn Lee finished 3 for 4 with two runs.
On Friday and Saturday the Tigers competed in the Noel Morris Invitational at Valley Union.
Kicking tournament play off against Tanque Verde, the Tigers again won 11-1.
For the second game in a row, the Tigers made it a short outing, winning by mercy.
The Tigers' second pitcher, Natalie Jones, pitched the entire game, giving up 7 hits and 1 run over 6 innings. She also struck out 6 batters and after the first inning got stronger as the game got going.
"Natalie wasn't sharp in the first inning but after that, each inning she just got stronger and stronger. At one point she was just rearing back and throwing as hard as she could, but her command is so good that she was keeping the balls down in the zone and on the edges. When the other team did hit the ball, usually her defense was there to make the play," Lewis said.
Offensively the Tigers put together only 7 hits but also got 15 walks to have amble base runners.
Jones led the team, going 2 for 3 with two runs, a double and a triple. Garcia was 1 for 1 with three walks, a triple, and 3 runs scored and Kayla Vargas was 1 for 2 with a double and two runs.
In the second round, the Tigers played host Tanque Verde, dominating the match 17-2.
Mayberry took to the mound for her first action, but her outing was brief, as the Tigers again used the mercy rule to put the game away after 3 innings.
"Cyndal isn't 100 percent yet. My best guess is that she is around 80-85 percent healthy, but we held her out in the early game so she could pitch this game," Lewis said. "As a senior, she has really matured and accepted that there are times when the team can win without her and that her health is the most important thing. We are hoping that after spring break she will be at 100 percent, which makes what she is doing right now really scary."
On offense, Lee went 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, a double and a run. Jones finished 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and two runs and Marissa Web was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs, a double and two runs.
The Tigers finished first in pool play, and would open the playoff portion of the tournament hosting Duncan on Saturday.
In the closest game for the Tigers to date, St. David beat Duncan 7-3.
Duncan's first three batters reached base safely and before the Tigers could get the sleepy out of their eyes they were trailing 3-0.
"After the game I talked with the coaches and we agreed that our pitchers weren't getting enough warm-ups in," Lewis said. "We've given up almost half of our runs this year in the first inning. Luckily for us, the girls did just enough offensively to win the game
"I was frustrated with our hitting and the girls picked up on that early. It took a good talking to by my assistant coach to get me to calm down and let the girls play. We also mixed up our offense and went to some small ball to make Duncan field the ball and throw it instead of just catching pop flies."
In the semi-final game, the Tigers again played Tanque Verde in a rematch from the day before and again dominated, winning 11-1.
Mayberry pitched the first two innings, giving up 1 run and 2 hits, to get some work in and Jones came in for relief for three innings.
"We played some great defense on a day when any fly ball was anything but routine. We practiced some fly balls before the game to judge the wind, but until the balls were in the air you just don't know what you will get. Marissa Webb and Kayla Vargas played outstanding considering the weather," Lewis said.
Garcia led the Tigers on offense, going 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run and a double. Jacquez was 2 for 3 with a run and a double. Six other Tigers had a hit in the game.
"Marissa and Amorette each hit some monster shots today that on any regular day would have been homeruns if it had not been for the 20 mph winds blowing in from left field," Lewis said. "Marissa's shot was hit so high and far that even after running back 20 yards, the ball only barely missed hitting the center fielder in the head as it came down.
"Amorette simply crushed a pitch! Perfect swing, perfect point of contact, perfect follow through, and it ended in the left fielder's glove 5 yards in front of the fence. We've hit some hard balls over the last 3+ years, but no one has hit a ball like that. Without the wind that ball is easily 20 yards beyond the fence if not more."
In the championship game, the Tigers played the Vipers from San Miguel, to whom they had lost twice last year in the same tournament.
This year was a different story, as St. David took the first-place title, winning 18-5.
In a game that was closer than the final score, the Tigers got off to an early lead and never trailed.
When the mercy rule looked like it might end the game early, the Tigers made some bad throws that allowed the game to continue and then had to fight off some self-doubt and insecurities to finish the game off strong.
"We had some goals set for ourselves this year and winning this tournament was one of them," Lewis said. "We felt that if we could, it would send some messages to other teams in our conference that this isn't the same old St. David team as in years past."
Although still not playing at a 100 percent, Mayberry was the winning pitcher, throwing seven innings.
Lee led the Tigers on offense, going 2 for 4, with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Jones was 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs and Garcia was 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a double and a triple.
"I was looking at our stats from last year and we already have some girls who are closing in on their totals from a year ago," Lewis said. "We are still a work in progress but we are starting so far ahead of where we were last year. When we finally get healthy it will be scary. We have three or four girls right now who are less than 100 percent, but they know what it takes to win and they are willing to pay the price."
The Tigers' record now stands at 6-0. The only game this week will open 1A South Conference play against powerhouse St. Augustine in Tucson. Tuesday's game results were not available at press time.
Staff Report
As Coach Ira Lewis predicted at the start of the season, a more seasoned Tigers softball team would make an impact in 2010. The Lady Tigers improved to 6-0 last week, dominating several opponents.
The Lady Tigers opened their season against 2A Tombstone last Tuesday, winning 11-1.
In a game stopped after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule, the Tigers got off to an early lead and never trailed.
"We were a little nervous about this game because our number one pitcher wasn't able to go, our number two pitcher had missed some practice time due to another commitment, and we were starting a freshman on the mound. As it turns out we shouldn't have been very nervous at all," said Lewis.
Tarryn Lee pitched the first four innings for the Tigers and shut the visitors out on three hits over those innings.
She got tired in the fourth, and the Tigers turned to their top pitcher Cyndal Mayberry, who finished the game, but wasn't sharp.
"We got some great defense when we needed it behind our pitchers. Some timely hitting also helped along the way," Lewis said.
Marissa Garcia led the Tigers at bat, going 2 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs. Amorette Jacquez was 2 for 3 with two runs, and Tarryn Lee finished 3 for 4 with two runs.
On Friday and Saturday the Tigers competed in the Noel Morris Invitational at Valley Union.
Kicking tournament play off against Tanque Verde, the Tigers again won 11-1.
For the second game in a row, the Tigers made it a short outing, winning by mercy.
The Tigers' second pitcher, Natalie Jones, pitched the entire game, giving up 7 hits and 1 run over 6 innings. She also struck out 6 batters and after the first inning got stronger as the game got going.
"Natalie wasn't sharp in the first inning but after that, each inning she just got stronger and stronger. At one point she was just rearing back and throwing as hard as she could, but her command is so good that she was keeping the balls down in the zone and on the edges. When the other team did hit the ball, usually her defense was there to make the play," Lewis said.
Offensively the Tigers put together only 7 hits but also got 15 walks to have amble base runners.
Jones led the team, going 2 for 3 with two runs, a double and a triple. Garcia was 1 for 1 with three walks, a triple, and 3 runs scored and Kayla Vargas was 1 for 2 with a double and two runs.
In the second round, the Tigers played host Tanque Verde, dominating the match 17-2.
Mayberry took to the mound for her first action, but her outing was brief, as the Tigers again used the mercy rule to put the game away after 3 innings.
"Cyndal isn't 100 percent yet. My best guess is that she is around 80-85 percent healthy, but we held her out in the early game so she could pitch this game," Lewis said. "As a senior, she has really matured and accepted that there are times when the team can win without her and that her health is the most important thing. We are hoping that after spring break she will be at 100 percent, which makes what she is doing right now really scary."
On offense, Lee went 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, a double and a run. Jones finished 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and two runs and Marissa Web was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs, a double and two runs.
The Tigers finished first in pool play, and would open the playoff portion of the tournament hosting Duncan on Saturday.
In the closest game for the Tigers to date, St. David beat Duncan 7-3.
Duncan's first three batters reached base safely and before the Tigers could get the sleepy out of their eyes they were trailing 3-0.
"After the game I talked with the coaches and we agreed that our pitchers weren't getting enough warm-ups in," Lewis said. "We've given up almost half of our runs this year in the first inning. Luckily for us, the girls did just enough offensively to win the game
"I was frustrated with our hitting and the girls picked up on that early. It took a good talking to by my assistant coach to get me to calm down and let the girls play. We also mixed up our offense and went to some small ball to make Duncan field the ball and throw it instead of just catching pop flies."
In the semi-final game, the Tigers again played Tanque Verde in a rematch from the day before and again dominated, winning 11-1.
Mayberry pitched the first two innings, giving up 1 run and 2 hits, to get some work in and Jones came in for relief for three innings.
"We played some great defense on a day when any fly ball was anything but routine. We practiced some fly balls before the game to judge the wind, but until the balls were in the air you just don't know what you will get. Marissa Webb and Kayla Vargas played outstanding considering the weather," Lewis said.
Garcia led the Tigers on offense, going 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run and a double. Jacquez was 2 for 3 with a run and a double. Six other Tigers had a hit in the game.
"Marissa and Amorette each hit some monster shots today that on any regular day would have been homeruns if it had not been for the 20 mph winds blowing in from left field," Lewis said. "Marissa's shot was hit so high and far that even after running back 20 yards, the ball only barely missed hitting the center fielder in the head as it came down.
"Amorette simply crushed a pitch! Perfect swing, perfect point of contact, perfect follow through, and it ended in the left fielder's glove 5 yards in front of the fence. We've hit some hard balls over the last 3+ years, but no one has hit a ball like that. Without the wind that ball is easily 20 yards beyond the fence if not more."
In the championship game, the Tigers played the Vipers from San Miguel, to whom they had lost twice last year in the same tournament.
This year was a different story, as St. David took the first-place title, winning 18-5.
In a game that was closer than the final score, the Tigers got off to an early lead and never trailed.
When the mercy rule looked like it might end the game early, the Tigers made some bad throws that allowed the game to continue and then had to fight off some self-doubt and insecurities to finish the game off strong.
"We had some goals set for ourselves this year and winning this tournament was one of them," Lewis said. "We felt that if we could, it would send some messages to other teams in our conference that this isn't the same old St. David team as in years past."
Although still not playing at a 100 percent, Mayberry was the winning pitcher, throwing seven innings.
Lee led the Tigers on offense, going 2 for 4, with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Jones was 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs and Garcia was 2 for 4 with 2 runs, a double and a triple.
"I was looking at our stats from last year and we already have some girls who are closing in on their totals from a year ago," Lewis said. "We are still a work in progress but we are starting so far ahead of where we were last year. When we finally get healthy it will be scary. We have three or four girls right now who are less than 100 percent, but they know what it takes to win and they are willing to pay the price."
The Tigers' record now stands at 6-0. The only game this week will open 1A South Conference play against powerhouse St. Augustine in Tucson. Tuesday's game results were not available at press time.
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