By Garland Cooper

Huntington Beach, Calif. - In a tournament comprised with 24 of the best teams across the country, one would think that the semifinal game would be a tight, action-packed performance.

The semifinal game between Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) High School and Camarillo (Calif.) High School was far from what was expected.

	Scott Kurtz for ESPN RISE
	Lindsey Ziegenhirt hit a homerun in Sheldon's semifinal win over Camarillo.

From day one, Sheldon proved to be a tough competitor and this semi-final game just solidified that fact. They beat Camarillo 8-0 in five innings to advance to the championship game.

It started early, in the bottom of the second, when freshman, Alexis Cooper, stepped up to the plate and blasted one out of the park with a runner on.

From there, the Husky bats never quieted. The next inning, in the bottom of the third, Lindsey Ziegenhirt followed in Cooper's footsteps and hit a two-run dinger to give Sheldon a big 4-0 lead.

In the fourth, Danielle Henderson almost copied Ziegenhirt and Cooper with a blast over the centerfielder's head. However, with two runners on, Camarillo's centerfielder made a catch over the fence to keep the ball in the park.

Despite the catch, the damage was done. With two runners on, they were both able to tag up and score on Henderson's long ball. This put the Huskies up 6-0 in the fourth.

The next inning Jolene Henderson led off with a double to get the Huskies rallying once again. Henderson then advanced on a wild pitch, but it wouldn't have mattered. Dejanee Moore, a constant threat at the plate, hit a double, scoring Henderson easily.

Meme Moore was the next batter for the Huskies and she made good contact off a pitch thrown by Camarillo hurler, Sarah Shadinger. A groundball was hit at the second baseman, but it was too much for her to handle, and the error allowed Dejanee Moore to score from second.

With that final run, the Huskies went ahead 8-0 and the game ended on run rule.

The Huskies scored three innings, back-to-back, and it was a complete team effort. Danielle Wiltz hit a double and was one for three, Dejanee Moore and Meme Moore were both two for three and Jolene Henderson went two for three as well.

On defense, Jolene Henderson kept the Camarillo batters at bay. Henderson, a force to be reckoned with, allowed no hits from the circle.

Mary Jo Tuesdale, Sheldon's head coach says that the explanation for their success has to do with relaxing and having a good time.

"They're just really coming together and playing loose,” she stated. "They started out just a little tight. We are somewhat inexperienced except for a couple of players, but now that they have seen what they have at this tournament, they are realizing they can play at the next level.”

It is hard to believe that this team has room to improve. They have unstoppable pitching, tight defense, and an offense that would bring fear to any pitcher. Truesdale recognizes how they have improved and will continue to improve throughout the tournament.

"We have been working out the kinks and communicating better every game,” said Truesdale.

The kinks on this team are few and far between.