By Garland Cooper

It is hard to imagine a more intense day of softball than day two, but the final day of competition did not disappoint.

In the end it was No. 1 ranked Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) High School who took the title, but not after several close games across the board. Below are the results from the final day of play.

	Scott Kurtz for ESPN RISE
	Sheldon High School takes it all in the finals Saturday night.

Championship Game: Sheldon 2 – Canyon 0
Jolene Henderson had 12 strikeouts in the game and gave up only two hits to shut out Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) High School. She also was two for three at the plate with a double. Danielle Henderson was one for two. For Canyon, Briana Gwaltney was one for three with a triple. Cheyanne Tarango took the loss for Canyon. Sheldon finished the tournament undefeated and improved their record to 10-0.

Semifinal Game: Canyon 4 – Esperanza 3
Cheyanne Tarango took the win on the mound and did well offensively, getting a crucial hit to help Canyon take the lead. Briana Gwaltney had two RBIs and Taylor Van Acker hit a two-run double for the Comanches. For Esperanza (Esperanza, Calif.), Kristin Scharkey had a hit, stolen base, and scored a run. Nicole Schroder had an RBI and Kelsea Roth hit a solor homerun.

Semifinal Game: Sheldon 8 – Camarillo 0
Jolene Henderson pitched a no-hitter and was two for three at the plate and hit a double off the fence. Danielle Wiltz was one for three with a double and Lindsey Ziegenhirt was one for three with a homerun and two RBIs. Dejanee Moore was two for three with a double, Meme Moore was two for three and Alexis Cooper was one for three with a two-run homerun.

Third Place: Esperanza 4 – Camarillo 3
Kailyn Johnson hit a homerun for Esperanza. Kelsea Roth and Alexis Borden split time on the mound. Jennifer Manuel was in the circle for Camarillo.

Consolation Champion: Vista Murrieta 11 – St. Francis 2
It was a team effort at the plate for Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) in the win. For St. Francis (Honolulu, Hawaii), catcher Briana Tovio-Asato hit a two-run homerun in the top of the first inning.

Freedom 7 – Pleasant Grove 0
Hannah Williams was the winning pitcher for Freedom (Oakley, Calif.) and she recorded 14 Ks in her final game of the tournament.

El Modena 4 - Rodriguez 3
Haylie White took the win for El Modena (Orange, Calif.). For Rodriguez (Fairfield, Calif.), Andrinae White was two for three with a triple and two RBIs. Alexis Pickett was two for three with an RBI.

Norco 1 – El Toro 0
Teagan Gerhart had 13 strikeouts and gave up only two hits for Norco (Calif.). She also hit a homerun to win the game.

Carl Sandburg 3 – Sunnyslope 1
Morgan Biel went three for three with two singles, a double and an RBI for Carl Sandburg (Orland Park, Calif.).

Valencia 2 – Pacifica 1
Both teams scored a run in the first inning and the game came to a standstill until the sixth when Valencia pushed one across to seal the win.

Ayala 5 – Hart 4
Pitcher Jessica Hall picked up her third win of the season and went two for three at the plate. Nikki Chavez was two for three as well with two RBIs. Nani St. Germainwas one for three with two RBIs ad Natalie Martinez went two for three and scored two runs.

Sunrise Mountain 4 – West Orange 1
Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) pitcher Dani Bonnet had two hits and eight strikeouts in the game. Destinee Deherrera went two for three with a double and a homerun.

Vista Murrieta 6 – Sunnyslope 0
Vista Murrieta started to warm up the bats in the last day of the tournament. They started early, scoring a run in the first inning. They rallied in the fourth to score two and then again in the fifth to plate 3.

Piedra Vista 2 – Simi Valley 3
Pitcher Jennifer Soria picked up her first win of the season for Simi Valley (Calif.). Third baseman Callie Grant had three clutch line drive catches to help on defense.

Carl Sandburg 2 – St. Francis 3
Carl Sandburg was up 2-1 until the fifth when St. Francis scored two to go ahead and take the win.

Pleasant Grove 4 – Rodriguez 2
Ally Carda pitched for Pleasant Grove and gave up only two hits and struck out 12. She also was one for two with a homerun. Kristen Willmon had a RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to tie up the game and Allison Kendrix hit a single to plate two runs and give Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) the lead. For Rodriguez, Kiara Garcia was one for four and Alexis Pickett was one for two.

Freedom 2 – El Modena 1
Hannah Williams had six Ks on the win. Susan Robertson squeezed in the sixth to tie the game. Katie Wood hit the game-winning double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

El Toro 3 – Valencia 2
Emily Waters took the win on the mound for El Toro (lake Forest, Calif.). Lauren Chamberlain hit a walk-off homerun for El Toro and Brooke Bell was three for three and scored a run. Christy Roberts was two for three and also scored a run in the win.

Cienega 4 - Simi Valley 0
Cienega (Vail, Ariz.) scored all four of their runs in the first inning,  which proved to be enough to take the win. Amanda Oliveto took the loss on the mound.

Norco 4 - Pacifica 0
Teagan Gerhart  threw a no-hitter and was also three for three at the plate.

Hart 3 - Sunrise Mountain 2
This was a close one until the end. In the eighth inning, Hart (Newhall, Calif.) was able to push two to go ahead and take the win.

Chino 1 - Piedra Vista 0
One run in the third inning was all it took for Chino to take the win over Piedra Vista.

Ayala 5 – West Orange 1
Jessica Hall picked up her eighth win on the season and struck out six. She also doubled in a run in the fifth. Amy Ricciardi picked up an RBI on a squeeze in the third and doubled in a run in the fifth.

***********************

 

	Scott Kurtz for ESPN RISE
	Tournament MVP, Jolene Henderson.

2009 Faster to 1st All Tournament Team
Jolene Henderson – P - Sheldon High School - Tournament MVP
Danielle Henderson – 3B – Sheldon High School
Lindsey Ziegenhirt – C – Sheldon High School
Danielle Wiltz – CF – Sheldon High School
Dejanee Moore – 2B – Sheldon High School
Cheyanne Tarango – P – Canyon High School
Shannon Bustillos – C – Canyon High School
Taylor Van Acker – 1B – Canyon High School
Briana Gwaltney – SS – Canyon High School
Kailyn Johnson – 1B – Esperanza High School
Kristin Scharkey – CF – Esperanza High School
AC Borden – P – Esperanza High School
Jennifer Manuel – P – Camarillo High School
Sarah Shadinger – P – Camarillo High School
Hannah Williams – P – Freedom High School
Ally Carda – P – Pleasant Grove High School
Haylie Wagner – P – El Modena High School
Teanna Brooks – 3B – Rodriguez High School
Teagan Gerhart – P – Norco High School
Briana Tovio-Asato – C – St. Francis High School
Madison Shipman – SS – Valencia High School
Brooke Bell – OF – El Toro High School
Alexis Villamor – OF – Vista Murrieta High School

Faster to 1st W/L Records
Sheldon: 5-0
Canyon: 4-1
Esperanza: 4-1    
Camarillo: 3-2    
Freedom: 4-1
Pleasant Grove: 3-2
El Modena: 3-2
Rodriguez: 1-4
Norco:  4-1
Vista Murrieta:  3-2

Remaining W/L Records:
St Francis: 2-3
El Toro: 2-3        
Valencia: 3-2        
Pacifica: 2-3        
Ayala: 3-2    
Hart: 3-2    
West Orange:1-4        
Sunrise Mountain: 2-3
Carl Sandburg: 3-2  
Sunnyslope: 1-4
Cienega: 2-3  
Piedra Vista: 2-3
Chino: 1-4      
Simi Valley: 1-4   


Email: garland@studentsports.com with questions and comments!

By Garland Cooper

Day two of the Faster to 1st Tournament, hosted by Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) High School followed the dramatic theme established on the opening day of the tournament.

Ten of the 16 games played were decided by one run and seven of the games went into extra innings. At the end of the day it is Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.), Sheldon (Sacremento, Calif.), Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) and Camarillo (Calif.) in the semifinal games Saturday. Stay tuned and find out who takes the title!

Piedra Vista 2 – Rodriguez 1
Channel Ewing scored two runs, Aurelia Sandoval went two for two, and Marissa Ellis had two RBIs for Piedra Vista. Despite the loss, Rodriguez was tough at the plate. Teanna Brooks went 3-for-3 and Andriana Collins tallied the only RBI for the team. Kiara Garcia, Cheyenne Cordes, and Nia Cesar all had a hit in the game.

Camarillo 2 - Cienega 1 
This barnburner lasted eight innings. Freshman Sarah Shadinger took the win on the mound and, despite a great pitching performance, Alexa Cash was the losing pitcher for Cienega.

Freedom 3 - Carl Sandburg 1
There was no score until the eighth inning when both teams got on the board. Freedom's Hannah Williams had 11 Ks on the mound to lead the team defensively. Susan Robertson and Chrissy Stalf led the push on offense with RBI singles in extra innings to put Freedom (Oakley, Calif.) on top.

Sunrise Mountain 8 – Chino 2
Dani Bonnet was on the mound for Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) and had six strikeouts on the game. She also performed at the plate with four hits. Mickayla Heller was 2-for-3 with four RBIs in the game.

Sunnyslope 1 - Piedra Vista 0
Nora Maschue took the win on the mound to shutout Piedra Vista (Farmington, N.M.). Demetra Hamill was perfect at the plate with a double for Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Chelsea Yankolovich was two for four with a stolen base. Piedra Vista's Karista Donisthorpe was three for four in the leadoff spot.

	SCOTT KURTZ/ESPN RISE
	Lindsey Ziegenhirt is a big hitter for the Sheldon High School Huskies.

Carl Sandburg 4 - Cienega 3
In the eight-inning game, Emma Farrell went 3-for-4 with a walk and one run scored for Carl Sandburg (Orland Park, Ill.).

Vista Murrieta 4 – Chino 3
In the bottom of the seventh, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) played textbook softball to rally and defeated Chino (Calif.). Alexis Villamor led off with a double for the Broncos, bringing Sierra Romero to the plate. Romero laid down a bunt and Chino overthrew first base, scoring Villamor from second. With the game tied and Romero on second base, Taylor Edwards hit a shot to the shortstop, moving the runner to third. With two outs and the winning run at third base, big hitter Tatum Edwards shut the door with a hard groundball up the third baseline, scoring the final run and sealing the deal for the Broncos.

St. Francis 2 - Simi Valley 1
St. Francis (Honolulu, Hawaii) took their first win in the tournament in an eight-inning battle with Simi Valley (Calif.). All of the runs from both teams were scored in the final inning of the game.

Camarillo 1 - Freedom 0
Jennifer Manuel was the hero for Camarillo (Calif.), pitching all seven innings and driving in the only run in the first inning. Hannah Williams had 10 Ks in the loss and allowed no earned runs. Malena Padilla had two hits for Freedom (Oakley, Calif.).

Sheldon 4 – El Modeno 0
Jolene Henderson threw a no-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts for the Huskies. She also was 1-for-2 at the plate with a double. Lindsey Ziegenhirt remains solid in the lineup going 2-for-3 in the game with an RBI. Dejanee Moore also was two for three with an impressive three RBIs.

Norco 2 – Ayala 1
Teagan Gerhart was the star for Norco (Calif.) pitching all eight innings of the game, allowing only two hits, and striking out nine. She also drove in the winning run for the Cougars. Jessica Hall took the loss for Ayala (Chino Hills, Calif.).

Pacifica 1 – West Orange 0
In a tight game, pitcher Krystian Dewitt held strong, striking out 11 and allowing no earned runs for Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.). Cheyenne Mascarenas drove in the winning run in the eighth. For West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), Taylor Fawbush had 10 Ks in eight innings and allowed two hits. She also was 1-for-4 at the plate.

Esperanza 3 - Pleasant Grove 1
Alexis Borden was the winning pitcher for Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.). At the plate, Vanessa Weaver had an RBI and speedster Jasmine Lee had two stolen bases and scored two runs.

Canyon 4 - Rodriguez 0
Cheyanne Tarango took the win for Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) giving up only two hits and striking out 11. She also had an RBI double to score the first run of the game. Taylor Van Acker was 2-for-3. Andrinae White and Kiara Garcia were the only hits for Rodriguez (Fairfield, Calif.).

Valencia 4 – Sunrise Mountain 1
For Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.), Brigette DelPonte was 3-for-4 with a double and a homerun.

Hart 3 – El Toro 2
Lauren Chamberlain tripled for El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.) in the top of the seventh to tie up the game, 1-1. Emily Henry came the plate for Hart (Newhall, Calif.) in the bottom of the eighth and hit a two-run double to end the game.

 

By Garland Cooper

The Faster To 1st Tournament, hosted by Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) High School, kicked off in Huntington Beach, Calif., Thursday. The opening day saw Canyon High's own Cheyanne Torango crack two homers and pitch a two-hitter.

Esperanza 2 – Sunrise Mountain 1
Chelsey Anderson was the winning pitcher for Esperanza. She went eight innings and gave up four hits. Kailynn Johnson hit a double to tie the game and then scored the winning run. Kelsea Roth went two for three.

Freedom 1 – Norco 0
Hannah Williams had ten strikeouts for Freedom and catcher Susan Robertson had the only two hits of the game. Malena Padilla laid down a crucial suicide squeeze to score Jackie Zepada from third. Despite the loss, Teagan Gerhart pitched a complete game for Norco, had 12 strikeouts and gave up only two hits.

	Scott Kurtz
	Cheyanne Tarango homered twice and picked up the win on the mound for Canyon.

Sheldon 3 – Pacifica 0
Jolene Henderson recorded 12 Ks, walked none, and allowed only one hit. Offensively, it was a team effort. Danille Wiltz went two for three with an RBI, Dejanee Moore and Amber Glenn went one for two, and Kristen Gray was one for two with an RBI. For Pacifica, Krystian Dewitt was the losing pitcher, but only gave up five hits and one earned run. Jamie Prussic was one for three.

Canyon 2 – Sunnyslope 1
Cheyanne Tarango took the win on the mound. She gave up two hits, walked none and struck out 13. Lauren Young was two for three with an RBI and Heather Kock was two for four. Nora Maschue fought hard and struck out nine in the game and Madison Collura contributed offensively going one for three with an RBI.

Pleasant Grove 3 - Vista Murrieta 1
Ally Carda took the win on the mound with 14 Ks and only two hits allowed. In the top of the fourth Kirsten Willmon squeezed to score Nicole Hutchins. Haley Willmon went two for three with a triple, and Nicole Hutchins was also two for three. Krystal Camina had an RBI single to give Pleasant Grove the lead for good.

Camarillo 1 – Ayala 0
For Camarillo, Jen Manuel had a double and an RBI. She also took the win on the mound. Mary Massei went two for three with a double in the fourth inning for Ayala.

El Modena 2 – West Orange 1
Haylie Wagner struck out a whopping twenty batters and gave up only two hits in nine innings for El Modena. Losing pitcher Taylor Fawbush struck out ten and gave up five hits. At the plate Fawbush had a double and an RBI.

Rodriguez 4 – Hart 1
Andriana Collins took the win on the mound for Rodriguez with seven Ks. Alexis Pickett went one for two with an RBI and Cheyenee Cordes was two for three with a double. Teanna Brooks went one for three with a double in the bottom of the first inning that scored two.

El Toro 3 – Sunnyslope 2
It was homerun derby for El Toro who had two hitters go yard in the game. Shannon Tinsley hit a two-run homerun in the fourth inning and MacKenzie Teskey hit a walk-off homerun in the seventh. Emily Waters was the winning pitcher for El Toro. Nora Maschue took the loss for Sunnyslope. Maschue did well at the plate going two for two with an RBI. Demetra Hamill was one for three with an RBI.

Pacifica 7 – Simi Valley 1
Kayla Anderson went three for four with an RBI for Pacifica. Taylor Cartwright singled in Simi's only run. Nicole Adair was two for three and scored Simi Valley's only run.

Valencia 2 – Vista Murrieta 1
Lauren Boser was two for two with two RBI for Valencia. Carly Mortenson took the win in the circle. Despite the loss, Tatum Edwards fanned 11.

St. Francis 7 – West Orange 0
Taylor Fawbush pitched the shutout and was two for four at the plate with two RBIs. Molly Billue was two for three with one RBI for West Orange. Koki Shealee had a double for St. Francis and Kelcee Santos had two stolen bases.

Esperanza 8 – Chino 1
Esperanza had a homerun in the first two innings. In the first, Kailyn Johnson hit a two-run bomb, and Kristin Scharkey hit a three-run dinger in the second inning.

Norco 1 – Carl Sandburg 0
This game was a pitcher's duel until the end. Both pitchers pitched a complete nine-inning game. Teagan Gerhart pitched a one-hitter and recorded and impressive 17 strikeouts in the win for Norco. Brittany Gardner gave up three hits and struck out 16.

Sheldon 2 – Simi Valley 0
Jolene Henderson gave up only one hit and fanned 13 in the win. Danielle Henderson was two for three with a double. Lindsey Ziegenhirt was two for three with a walk-off two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh. Sophia Perez allowed two unearned runs for Simi Valley. Kelli-Jo Killingsworth had Simi's only hit.

Canyon 4 – El Toro 0
Cheyanne Tarango took the win on the circle with nine Ks and hit a two-run homerun in the first inning.

Pleasant Grove 4 – Valencia 3
Alyson Tiumalu hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the fourth and was one for two in the game. Ally Carda was two for four with a triple and a walk-off homerun in the bottom of the eighth.

Hart 4 – Piedra Vista 1
Hart improved to 10-1 on the season. Destiny Rodino took the win on the mound. Despite the loss, Piedra Vista had some impressive offense. Channel Ewing hit a solo homerun in the top of the third. Ewing and Sheisha Yazzie were both two for three in the game.

Ayala 5 – Cienega 0
Jessica Hall took the win for Ayala and allowed only one hit. Nikki Chavez hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the third and Mary Massei hit a double in the bottom of the fourth.

El Modena 5 – St. Francis 3
Miranda Islas hit a solo homerun in the third inning for El Modena.

By Garland Cooper

	COURTESY OF COACH MARK GLUSHENKO
	St.Francis is traveling from Honolulu, Hawaii to compete at the Faster to 1st Tournament, hosted by Canyon (Calif.) Anaheim H.S.

The team traveling the farthest to participate in the Faster to 1st Tournament, March 26-28 is St. Francis High School out of Honolulu, Hawaii.

The team is led by head coach Mark Glushenko and last season the team recorded a 19-7 record.

The program has only been together for four years. Prior to the 2004-2005 season, when the school first featured a softball team, three high schools from the area had to pool their players together in order to field a complete team.

Since their inaugural season, St. Francis has been the underdog, but never failed to beat the odds. Their first year they won the league Division II Championship and went on to win the Division II State Title.

After having a successful first season, the team moved to Division I to compete with the best in the state. Early in the year, during the 2005-2006 season, St. Francis lost two of their best players. Other teams and spectators encouraged the program to move back down to Division II. After all, St. Francis was the smallest school, with less than 300 students, fielding a team in the entire state. St. Francis refused to lower their standard and came second in league and lost in the state semi-final game.

The following season, St Francis won league, but once again lost in the state semi-final. Two of the past three years the team lost in the state semi-final game to the team that ended up winning it all.

This is St. Francis' fifith year fielding a softball team. They only have one starting senior and will, once again, have to prove themselves on the field.

Head coach Mark Glushenko realizes with only one starting senior, they have their work cut out for them.

"Well, the odds have been stacked against us before, so we'll just have to wait and see.”

Even with the odds stacked against them, Glushenko is confident that his team can compete at a high level because of the chemistry they share.

"Our biggest strength is that we have team chemistry. We have a feeling of 'ohana', or family, amongst our team. When teammates are wiling to play their hearts out for each other, just like family, only then will you get the best out of everyone.”

On top of chemistry, Glushenko says they will have tough defense. The team is inexperienced and lacks confidence, but Glushenko believes they can play with the best.

Players to watch from St. Francis at the Faster to 1st next week are:
Shortstop Ululani Reyes
Catcher Briana Tovio-Asato
Cetnerfielder Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin


Keep checking in with more Faster to 1st updates!