It was another winning weekend for Team Storm, a local 16-U slow pitch team which traveled to Dalton, Ga., this past weekend to participate in the SSAA World Championships. Team Storm played five games over the two-day event.
In the SSAA World Championship game, Team Storm had made its way through the field of competitors and met Thunderstruck, which climbed its way back into the championship game from the loser’s bracket.
In the top of the fifth, Team Storm had toyed around long enough and decided it was time to send a message. Hailey Muncey started the top of the fifth with her second double of the game. Abi Terry earned a free pass and walked her way down to first base. Three singles by Mya Gross, Allie Thomas, and Hayley Pomarico allowed the runners to get a move on.
By this time pitching for Thunderstruck was about to self-destruct with a pair of walks and a single. Back and forth with singles and walks by Caitlin Cantrell, Kaitlyn Brock, and Autumn Summers had the bases loaded for Muncey. Muncey unloaded a shot deep and turned the wheels on. She motored around and cleared the bases with a four-run home run and Team Storm took a commanding lead at 19-2.
Terry singled and she was knocked around by Gross who blasted a double into a gap in the outfield defense for a 20-2 lead. A fly ball went for out number two. Pomarico singled just before the final out of the inning and Team Storm pounded Thunderstruck with a 13-run inning in the top of the fifth.
Thunderstruck was able to produce a single in the bottom of the fifth, but could not weather the storm. Team Storm knocked down three consecutive outs and finished off Thunderstruck and the game was called on the run rule with the score 20-2.
Team Storm wasted no time and set the tone right from the very start. In the top of the first, Muncey led the game off with a solid base hit she turned into a double. After a fly ball for out one, Gross blasted a second double of the inning for Team Storm, Muncey crossed the plate and Team Storm led 1-0. The second out came and Pomarico hit a line-drive into the gap, Gross scored for a 2-0 lead. Pomarico was given the green light and tried to stretch her double into a triple and got caught for the final out.
Thunderstruck came out swinging in the bottom of the first. A lead-off ground ball took care of the first out. Back-to-back singles put two on with one out for Thunderstruck. A fly ball hung in the air just long enough for Team Storm to make a play for out two. Another single loaded the bases with two out for Thunderstruck, but a slow rolling grounder was thrown to first on a fielder’s choice for the final out and the score remained 2-0.
Team Storm had a very dismal top of the second and appeared momentarily like the storm was losing strength. Smith managed a base hit for a single between back-to-back fly-balls caught for outs one and two. The final out came just after Smith’s single and Team Storm maintained a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Thunderstruck started the inning with a lead-off blast through the infield for a base hit. The runner was left on first after the following three batters went down in order and Thunderstruck remained scoreless.
Cantrell led off the top of the third with a walk and reached first base on balls. After the first out, Summer’s singled through a hole in the defense and Team Storm was on the move. With two on and one out, Muncey connected on a pitch and she cleared the bases with a three-run homer and Team Storm led 5-0. Terry and Allie Thomas each singled to reach base but the final two outs were made and Team Storm scored three runs and left two stranded.
Thunderstruck went to the plate in the bottom of the third and it was a quick inning as Team Storm retired the side in order and Thunderstruck trailed 5-0.
Team Storm was back at the plate in the top of the fourth inning. Jaylen Boyd and Smith had back-to-back singles for Team Storm. Bailey Barrett smashed a pitch into the gap at just the right time for a double and Boyd and Smith crossed the plate for a 7-0 lead. Meagan Underwood singled through the defense to put her at first and Barrett at third. A fly-ball was caught for the first out and Underwood attempted to tag-up and take second but was caught. Team Storm had Barrett at third base with two outs. A ground ball was thrown to first to end the inning and Team Storm led 7-0.
Thunderstruck finally broke ground in the bottom of the fourth. A lead-off double helped Thunderstruck put a runner in scoring position with no outs. Two consecutive outs had Thunderstruck on the ropes and it looked as if it was going to be another scoreless inning for Thunderstruck. Three straight singles had the runners on the move and by the time Team Storm had made the final out, Thunderstruck had struck twice but still trailed 7-2.
Team Storm was never really challenged and after the fifth it was apparent the game was out of reach and Team Storm defeated Thunderstruck by a final score of 20-2 and claimed the SSAA World Championship from Dalton, Ga.
Team Storm played a total of 27 innings and scored an impressive 93 runs while the defense only allowed 24 over the course of the Friday and Saturday tournament.
In Friday afternoon pool play, Team Storm defeated its first opponent The Cyclones by a final score of 25-9. In the second Friday game, Team Storm just edged out its opponent, Xtreme by a final score of 12-11. Headed into Saturday’s bracket play, Team Storm rode a large wave of momentum.
In the game of bracket play Saturday, Team Storm put Thunderstruck into the loser’s bracket with an impressive 13-1 win. In the semifinal game, Team Storm faced off with another local slow-pitch team from McMinnville, Team Rage. The Storm was brewing and they defeated Team Rage 23-2 to move into the championship.