Colorado Cardinals: Cardinal News
CO Cardinals Cruise in High Altitude
Erie, CO (Youth1) – This past weekend at the USSSA sanctioned High Altitude softball tournament, 11 teams from Colorado and Wyoming traveled to the Ball Fields at Erie in Erie, Colorado to participate in the 12U “Open” bracket of the event. The bracket, which allowed any 12U team to play regardless of class, featured some of the best teams in the region, but at the end of the two-day qualifier tournament, one team stood atop the competition—the CO Cardinals.
A week earlier, at the USSSA Ice T tournament, the Cardinals played well before eventually falling in the finals to the Colorado Outlaws. It was that loss that served as all the motivation the Cardinals would need for this tournament, and it even gave them their rallying cry “refuse to lose.”
On Saturday, day one of the competition, the Cardinals had an early start, playing their first game at 8 A.M. and not finishing their day until 6:30 P.M. However, the long day was worth it, as victories over the Colorado Coyotes 11-7, DC Jets 10-5 and DC Adrenaline 8-7, as well as a 6-6 tie with Colorado Crush, put the Cardinals on top of pool A with a record of 3-0-1. 
As Sunday rolled in and the stakes got even higher, the Cardinals had one goal in mind—win a championship.
“On Saturday we went 3-0-1, but we made some mental mistakes. We could have done some things better,” Manager Ron Harsh said. “On Sunday, however, we played our style of ball.”
As it would turn out, Sunday brought a day full of rematches from pool play, and it began with the Colorado Crush. Coming off the 6-6 tie less than 24 hours earlier, the game had no clear cut favorite; however, pitcher Rylie Strong made all the difference. Strong and her fielders helped hold the talented Crush offense to only one run in the game, as the Cardinals went on to win 5-1.
Moving on to the semifinals, the Cardinals clung to a 1-0 lead for much of the game until the DC Jets went ahead 2-1 late in the contest. Trailing with time expiring and down to their last at bat, the Cardinals again got a boost from Strong, as she drove in the winning runs to give the Cardinals the 3-2 victory, propelling them into the tournament championship.
In the finals, the Cardinals would meet the DC Adrenaline for their third and final rematch from the day before. The Adrenaline, a USSSA World Series Qualified team, fell to the Cardinals just a day earlier by the score of 8-7 and this game would be just as close. The game was tightly contested with both teams trading great plays in the field and timely hitting. However, the Cardinals received crucial at bats from Natalie James, Dakota Abeyta, Ashley Madden, Alexa Samuels, Sydney Harsh and Chanel Siebenthal which resulted in the 7-5 victory and tournament championship.
Throughout the tournament the Cardinals received a number of key defensive contributions from Abeyta in center field and Madden at short stop, helping to prevent potential opponents from round the bases. At the plate, Samuels and Harsh both led the way, driving in key runs to help the Cardinals score 51 total runs, the 2nd highest total in the tournament field.
“Playing in the championship game in back to back weekends has given us a great start and a lot of confidence,” Harsh said. “I hope to continue this all season.”
Flourishing from their hot start to the season, the CO Cardinals plan on playing in a number of tournaments throughout the summer, including Triple Crown, ASA and USSSA events.
“We just want to continue to improve,” Harsh said.
The 2011 Colorado Cardinals roster is made up of Dakota Abeyta, Kylie Florey, Alison Harford, Sydney Harsh, Natalie James, Ashley Madden, Mattie Morales, Alexa Samuels, Chanel Siebenthal, Rylie Strong and Nicole Sullivan.
Alan Popadines
