May 25, 2009
Combined 14u Sparks win their 3rd tournament of the Spring, by winning the Spring Fling in Portage, Indiana over the weekend.
Tournament play started Sunday morning at 8am with the Sparks taking on the Homer Hawks – Purple. The Sparks won the game 6-4, taking the lead in the first inning and never looking back. The offense was led by the timely hitting and aggressive baserunning by many of the Sparks. Candice Koch pitched the complete game for the win.
The Sparks then moved on to play the Munster Magic, posting an 11-3 victory. The game was broken open in the 3rd and 4th innings, the offensive barrage was led by Amie Raynor and Sarah Pryor who had 3 and 2 RBI’s respectively. Ashley Reitenbach went the distance in the circle for the victory.
Then came the Indiana Raiders, after the Sparks jumped out to a 5-1 lead, the Raiders came back to tie the game in the third inning. Hannah Theilmann came in to pitch and held the Raiders at bay for the rest of the game and the Sparks offense scored in the 5th inning to claim the victory. Candice Koch scored the go ahead run on a single by Sarah Pryor, her 3rd RBI of the game. Grace Michalik added two insurance runs with a two run single later in the inning. The Sparks advanced with an 8-5 victory.
In the final game of the winner’s bracket the Sparks fell hard to the Michiana Mystics 12-1, as everything that could go wrong did in this poor showing, and the Sparks were sent to the loser’s bracket.
There the Sparks faced a rematch against the Munster Magic. In a very competitive game the Sparks managed a 5-2 victory. Hannah Theilmann and Sarah Pryor pitched a solid 5 innings and Candice Koch secured the victory with a 2 run homerun in the bottom of the 4th inning.
This sent the Sparks to the Championship game to face the Michiana Mystics.The Sparks fell behind 2-0 early, but the Sparks struck back with 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, behind a two run double by Ashley Reitenbach and a run scoring single by Kaylie Fisher. With the Sparks leading 3-2, Reitenbach with solid defense behind her shutdown the Mystics to preserve the victory and force the what if game.
As the teams prepared for the game, the Mystics recognized that their number one pitcher was spent and unable to pitch, and conceded the final game to the Sparks.
So after arriving at 6:30am and playing 6 games the Sparks left at 7:30pm with the Championship in hand.
Way to go Sparks!!!
Congratualations to the following girls who are a part of the 2009 14U Sparks Black:
# 2 Haylie Arndt SS/3B/OF
# 8 Jordan Arndt C/Util
#07 Ellie Bartosz C/OF/2B
#15 Kristina Gandy P/1B
#17 Kaylie Fisher OF/3B/2B
#13 Grace Michalik 3B/2B
#00 Lauren McGlasson IF/OF/C
#21 Sarah Pryor P/1B/3B
#20 Ashley Reitenbach P/2B/OF
# 4 Ashley Rogers P/2B/OF
#11 Brittany Ruzella OF
Upcoming Events
14U Sparks open the 2009 season this weekend in Northlake on Saturday, April 18th. With the high schools in the midst of their seasons it will be up to the younger athletes to carry on the Sparks tradition as players from both Red and Black 14u teams combine to compete against the areas best.
The Orland Park Sparks were founded in 1979, and since have developed a tremendous history of providing the best available fundamental instruction, quality competition and exposure for young athletes. The program was founded with honest values and has strived to be not only the best in Illinois, but throughout the Midwest and the nation. The Sparks have also been instrumental in providing a venue for tournaments that host several competitive teams. Additionally, many of the Sparks staff have been called upon to be clinicians for coaches, players, and umpires.
The organization has developed an outstanding tradition nationally, based on success in some of the highest-level tournaments. The Sparks teams have made repeated visits to ASA National tournaments at all age levels. The 18 & Under team has made it to the Nationals 12 consecutive years, highlighted by the 1996 Class A National Championship. Sparks teams have also finished in the Top 10 nationally on four other occasions. Because of the consistent level of success, the Sparks name has become synonymous with high-caliber softball throughout the nation.
The 14 & Under Sparks would like to thank you for visiting their page. The calendar is updated weekly with games, tournaments, and other information so please check back often. Good luck to all and see you this summer.
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