Strike Zone 18 Gold: History
Monday, September 24A LITTLE HISTORY ON STRIKE ZONE.....
Strike Zone Qualifies for 2002 Gold Nationals in Lancaster!!
 | ||
| |
SZ18Gold is heading for Broken Arrow, Ok. after this weekends performance in Lancaster's All American Fastpitch National Qualifing Tournament. Strike Zone took 1st place going 5 - 0, qualifyng them for one of the 5 berths to the 2002 Gold Nationals.
Talk about exciting games, there were two notable games which kept the fans on their edge of their seats on both sides.... Valley Breeze and Davis's Orange County Batbusters.
Valley Breeze; Strike Zone jumps out to a 1 - 0 lead... This held for several innings until VB ties it up and then proceeds to go ahead 5 - 1... Not looking good, SZ takes the bats to the VB in the bottom of the 6th and score 5 of there own runs re taking the lead 6 to 5... Let's just say if you blinked you missed it.... Busick took control holding the top of the 7th for their 2nd win of the tournament....
Davis's Orange County Batbusters; This was one of those very tight games were runners get on but do not score.... Please note that the score was 0 - 0 and the Batbusters have one of their stud players up to bat, batting lefthanded... She is touching everything that is thrown at here... Fouling off somewhere around 12 to 15 balls... Finally one of the pitches was where she wanted it and took it to left field over our outfielder head and rolled to the fence.... The fence is about 300 ft away.... She ends up with a triple and is trying to catch her breath.... Knowing that this is a dangerous situation Strike Zone picks her off at 3B after a couple of pitches.... The bottom of the 6th inning, Strike Zone jumps all over the ball and scores the 3 runs that they needed to take care of the game....
For bracket information, go to http://big8softball.com/tournament/Brackets.htm
 |
18 Gold Rounds Off for Summer
February 18, 2001 Preparing for the up and coming 18Gold Qualifiers, SZ18Gold looks within their own organization and moves up Michelle Salmiery from the SZ18 team.
This move, rounds off the gold team for the summer, and shows the depth of the Strike Zone organization which promotes from it's own strength by pulling from within.
Strike Zone 18 Gold is proud to announce and also welcomes Michelle to their team.
| |
| view full size | |
|
| |
| view full size | |
|
Pirettes surprised early
Vicky Galindo provided a wake-up call for everyone with a solo homerun to start off the game. The Strike Zone short stop also played great defense to stop a short rally by the Pirettes.
Alex Sutton, Taylor Sutton's sister, was on fire in this game with a solo shot of her own.
Megan Farnham had 2 hits that provided 2 runs in the game.
A well rounded game was played with defense, baserunning, hitting, and pitching all contributing to the victory.
Strike Zone wins with pitching and baserunning
The Punishers' pitcher was strong, but Shannon Linerud matched up well with her. The Punisher pitcher held the Strike Zone back with a tough assortment of pitches. Shannon with strike outs and a great defensive game herself was too much when the dust settled.
Strike Zone had 10 total stolen bases to equal their hit total for the game to keep the Punishers from mounting any kind of a threat.
Defense was provided by Saskia Roberson turning a double play early in the game.
Dynasty Gold plays tough in Tustin
Dynasty took the early lead with good solid team offensive play. Short stop and third were providing great defensive plays to hold Strike Zone from scoring opportunities early in the game.
A 2-0 lead by Dynasty was overcome by solid softball by Strike Zone. The Strike Zone with Jessica Davis starting two rallies, Heather Hansen advancing runners over and a key bunt from Kelly Croce set-up a clutch hit from Vicky Galindo.
The score later was tied 2-2 and another rally began. Jessica once again started a rally which led to the bases being loaded. The sophomore Alex Sutton did it again. A previous rip of a double down the the right field line set the stage for the ROOKIE.
Tied 2-2, bases loaded, Alex drove the pitch past the outfield for a GRAND SLAM. When the ball finally finished rolling it ended on the opposite field infield some 300' away.
The game ended 6-2 and with a long trip back to the bay area, Strike Zone forfeited the remainder of the tournament and remained undefeated.
Grapettes tournament attacts many teams
The Grapettes' tournament was a strong field of 16 teams competing this weekend.
The teams which saw action included two Grapette teams, Strike Zone 18 and 18 Gold, Breeze gold, Sac. Athletics, Strikkers 18 Gold, Tornadoes, Sorcerers, and many other good teams.
Strike Zone plays tournament short-handed.
The Strike Zone team played without pitchers Angela Locsin, Chelsey Barclay, and Jessica Busick (injured - physical therapy).
Players missing included Nichole Barclay and Jamie Yee.
Sara the team mascot was on vacation in Fresno. No need to worry, Sara was in an air-conditioned house in her own bed during the tournament.
Playing with only eight players and one pitcher Strike Zone played 4 games on Sunday with the last 3 being back to back.
Shannon Linerud carried the entire pitching load for Strike Zone. Shannon pitched every inning giving up only 5 runs. Not only did she take on all of the pitching Shannon hit in her usual 5th spot producing runs to help her own cause.
Strong defense helped Shannon through the tough times. Megan Farnham played a stellar third diving for balls and ranging for others. Megan's bat also played a big part in games that weekend.
The middle of the infield led by Vicky Galindo at short and Saskia Roberson at second turned some incredible plays. In the championship game against the Strikkers Gold, Saskia started a double-play with a backhand glove flip to second to get the lead runner. Vicky barehanded the flip and threw a strike to Jessica Davis to complete the double-play.
Strike Zone Vs. Sorcerers 2-0
Sorcerers gave up 2 runs early in the game and were unable to mount any kind of a threat. Shannon kept them off-balance with an assortment of pitches. The ability for Strike Zone to get the clutch hit and timely bunts was the key in this victory.
Strike Zone Vs. Tornadoes 6-4
The Tornadoes caught the Strike Zone sleeping. They jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first and held on as long as they could. After a few lackluster attempts at a comeback, Strike Zone came on strong to get the victory. Saskia Roberson and Vicky Galindo started rallies. Shannon Linerud's surprise bunt with Alex Sutton hits kept rallies going to get the lead run across.
Strike Zone Vs Breeze Gold 4-1
Strike Zone came to this game ready to play. Jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first, Strike Zone behind strong pitching from Shannon held on for the victory. Defense was the key to this victory. Megan at third and Leah Nelson behind the plate kept all threats from materializing.
Strike Zone Vs. Strikkers Gold 7-0
The championship game was Shannon's fourth game to pitch. All the Strike Zone players were drained from playing 4 games (3 straight). The Strikkers with a fresh roster of 17 players seemed too much of a challenge at this stage of the tournament. The plan was to pitch straight at them to keep Shannon's pitch count down. Alex Sutton's 4-RBI performance along with Jessica Davis' 2-RBI based loaded single gave all the runs Shannon would need. A great sliding catch from Heather Hansen, an awesome double-play from Saskia to Vicky, and Megan Farnham playing the hot corner sealed the victory over the Strikkers for a second time in as many days.
BATBUSTER TOURNAMENT
STRIKE ZONE VS O.C. ATHLETICS 4-2
The Athletics took a 2 run lead into the third inning. Strike Zone overcame the early set back with a 3 run inning in the fifth and got an insurance run in the sixth to seal the victory. Leah Nelson drove a deep shot to left center that landed 260 feet away to punctuate the victory. Shannon Linerud earned the victory with help by a great defensive performance by Vicky Galindo.
STRIKE ZONE VS VALLEY ICE 5-6
Chelsey Barclay got the loss versus Valley Ice despite a great pitching performance. Costly errors with the bases loaded handed the Valley Ice team the only loss Strike Zone suffered in the entire tournament. Strike Zone had the tying run on third in the bottom of the 7th with no outs and were unable to score. Valley Ice used good pitching and defense to end the rally and game.
STRIKE ZONE VS BLASTERS 4-0
Robert Melendrez with a solid defensive team lead by an all-american third-baseman kept the game close. Saskia Roberson and Vicky Galindo led an offensive explosion of 2 homeruns and 3 triples that finalized the game.
STRIKE ZONE VS HOTT STUFF 4-0
The game was tight in the early going versus the southern California Hott Stuff. Vicky Galindo continued her hot hitting and Alex Sutton only a sophomore kept pace with 2 solid hits a piece. Shannon Linerud showed again she is the player to watch with another great pitching and hitting performance. Saskia Roberson hit a monster of a homerun in centerfield in the fifth to lock the victory.
STRIKE ZONE VS LAS VEGAS STARS 5-1
The Stars pitcher was hitting her spots by tired as the game went on. Speed determined the outcome of this game for Strike Zone. The stole 6 bases to go along with surprise bunts that kept the Stars off balance. Chelsey Barclay a sophomore at Mitty was moving the ball around with great control to make a great 1-2 punch with Shannon all weekend. Heather Hansen, Megan Farnham, and Leah Nelson were key players in this victory.
STRIKE ZONE VS PHOENIX MUSTANGS 4-0
The game was decided early with quick runs scored by Strike Zone. At no time was Strike Zone in danger of being scored upon with Shannon Linerud keeping them off balance Kelly Croce playing a dynamic third base behind her.
**** TOURNAMENT CALLED DUE TO DARKNESS ****
R.R. Gold Showcase Tournament
The exposure tournament put on by Bob Regpala's organization was as good as they come.
The quality of the 45 teams in this tournament was excellent. Top teams from northern and southern California as well as teams from Oregon played a round robin format well suited for college coaches out recruiting.
Strike Zone playing without catcher Leah Nelson (Arizona State Visit) played a tough field of teams at the showcase.
Sacramento Breeze Gold as strong as ever won the 8am game 6-3.
The So. Cal. Storm fell 7-0 to Strike Zone.
The West Bay Nuggets, 5th place finishers in 18 Gold, played the entire tournament without shortstop Chelsea Spencer (vacation) losing to Strike Zone 3-2
Sundays 2-0 win versus Flash D'Gold was a hard fought game.
The final game against the Sorcerers, who played shorthanded and with injured players was called in the 4th inning after Strike Zone had a 10-0 lead.
Other games of note:
Grapettes 3 VS Strikkers Gold 2
Sorcerers 3 VS Breeze Gold 2
Breeze Gold 3 VS Nuggets 2
SZ18G take 2nd at Breeze "Winter Frolic"
Sept. 18, 2000 Strike Zone 18 Gold is edged out by Breeze 18 G in the bottom of the 7th inning. SZ trailing Breeze early into the game, worked their way back and into the lead by the 5th inning. With a bad call and a mis-que, Breeze worked a run home to win the championship game Sunday night.
SZ18G has successful first fall outing.....
Sept. 11, 2000 Strike Zone 18G ventured out to a local tournament in Stockton, Ca. for their first fall tournament held by the Grapettes. At the end of the day on Sunday afternoon, they found themselves in the championship game with the Strikkers, and their first championship win this fall.
| |
| view full size | |
|
Aug 28, 2000, Strike Zone comes back from St. Louis ASA Gold Nationals.... Here are some photo from St. Louis, Mo..
| ||
| view full size | ||
|
| |
| view full size | |
|
| ||
| view full size | ||
|
| |
| view full size | |
|
| |
| view full size | |
|
Strike Zone 18G Qualifies @ Regionals in Rancho Cucamonga
July 16, 2001
Strike Zone 18 Gold takes down Flash D' Gold in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. to qualify for 18 Gold Nationals which will be held in Marietta, Ga. at the end of the month....
Working their way through the losers bracket, SZ18G plays 5 games on Sunday to capture a National slot...
More details to come.....
 |
| click here for 18Gold National web site |
|
| |
 |
Pool Game #2, Strike Zone vs Austin Storm: Storm jumped on us with 1 run. It stayed this way for sometime and the SZ answered back with 2 of their own runs to win the game 2 to 1...
Strike Zone then entered into elimination play with a 1 and 1 record and pulled the Arizona HotShots as their first game.
Strike Zone vs Arizona Hotshots: The score did not reflect the game that we played... It was a very close game dropping 1 run in the 1st and by the end of the game, we had lost 4 runs to lose 4 to 0 dropping Strike Zone into the losers brackets.
So during the night, we had a good amount of rain to soak the fields. We later found out that we were getting the outside edges of the first of 2 hurricanes and this first set of rain was from Hurricane Bonnie.. Charlie is on it's way too.. The rain set us back 5 hours, however by the time it came to our game time it was only 3.5 hours behind. So we started our 6:00pm game at 9:30pm...
Strike Zone vs Wichita Mustangs: Right out of the chute we got runner on the bases but failed to score... Several innings later the Mustangs got a runner over to 2B and was able to score the first run of the game. With runners on in most of the innings, Strike Zone was not able to put the runs across the plate and lost 3 to 1, putting us out of the tournament... Not only was this a disappointment, but it was 12:00 midnight already...
I will try to add a little more, however I will be traveling home first thing in the morning...
 |
18Gold Headed to Lost Mountain....
| |
 | |
| click here for 18Gold website |
 |
Gold drops 1st Pool Game..
And you thought our area had bad traffic... Well Strike Zone thought we gave ourselves enough time to make opening ceremonies, however the Georgia traffic was a lot tougher than we thought... So we were a little late, however we did make the party.
Actually we made a good portion of the opening ceremonies, especially their special first pitch... Then we met up with old friends and had a good time catching up and enjoying Cobb County's southern hospitality...
Our first game was against the Fresno Force... Tough game, with many runners left on and some very good threats, however not enough to pull ahead. Final score after 7 innings of play was 4 to 2, Fresno.
Alex Sutton Signs with National Champs CAL BEARS
Alex Sutton a 4 year returner for the Strike Zone 18 gold team signed a full scholarship to attend Cal Berkeley next season. Alex early signed with the Bears to join Vicky Galindo another former Strike Zone player. Alex leads the team in almost every offensive catagory and sparkles on the field defensively. Alex attends Mitty High in San Jose where she has been a 4 year varsity starter. As a team captain Alex helps all the players on her team on the field and off. Alex also volunteers time with the younger players giving them softball instruction and motivation to work hard in the classwork. We are very proud to have a great player and person like Alex representing us at CAL.
Tuesday, July 18
STRIKE ZONE AT GOLD NATIONALS ------ 7 STRAIGHT YEARS
Strike Zone 18 Gold team keeps the streak alive.
This makes 7 consecutive years Strike Zone will compete at 18 Gold Nationals.
We are very proud of the efforts of all players past and present.
2006 Summer was a tough transition for all with the added change to 43'.
Hitters adjusted, pitchers endured, and the defense was tested for all.
Taking the last berth in Washington was a test of will and we passed with an "A".
Thanks to the players for their hard work, coaches for preparing them, and the parents for supporting the team during this grueling summer.
Best of luck in Oklahoma!!!!
Keep the streak alive in 2007
Saturday, July 14
8 Straight - 18 Gold National Berths
Strike Zone 18 Gold has continued their streak making it 8 straight years they have qualified for 18 Gold Nationals. They are on their way to Oklahoma City, Ok. to play against the top 64 teams in the nation.
We are all very proud of the efforts of these young ladies as they qualified the first weekend out in Lancaster going 7-1. Good luck in Oklahoma.
Keep the streak alive in 2008.