Hanover Thunder Fastpitch Softball!

Thunder Pride...

SoftballNation Queen of the Hill

July 3-5, 2009

             Thunder Blue advanced to the Final 8 against Diamond Fever, but in the end, the rains were too much — forcing the cancellation of the tournament.  The Blue had some lows and highs throughout the July 4th weekend.  Here’s a recap:

 

Game 1:  Lady Pilots 2, Thunder 1 (8 innings, ITB)

At-the-Plate:  Thunder left 12 runners on base, twice leaving the bases loaded...

In-the-Field:  Kelsie B pitched all 8 innings, striking out 6 with NO walks…

 

Game 2:  Thunder 9, Force 0 (5 innings)

At-the-Plate:  The Thunder pounded out 10 hits including 3 by Megan I (single, 2 doubles)...

In-the-Field:  Shannon A pitches a Perfect Game!

 

Game 3:  Thunder 3, Manassas Blaze 0 (6 innings)

At-the-Plate:  Lindsey N (2 singles, RS) and Shannon A (2 RBI, 1 RS) combined for 4 of the Thunder’s 7 hits...

In-the-Field:  Kelsie B pitched a shutout, allowing only 2 hits, while striking out 12 Blaze batters...

 

Game 4:  X-Treme 1, Thunder 0 (8 innings, ITB)

At-the-Plate:  Lindsey N had 2 of the 4 Thunder hits, the Thunder had runners on base in 4 of the 8 innings

In-the-Field:  In the top of the 5th, with a runner in scoring position, Courtney D made a highlight reel diving catch of a fly-ball in foul ground in left field for the final out of the inning …

— Shannon A pitched 8 stellar innings, allowing only 3 hits for the game...

 

Game 5:  Thunder 3, Lady Eagles 0 (7 innings)

At-the-Plate:  Shawna K, Shannon A, Ashley B, and Taylor S all had multiple hits for the Thunder...

In-the-Field:  Kelsie B pitched a 3-hit shutout, striking out 9 along the way...

 

Game 6:  Rampage 3, Thunder 0 (7 innings)

At-the-Plate:  The Thunder hit the ball well (only 2 strikeouts and several hard hit balls), but solid Rampage “D” kept them in check...all the Rampage runs came in the 3rd inning...

 

Gold Bracket 1st Round...

Game 7:  Thunder 4, VA Lady Titans 1 (7 innings)

At-the-Plate:  With rain coming down the entire game, Thunder batters combined for 10 hits including multiple hits for Taylor S, Ashley B, and Brianna J

In-the-Field:  Lindsey N made a diving catch in right-center to thwart a potential Titan 5th inning rally — Shawna K made several outstanding defensive plays including a back-handed “SportsCenter Top 10” play on a hard-hit line drive down the 3rd base-line —- Kelsie B pitched 7 solid innings, giving up only 1 run...

 

Gold Bracket 2nd Round...

Game 8:  Rain-out against Diamond Fever

At-the-Plate:  The Thunder threatened in the top of the 1st inning getting 2 runners on base — in the top of the 2nd with runners (Ashley B and Brianna J) on 2nd and 3rd and Taylor S at the plate, the game was called due to field conditions...

 

 

 

Rain Shortens QOH...

Thunder Pitchers continue to excel...

 

Hanover County, VA — Hanover Thunder pitchers Shannon A and Kelsie B continue to be a force against opposing teams.  In the Queen of the Hill tournament, in 47 innings pitched, they allowed only 3 earned runs.  They also combined for 52 strikeouts against only 6 walks.    Against the Force in the 2nd game of the tournament, Shannon pitched a Perfect Game!  She retired all 15 batters including a stretch of 7 straight strikeouts.

    Kelsie B’s tournament was highlighted by a 2 hit performance (3-0 win) against the Manassas Blaze.  In the game, Kelsie struck out 12 of the 21 batters she faced while allowing only 1 walk!

    For the season, in 129 innings pitched, the pitchers have allowed less than 1 earned run (0.8) per 7 innings pitched and are averaging close to 7 strikeouts and only 1 walk.  Their success can be attributed to the hard work put in during the off-season and early this season which has included softball camps, workouts with pitching instructors, and many more hours of individual practice.

Random Quote (Anonymous)…

“If a girl has to choose between catching a fly ball and watching a cute guy in the stands, she'll always choose the guy without even considering if there are runners on base…”

 

 

Thunder Blue Advances to Final 8 -

before Rains End Tourney...

         After 2 days of near-perfect weather, the rains came in Sunday morning, forcing SoftballNation tournament officials to cancel the July 4th weekend Queen of the Hill tournament.  Twenty-six (26) 14-U teams came to Richmond to compete in one of the premier tournaments of the summer season. 

           Hanover Thunder Blue (14U) competed in the “L” bracket with the VA Lady Pilots, Manassas Blaze, and The Force.  On Friday, The Thunder lost an extra-inning** game with Pilots to start the tournament, but came back with 2 impressive wins against the Blaze and The Force.  In 3 other pool-play games on Saturday, the Thunder dropped another ITB game against the X-Treme, but bounced back with a 3-0 win against the Lady Eagles.  In the final game of pool-play, the Thunder battled the Rampage, giving up 3 runs in the  3rd, the only runs of the game.  With only 13 teams (of the 23) qualifying for the Gold Bracket on Sunday, the Thunder, on the strength of only giving up 6 total runs (in 6 games), made the “Gold” as the 13th seed.    On Sunday, in a constant drizzle, the Thunder knocked-off the Lady Titans 4-1 to advance to the final 8.  Unfortunately, the rains got heavier...with the Thunder threatening in the top of the 2nd, playing against Diamond Fever for a chance at the final 4, the tournament was cancelled.  See below for more...

 

**International Tie-Breaker (ITB) - each team starts inning with runner (last out of prior inning) on 2nd base