Magic 10B Weekly Highlights Summer 2011

Magic 10B Team

Del Soderholm Memorial Union City - July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th

Magic 10B played in the Del Soderholm Memorial tournament at Union City on July 22-24, finishing 2nd after an excellent weekend of softball. Congratulations to the players and coaches for the remainder of the summer season as the team makes its final preparations for Western Nationals in Clovis, CA. 

Magic 10B pictured above (from left-to-right):

Back Row: Annika Briski, Emily Plane, Gaby Underwood, Rachel Bakke, Samantha Hansen, Kate Bonini, Eryn Lee

Middle Row: Kaitlin Gzanka, Kassie Pate, Grace Colson, Kaia McCaul, Emily Wickham, Jasmine Strydom, Savanna Smith

Front Row: Coaches Eric Colson, Bob Hansen, Kael Briski, Jon McCaul

 

 

Watsonville Strawberry Jam - July 16th and 17th

The Magic 10B team took 1st place at the Strawberry Jam in Watsonville playing solid ball all weekend.  Not phased by the fog, the Magic motto for the weekend was a simple one, "Play the game."  And that is just what they did.

Over the weekend the girls put 32 runs on the board while allowing only 8.  The championship final featured a match up between a quality San Ramon Stompers team that beat the Magic on Saturday 5-4, but the Magic were prepared for their rematch.  When it mattered most the girls stayed tough and battled back from an early 3-0 defecit to pull within a single run at 3-2 going into the bottom half of the 5th and final inning.  In the end the Magic rallied to score twice in the home half of that inning, securing the victory and championship.

Overall this year the 10B team has put together solid performances week after week with an overall record of 22-12-1, including a 3rd place in NorCal's which earned the team a hard fought trip to Clovis, CA for the Western Nationals.

Magic 10B team pictured above (from left-to-right):

Front Row: Samantha Hansen, Grace Colson, Tessa Johnson, Emily Wickham, Kaia McCaul, Jasmine Strydom, Kassie Pate, Kate Bonini

Middle Row: Kirstin Kruka, Gaby Underwood, Annika Briski, Eryn Lee, Rachel Bakke

Back Row:  Coach Bob Hansen, Manager Kael Briski, Coach Jonathan McCaul

 

 

NorCal ASA Championships at Twin Creeks - June 24th, 25th and 26th

Magic 10B pictured above from left-to-right:

Front Row:  Kassie Pate, Emily Plane, Emily Wickham, Jasmine Strydom, Kate Bonini, Samantha Hansen

Middle Row:  Gaby Underwood, Annika Briski, Eryn Lee, Kirstin Kruka, Rachel Bakke, Kaia McCaul

Back Row:  Manager Kael Briski, Coach Bob Hansen, Coach Jon McCaul

In the 2011 season, the 10B Magic team has battled through 4 tournaments, making it to the semifinals in 3 of 4 but not quite able to reach a final. Yet this team saved its best ball for NorCal's when after losing to the Burlingame Flames 8-3 in their first game Friday, the Magic girls put it all together combining great pitching, timely hitting, and good defense to run the table.  The Magic went 6-0 all the way to the finals in the loser’s bracket, winning that bracket and securing a coveted top 3 finish! 

In a tough game for their opener the Magic lost to the Burlingame Flames 8-3 as a result of an uncharacteristic number of fielding miscues and inability to get the one big hit when needed.  But from that moment on the kids bucked down and played solid softball, winning 2 games on Saturday, and running the table on Sunday playing 4 games over the stretch of more than 10 hours of nearly nonstop game action. With first pitch at 8am the Magic then played at 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm to achieve their amazing results. 

Annika Briski and Kaia McCaul lead the team with solid pitching performances throughout the tournament.  In Saturday’s opener McCaul went three strong innings and Briski two as the Magic beat the Scotts Valley Trouble 12-3. In the afternoon match up with the Rohnert Park Rebels it was all McCaul, going 4 innings giving up no runs as the Magic won 12-0. The bats were hot on Saturday as well with third baseman Eryn Lee and McCaul both picking up RBI doubles in the first game while Jasmine Strydom was scored three runs. In the second game versus the Rebels, it was Briski breaking the game open with a bases loaded three run triple. She wore the number 3 jersey in honor of her sister Alexis and scored 3 runs in the game. Lee stayed hot while Emily Plane’s bat game alive as she went 2-2 scoring two runs. Strydom picked up two more hits and matched those with two runs. Gaby Underwood picked up two hits with two RBI's and scored a run.  Magic leadoff hitter, shortstop Emily Wickham, scored two runs as well, and McCaul blasted her second double of the day.

On Sunday the competition got tougher as teams began rolling out of the winner’s bracket, each needing to stay alive with a win versus the Magic.  That was not to happen as the Magic maintained and then increased their momentum.

In the 8am game the Magic’s battle cry was, “Take the wind out of the Vallejo Hurricanes."  They did so by batting around in the first inning after the first two batters were retired and ultimately plated 5 runs.  The two big hits were supplied by Lee and Kassie Pate, each with two-out singles.  Plane capped the first inning with a RBI single.  Meanwhile, Briski held the Hurricanes to 3 runs over 4 innings recording 9 strikeouts.  The Magic answered the Hurricanes three runs with two of their own in the third, this time with Samantha "Cheeks" Hansen picking up a key two out single, and going home on a passed ball.  Hansen had her biggest game versus the Waves, going 2-3 including the game winning RBI, a shot to left field.  Defensively, "Cheeks" helped maintain the shutout when with runners in scoring position, she grabbed a 1-hop line drive in right field and threw out the batter at first to end the inning. The runs kept coming as Plane started the sixth with a leadoff double.  Wickham followed with an RBI single and Strydom and Briski hit back-to-back RBI doubles.  McCaul closed out the game with 2 strong innings allowing only one run.  

The Santa Rosa Hackers took their shot at the Magic 10B's in the noon game on Sunday.  Once again the Magic played fantastic softball.  McCaul went all 6 innings striking out 9 while the offense once again came up with big hits when it counted.  It was Lee shooting an RBI single in the first and Emily “Scooter” Wickham starting a three run rally in the third with the second of two singles, and Briski, McCaul and Lee stringing together three consecutive RBI singles. Emily Plane started the final Magic rally with a leadoff walk, followed by a Jasmine Strydom walk. Strydom had a great game scoring three big runs. It was Magic 6-5 over the Hackers and on to the 2pm game.

With just 15 minutes to rest, the Magic went on to face the Half Moon Bay Waves who were fighting to stay alive.  There was plenty of fight left in the Magic as this time Briski started the game, going four strong innings giving up just one run while striking out seven.  Lee made a key defensive play on a line shot taking away a sure hit and saving two runs.  Just when the Waves thought it was safe, McCaul came in to close out the game pitching two innings and striking out six.  On the run scoring front it was the top three in the lineup Wickham, Strydom, and Briski accounting for five of the Magic’s six runs with McCaul and Lee providing pop from the 4 and 5 spots, driving in five combined including McCaul’s two RBI singles and one from Lee.  Rachel Bakke smoked a single and scored her first run of the series for the Magic.  And when the dust settled (and there was plenty of that), the Magic had defeated the Waves in a 6-3 final result.  This victory moved the Magic to the championship game of their bracket against the San Jose Quicksilver, a team featuring quality pitching and plenty of talent.  In coach Kael's words, "She throws straight gas!"  

It was Annika Briski getting the start for the final game of the day, and when the bell rang she was ready to go, pitching three straight 1-2-3 innings.  Her defense was spectacular as Plane at 2nd base and Wickham at shortstop each made outstanding plays.  In the Magic’s bottom half of the first inning "Scooter" Wickham and Briski had excellent at-bats, working 3-2 counts and fouling off at least 3 pitches each while drawing walks to put two on with one out.  The base runners set the table nicely for McCaul who smoked a double over the Quicksilver’s left fielder driving in two runs.  In the second inning the Quicksilver employed the bunt, but Briski picked one up in front of the plate firing to first for out number one.  With one out, and one on, Strydom fired a shot from catcher to Wickham covering the bag on an attempted steal for out number two.  Strydom followed her great throw on the attempted steal with another highlight reel play, jumping out to field a bunt and firing to first for the third out.  

The third was another 1-2-3 inning including two strikeouts, and Briski making good use of the change up with another spectacular play in the hole at short by Wickham for out number three.  The Magic put two on base in the third but no runs came across.   Up came the top of the Quicksilver order in the fourth inning but once again it was the defense making solid plays with "Scooter" Wickham picking another at short and firing to first for the out.  Briski got the number three Quicksilver hitter with a change for out number two, and Plane made a nice play at second picking a grounder and firing it just in time to first for out number three.

Not satisfied with a two-run lead and wanting a few more runs on the board, the Magic bats delivered.  Plane hustled, reaching base via a dropped third, and leadoff hitter Wickham came up and promptly smoked a double down the third base line chasing the Quicksilver’s number one pitcher from the game and picking up and RBI.  With one out and a new pitcher it was Briski delivering the Magic’s third double of the day with a shot to left center.  Again it was Lee in the five-hole picking up the third RBI of the inning with a single.  Just like that the score was Magic 5 Quicksilver 0. 

In the fifth Briski was back out in the circle. There was a leadoff single that Kirstin Kruka played nicely in center field holding the runner at first base.  The next batter reached on a grounder to short with Wickham making a nice throw.  With two on and no out, it was Strydom making yet another huge play from catcher, shooting the ball to Lee at 3rd and the base runner was erased with one out in the inning. 

With the quicksilver starting to figure Briski out, it was time to change the Mojo and bring in the strong lefty McCaul to close out the game.  With one out one in and the bases clear she promptly got a strikeout.  The Quicksilver managed to load the bases but their 3 hitter fell victim to McCaul’s jam shot inducing a ground ball to the mound that McCaul shot to Strydom at home for out number three.

The Magic went down in the 5th inning, and in the top of the sixth with two on and no outs, McCaul started dealing.  On an exciting play at second base, Hansen waited on the ball and shot it to 1st base for out number one. McCaul then struck out two consecutive hitters, locking up out number three on a wicked change.  When it was all said and done the Magic took third place in the NorCal's, earning a berth to the Western National championships in Clovis, CA. 

Over the weekend, nobody played more games than the Magic (7) and no team picked up more wins (6) either.  All the players contributed to the outstanding weekend including Tessa Johsnon who played a solid center field making sure no throw downs got past her at second base, and they didn’t. Kate Bonini had a hard shot to right field in the finale being robbed of a base hit with a fine Quicksilver throw. Congratulations and continued success to the Magic 10B as they move on and play more events in preparation for Clovis in early August!