1979 held at Southwest Park in Irving, Texas on August 8-12.
Champion: Oklahoma City Jets, Oklahoma City
Runner Up: Spring Branch Aces, Spring Branch, Texas
Shortstop Pam Podolec lined a single to left with two outs in the seventh inning to drive in the winning run from second base to give the Oklahoma City Jets a 2-1 win over the Spring Branch Aces and the ASA Girls’ 16-18 National Fast Pitch crown Sunday at Southwest Park.
Podolec did her job well as she lined a 2-2 ,pitch from Michelle Ash into left-center field, scoring Liz Phillips from second base with the go-ahead run.
Phillips started the Jets final inning rally with a single after Patty Helton and Rhonda Clark had grounded out. Patti Holthaus kept the rally alive with a chopper over third to move Phillips to second and set the stage for Podolec’s heroics which gave the Jets a 2-1 lead.
The Aces, however, managed to get out of the inning without any more damage when catcher Jan Lewis caught Holthaus off second after she had rounded the bag on the single.
Clark then took matters into her own hands in the bottom of the seventh, striking out the side to seal the championship for the Oklahoma City club.
Clark, who struck out 13 and picked up her fifth win of the tournament, got off to a rocky start against the Aces in the first inning as designated hitter Christie Rees drilled her third offering of the game into left field for a double.
Jan Lewis then tried to sacrifice Rees to third, but Clark came off the mound and threw Rees out. However, Julie Logan laced a double down the leftfield line to score Lewis with the tying run.
She (Clark) was cold in the first inning. There wasn’t any way for her to warm up before the game with all the introductions they had,” Jet Coach Wyndell Blakemore said. “She sat for 15 minutes and then was the leadoff hitter in the first inning. She couldn’t get warm so her rise ball wasn’t jumping.
“They don’t hit her when her rise ball is jumping.”
And, the Aces did not. Clark sent the Texas club down in order in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings, struck out the side in the second and seventh and surrendered a meaningless single to Logan in the sixth with two outs.
Despite the outstanding performance by Clark, the Jets could not break the game open even though they collected 10 hits.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Oklahoma City Jets, Oklahoma City, OK
2. Spring Branch Aces, Spring Branch, TX
3. Sepulveda Raiders, Sepulveda, CA (5-2)
4. Oklahoma City Rebels, Oklahoma City, OK
5t. Karmelkorn, Peoria, IL
5t. Llamas Construction, Abilene, KS
7t. Eugene Chics, Eugene, OR
7t.
9t.
9t.
9t.
9t.
13t.
13t.
13t.
13t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
17t.
25t.
25t.
25t.
