1980 held at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 7-10.
Champion: Nor Cal Tremors, Fairfield, California (57-9)
Runner Up: Orcutt Express, Santa Maria, California (39-5)
Lisa Martinez ripped a pair of triples and flipped a one-hitter to power Nor Cal to a 3-0 win over the Orcutt Express in the all-California championship of the national girls 18-under fastpitch softball tournament Sunday.
Martinez lined the first pitch of the title game into right-center field and later scored on a wild pitch with what proved to be the winning run. Her triple and a single by Robin Steman completed the scoring in the third inning.
But it was her pitching which excited a crowd of more than 4,000 fans.
Earlier in the day she stopped the Express 2-1 to move the Fairfield, Calif., team into the finals without a loss. Nor Cal responded to win the title and complete the season 57-9.
“I wasn’t tired,” Martinez said. “I am used to pitching a lot of games. I was hyped up for this one. I didn’t throw as well as I could have, but I threw decent.” She allowed only a single to Diane Dyckma with two out in the seventh inning. Martinez fanned four batters, including Tracy Compton for the final out.
She said her best game was a Saturday win over Memphis.
“The tougher the competition the better I get into it,” Martinez said.
In addition to a pair of one-hitters, Martinez was the batting star for the champions. “I’ve think maybe this is the best hitting I’ve done in awhile. Usually if I hit better, I pitch better.”
In this tournament, she did both well. She hit five triples and a double among her 13 hits.
Martinez wasn’t alone with solid efforts in the national tournament. One of the finest defensive jobs was that done by first baseman Jeannette Beemer, whose long stretches were responsible for outs which otherwise might have been base hits.
“It’s just natural. I want her out and that’s the easiest way to do it,” Beemer said. Shorter than most of the first basemen in the tournament, she said “that’s how I make up for it, with the long stretch.”
Beemer completed her first year at first base; Before the move, she played second base in high school.
A team molded by coach Ron Clarke, it was formed in June. Without a regular season sponsor, Clarke said the girls raised the nearly $5,000 it took to bring them to Sioux Falls for the national tournament.
“I didn’t think we’d be quite as good as this because I didn’t know if our pitching would that good. But I felt we’d be in the top three,” Clarke said. His team outscored its opposition in this tournament 31-1.
All but pitchers Martinez and Lisa Ishikawa and Steman, the Tremors were made of players from Fairfield. All but three played for Clarke two years ago in an open women’s league when the team was second in California.
“It was a dream to get here. Now it’s a fantasy,” Beemer said.
In the first Nor Cal win over Orcutt, Martinez hit a double and Beemer two singles. Beemer’s second single, a sacrifice and Tawny Kanae’s single produced the winning run.
DeeDee Spencer hit a pair of singles for Orcutt, which came back to stop Memphis 3-1 and gain the finals. A three-run first-inning rally was aided by a walk, a hit batter and two errors by the normally error-free World News defense. Compton had the lone hit of the inning.
Melissa Jansen tripled for Memphis, which had to beat Rock Island, Ill., 3-0 to grab third place in the tournament. Lisa Worman hit a single and triple and Angie Bodiford a triple for Memphis while Pam McMurray and Ann Patting hit doubles for Rock Island.
Sunday’s play began with the completion of Saturday’s final round, which was rained out around 1 a.m. Sunday. In that final game, Rock Island, the 1978 national champion, beat Standard Optical of Salt Lake City 6-2 behind a four-run second inning highlighted by five walks, a fielder’s choice and a single.
Suzie Olsen hit two singles and a double for Salt Lake City.
Orcutt finished the season at 39-5, Memphis’ World News 58-7 and fourth place Rock Island Rookies 69-14.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Nor Cal Tremors, Fairfield, CA (6-0)
2. Orcutt Express, Santa Maria, CA (5-2)
3. World News of Memphis, Memphis, TN (5-2)
4. Rock Island Rookies, Rock Island, IL (5-2)
5t. Battle Creek, St. Paul, MN (4-2)
5t. Standard Optical, Salt Lake City, UT (3-2)
7t. St. Louis Roadrunners, Manchester, MO (3-2)
7t. Dallas Metro Scorpions, Dallas, TX (3-2)
9t. Blazers, Bartlesville, OK (3-2)
9t. Gulls, Salt Lake City, UT (3-2)
9t. Oregon City Reds, Oregon City, OR (3-2)
9t. Valentino’s, Overland Park, KS (3-2)
13t. Phoenix Angels, Phoenix, AZ (2-2)
13t. Sam’s Tire Service, Olympia, WA (2-2)
13t. Bayou Babes, Alvin, TX (2-2)
13t. Oklahoma City Jets, Oklahoma City, OK (2-2)
17t. Southern Tier Royals, Binghamton, NY (1-2)
17t. H&L Athletics, Lynwood, WA (1-2)
17t. San Antonio Roses, San Antonio, TX (1-2)
17t. Manchester Bulldogs, Akron, OH (1-2)
17t. Spring Branch Vikings, Houston, TX (1-2)
17t. Firestix, Arvada, CO (1-2)
17t. Pasadena Mustangs, Pasadena, TX (1-2)
17t. Middle Valley Hustlers, Hixson, TN (1-2)
25t. Blue Flames, CC Hills, IL (0-2)
25t. Fitzgerald Bombers, St. Louis, MO (0-2)
25t. Pittsfield Merchants, Pittsfield, MA (0-2)
25t. Chelsea Bulldogs, Chelsea, MI (0-2)
25t. Rosedale, Baltimore, MD (0-2)
25t. Lincoln Swingers, Lincoln, NE (0-2)
25t. Pepsi Amazons, Topeka, KS (0-2)
25t. Soukup Sluggers, Sioux Falls, SD (0-2)
