The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Sunnyvale girls 5th in world tourney

By MIKE BARNHART

It has been two summers since an amazing girls fast-pitch softball team from Sunnyvale National went all the way to the semifinals of the Little League Western Regional in Vancouver, Wash., after tearing up district, section and division competition by a combined score of 135-6.

Well, two years later and two years more talented, the majority of the Sunnyvale girls and the same coaching staff are still working together. And, now as the Sunnyvale Shockers, a top area club team, they are coming off another impressive season that recently concluded with a strong fifth-place showing at the NSA Western World Championships, July 15-23, in Seattle.

The Shockers, who won five of the nine tournaments they played in this season prior to the Western Worlds, reached the 40-win plateau by winning four in a row at Seattle.

"Our trip started out real good with four consecutive wins to make us only one of four teams in the winner's bracket out of 22 teams," manager Mike DeSilva explained. "We then lost a heartbreaker in extra innings, and then got knocked out by a team we had never lost to before. It was not what we expected, but we did qualify for the Super World Nationals."

The Shockers since have decided to not make the trip to Peoria, Ill., for the NSA Super World Championships, instead closing out the 2006 season with a 40-9 record.

At the Western World Series, the Sunnyvale squad followed up easy wins over the Washington Sidewinders (8-2) and the Fallon Rockets (7-1) of Nevada with tight decisions against the Cal Heat of Hayward (5-4) and the Modesto Lady Warriors (2-0). The locals fell from the unbeaten ranks when the Lodi Valley Heat scored a 3-2 victory in extra innings. Then, surprisingly to DeSilva, the Shockers were eliminated from the competition, 6-2, by the NorCal Cruisers, a team the Shockers had defeated in earlier tournaments.

The Shockers' top hitters at the WWS were Celine Kealiinohumoku (.579 batting average), Taylor DeSilva (.524) and Jessica Lopez (.524), who also happened to be the team's starting pitchers.

DeSilva pitched the 2-0 shutout against Modesto, facing only three batters over the minimum, and Kealiinohumoku dazzled the Fallon Rockets with a 14-strikeout performance. Against the Cal Heat, Lopez had five strikeouts in three innings, and DeSilva provided outstanding relief by working out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation.

The win over the Hayward squad was of the come-from-behind variety. Trailing 4-2 in the last inning, the Shockers strung together a few hits, including Nicole Arevalo's two-run single and Christine Bitler's game-winner.

The Shockers also received fine play from shortstop and leadoff hitter Chrissy Montez, Amanda Mosher, Malyka Pettigrue, Christine Lozano, Christina Meneses, Jessica Perez and Jennifer Porter. Assisting DeSilva throughout the season were coaches Martin Lozano and Mike Arevalo.

A performance typifying the Shockers' never-say-die attitude came in a June tournament, manager DeSilva explained.

"We got down 6-0 in the semifinal game, but came back to score three in the fifth and four in the sixth to win 7-6," he recalled. "We then went on to score eight in the first of the championship game against the Lafayette Lightning and won 10-1."

Seeking greater competition for the team after the 2004 Little League season, DeSilva and staff moved the Shockers to the NSA and ASA tournament level.

"After winning the NorCal State FallBall Championship in 2004, we moved our team of 12- and 13-year-old girls up to 14-and-under," DeSilva said. "After three tournaments we were moved to the highest level, 'A', where we competed with many teams stocked with 14- and 15-year-olds."

The Shockers went on to finish seventh out of 35 teams in the 2005 Western World Series last summer in Utah.

Now, the Shockers will take some time off before beginning the 2006 FallBall tournament season. Ten players will return for the Shockers, but DeSilva says the team has a couple of major positions to fill.

"We need to replace our shortstop and catcher," DeSilva said. "We will conduct a tryout, looking for three or four players, preferably a catcher, a pitcher and an outfielder, aged 13 or 14 years old."

To arrange a tryout, contact DeSilva at 408.309.9003. The team also is looking for sponsors to help defray travel expenses for the 2007 season, DeSilva said.