Memorial Day Weekend

Well, it was a busy week but i doesn't end there. Our business hardly ever takes a break during the summer. We also have a Quincenera this weekend. Anyway , Memorial weekend was good, but we weren't in town on Saturday so of course i don't know how well that went. As for Saturday, i was there helping my mom while she took the stage to represent the Hispanic People of Coalinga for the Hispanic Night in Derby.
It was a complete success!
We broke the previous record we held last year, the crowd who came to see many of the local bands perform was incredible. We had so much fun, i had the privilege to be backstage and meet some band members and including Legendary Mexican musician Ernesto of Vennus.
I also got to take pictures with them and talk to them. I also got to meet two of the most prominent Radio Personalities of San Joaquin Valley, Velia Irene and Javier Solis, both whom represent the Radio Station La Preciosa.
Both where recognized at the event and were given commemorative Plaques with there names on them.
Is the Coalinga Board Chamber lucky to have my mother on board?!

Well yesterday , me and my mom went to Fresno to meet with Javier Solis at the radio station. My mom had the opportunity to speak with Javier about the success of Hispanic night at Derby. While she was handling her business, i sat in the live talk from KRZR Rock Station of Fresno. and yes of course ,i got my time to speak live on air about Slipknot's Paul Gray. amazing , right?!

It was great,my mom is in the process of building the schedule for Fiestas Patrias which will fall in September 11,2010. I can't wait!

June 7 is the start of summer school :D i will be taking Nutrition , Psychology and Math classes. After i successfully complete my nutrition class with a satisfaction, i plan on joining my mom's Amway group. come August, i will be working as an Athletic Trainer Assistant to the Football program here at West Hills College. Ahh one more year and I'm off to Fresno Pacific!!!!

Wedding at Pismo Beach

so this weekend is going to be insane! my mother is board director of the city chamber of commerce and has been given the privilege once again to organize the hispanic night on sunday of the Coalinga Horned Toady Derby. This will be her second year and she will be bringing much fun and entertainment to the city. Radio Station La Preciosa will be in town with DJ La Ley and Velia Irene, the most prominent Radio Personalities in San Joaquin Valley.
My Mother also happens to be a business women, owning her own flowershop, she has been very diligent with her time to dedicate to both the community and her business. This week we find ourselves in pismo for one great wedding! we will be here from Friday til Sunday Morning. Since sunday is Mexican Night we should be back in time for the event, the party doesn't start til 12am.
This will be one busy weekend , but i promise myself that i would find time to blog about it, since i don't have much to say most of the time. I will also be filming for the weekend. It should be an interesting video to watch once it's been done and modified.
So friday , we were in charge of finishing the reception decorations. Let me tell you , wedding's are always a hassel to do! But i love it , i learn more and more everyday. My Mother is amazing! i just can't put to words what she can do , she's a very creative person , and her work is always done perfectly. So far everyone is pleased with her work. After finishing the Hall we headed down to Pismo to eat at Chela's Restaurant which is right across fromt he famous Splash Cafe. ( well according to me its famous)
Tommorrow will be another continuous day of what we started today, im planning to wake up early to film and take pictures of the early time at the beach. I think it's amazing being out here. i love it!
So tommorrow's going to be a big day, the wedding. Transport all arraingments to and from the church and to the reception hall, then dine, then crash to bed! It's a small list, but you have no idea how much work is put into this business.
I'm also hoping that we have a good turnout for the Hispanic Night. My mom has worked so hard and i hope everyone can appreciate the time she has put into it. Although i do agree we should have brought a band with a bit more reggae to the music ;) im sorry , but i love to dance! haha. Speaking of which, i've been listeing to Lady GaGa song Telephone, haha! i've probably played it throughout my way to coailinga. well its' late i should conclude my blog for todady, hopefully tomorrow will be another good day, Adieus!
(:

Do they even care?

I saw my father last week after a 2 month silence we had. I love my father, he's a good guy , sometimes i can get out of hand you know. anway, while we had dinner at Rubio's Restuarant , his apartment was on the course of getting burglarized. His laptop was stolen , his living room, some kitchen items went missing as well. But c'mon man , his laptop?
I would know how valualble that is, since i have one of my own. those are expensive and very hard to replace, depending what you had in there too. well for him he had all his music on there. which he used for his night job as a DJ.
i was exasperated when i heard the news. Like seriously, what good do you get from stealing from others?
Since February a close family member had stolen atleast more than $3,000.00 of money and jewelery. my parents really need that money and we worked hard for it so that someone else can take the pleasure to spend it how they want it? fuck no!
I've had things stolen from my persona , but im very careful about that now. Since i got into the photography business, i had my own expensive nikon ( if that thing was to be stolen , that would be one of many irresplaceable items) and camcorder which i create my awesome videos which is worth more than $300.00 and my laptop ( with all programs installed and minus the years its been in use ) about $350.00 but still very valuable.
I carry very important things in my laptop, like my pictures. The one's from many weddings, family trips, when me and my sister went to Puerto Rico, and hey myself. Not that i have very personal stuff in there is just that, can you seriously trust anyone with your personal belongings?
Man, having somethings stolen from you feels like being violated , seriously! ( lol)
Of course, my father doesn't live in the most pleasant neighboorhood, but i think we should consider moving to a location with less crime.

why i fucken love slipknot

well it started last year in summer that i actually started listening to Heavy Metal. Slipknot was my first encounter. man i will admit, i was pretty scared. But that rush you get listening to their music was insane. all this started with this boy. It was a minor crush. He liked slipknot and rock music, so i decided to give it a try, you know, try to like the smiliar things so " we can have something in common." well yeah i did that but after listening to their music, i just feel in love.
well love is a very odd word to use in such genre of music. When i got back from puerto rico, i was sooo psyched to know they were coming to fresno. Yes, my first rock concert. ;)
Words can't describe how fucken amazing that concert was, and weirdly i got upclose with Paul Gray at the concert, yepp, he walked right pass me.
well i was shocked to find out he passed away, i still don't know what the press are saying or what they assume was the cause of death.
i didn't take any pictures but i was able to get a video of the concert. although i had seat tickets the video actually has pretty good view of it all.
Yes seat tickets, i truely do regret having to buy those when i could have gone for the floor tickets. Why? cause the concert was just that insane. Note here: you just can't go to a slipknot concert without having to jump like a fucken maniac.
Well since Slipknot has said they are going to release a new ablum in 2012, they will be in a brief hiatus. so , what do we expect from here til then?

Rainbow Wahine softball team whips Fresno St. to win WAC title

Hawai'i hammered five home runs in a 14-3 win against Fresno State to capture its first Western Athletic Conference tournament championship today in Las Cruces, N.M., earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Kaia Parnaby (19-6) went the distance, allowing three runs and six hits for the Rainbows (44-13) in a game called after five innings because of the league's mercy rule.


The Rainbows sent nine batters to the plate in stormring to a 6-0 lead in the top of the first. Kelly Majam, the WAC tournament most valuable player, ignited the inning by leading off the game with her nation-leading 28th home run of the season to center and Amanda Taualii capped it with a grand slam to center.


Hawai'i tacked on four in the second on a two-run double from Jenna Rodriguez and two-run home run by Alex Aguirre to make it 10-0. That chased FSU starter Mackenzie Oakes (11-8), who was charged with 10 runs (nine earned) in 1 1/3 innings for the Bulldogs (39-19).


The Rainbows added a run in the third on a two out, bases-loaded hit batsman by Aguirre.


Hawai'i made it 12-0 on a two out, solo home run by Traci Yoshikawa in the fourth inning.


Melissa Gonzalez joined the home run binge with a two-run shot to center in the fifth to make it 14-0 and increase the Rainbow Wahine's NCAA season home run record to 141.


Gonzalez was named to the WAC all-tournament team, along with Katie Grimes and Jessica Iwata.

Andrea Ortega's three-run, two out homer to center pulled FSU to 14-3 in the bottom of the seventh.

The Rainbow Wahine will find out who will be their first-round opponent when the field is announced at 4 p.m. Hawai'i time tomorrow on ESPNU.

WAC All-Tournament Team
Kathy Cox, Boise State

Kelli Fangonilo, San Jose State

Haley Gilleland, Fresno State

Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai'i

Katie Grimes, Hawai'i

Natasha Hawkins, San Jose State

Jessica Iwata, Hawai'i

Michelle Moses, Fresno State

Caitlin Stiglich, Fresno State

Lela Work, Boise State

MVP: Kelly Majam, Hawai'i

Washington Softball ends regular season shut out to Arizona.

The Nationally ranked Washington Softball team finished the 2010 regular season as best in school History with a five inning victory over Arizona State in Farrington Field. The Huskies (45-6, 17-4 Pac-10) won the series 2-1, giving them a series victory against every Pac-10 team.

Danielle Lawrie (35-2) got the job done with her arm, firing her 20th shutout of the season, allowing just two hits with no walks, and striking out seven to become the Pac-10's all-time career strikeout leader with 1,772. She also got it done at the plate, going 3 for 3 with five runs batted in, giving her a team-best 55 this year.

The Huskies head into the NCAA regionals with some momentum following their 17th mercy-rule victory this season. They will find out their site and opponents on the NCAA Selection Show at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.

OU Big 12 Champs!

Congrats to the Oklahoma Sooners softball teamwho beat Missouri on Sunday afternoon to capture their fourth Big 12 championship! Freshman pitcher Keilani Ricketts earned Most Outstanding Player honors following her third consecutive impressive performance in the title game. Ricketts was joined on the all tournament team by her teammates Amber Flores, Jessica Shults, and Lindsey Vandever. Nice job ladies!!!

Coach Forces to Drink out of cleat.

School officials in California have confirmed that eight members of the South Tahoe High softball team were forced by their coach to drink soda out of a cleat after striking out in a May 1 game. James Tarwater, superintendent of Lake Tahoe Unified School District, deemed the incident a “young coach’s mistake.”

“It was meant as a joke and obviously it went too far. People learn from mistakes. She does a good job pulling the team together, morale-wise and support-wise,” Tarwater said.

Of course, there’s at least one parent that is pissed off.

“I was not happy about this. She should have thought about this and acted with better judgment. This is a safety issue. Each year there is a horrible story of someone killed because of hazing.”

Let’s not get crazy here, no one is going to die from drinking soda out of shoe. Puke? Perhaps. But to the complaining parent’s credit, they’re not calling for the coach’s head and have reportedly accepted their apology.

“I don’t want her to be fired. That was never my intention,” the parent said. “She deserves a second chance. We’ve all made mistakes. We all deserve second chances; that’s the American way.”

Ah, yes, second chances. Reminds me of the time Charles Barkley forced teammate Armen Gilliam to drink tequila out of Manute Bol’s cup. Coach Jimmy Lynam still allowed Sir Charles to play the next night.

Coach makes players who strike out drink soda out of softball shoe [Tahoe Daily Tribune]

TEAMS SEEKING PLAYERS : Tarlaton University

NCAA Division II university; looking for another pitcher for 2010-2011 season; great scholarship, academic and softball opportunity contact email : coachmata1@yahoo.com

Province first BIG EAST Championship berth

The Providence College softball team finished seventh in the BIG EAST Conference standings and earned a spot in the eight-team Conference Championship. As the seventh seed, Providence (22-27, 10-12 BIG EAST) will play second seed Notre Dame (44-9, 18-3 BIG EAST) on Thursday, May 13 at 4:00 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Notre Dame shared the regular season title with DePaul, but the Blue Demons took the No. 1 seed because they won the season series against the Fighting Irish.

In all, the Friars have reached the BIG EAST Championship nine times (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2010), including three times in the last five seasons under head coach Kerri Jacklets. Providence captured its only BIG EAST Championship crown in 1994.

Providence is 0-2 all-time against Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship. The last time the two teams met in the league tournament was in 2006 when the Fighting Irish earned a 4-1 victory in the quarterfinals in Notre Dame, Ind. The two teams did not face each other this season, but they did play in the 2009 campaign as the Fighting Irish swept doubleheader in Providence.

Mizzou softball roars on without ace pitcher

COLUMBIA | Rhea Taylor and her Missouri softball teammates had just warmed up on Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., and were settling onto the visitors’ dugout bench when Tigers coach Ehren Earleywine began what was far from a pep talk.

“Look, girls,” Taylor remembers Earleywine saying. “Chelsea’s hurt. Expect the worst. You hope for the best, but she’ll probably be out.”

For the season? Missouri’s All-American pitcher, Chelsea Thomas? She has a stress fracture in her pitching arm?

And then Earleywine delivered the challenge. The Tigers could pout. Or they could keep on moving on.

After a 5-0 victory over Nebraska in the final Big 12 Conference game Sunday, the Tigers — who open Big 12 tournament play against Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. Saturday in Oklahoma City — have moved on to a 44-10 record and No. 9 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Division I poll.

And they’ve done it in spite of — and perhaps just a bit because of — the fact Thomas has not pitched since March 21, six days before the pivotal dugout sermon when Earleywine laid out the harsh reality for a team looking to return to the College World Series for a second straight season.

“We all kind of took that and ran with it,” Taylor said. “We beat Oklahoma 11-5 that next game.”

After falling behind 5-0.

Junior catcher Catherine Lee began the comeback with a two-out, three-run home run to dead center in the third inning. Sophomore first baseman Ashley Fleming capped an eight-run sixth with a three-run homer.

Senior Jana Hainey, freshman Lindsey Muller and sophomore Kristin Nottleman combined to throw seven innings of five-hit ball.

Thomas went to the sidelines with a 12-1 record, a 1.72 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. And since then?

“We’re a team, and we’ve really come together,” said Lee, adding the Tigers hope to be a host during NCAA Tournament play, inclusion in that tournament being a foregone conclusion as the highest ranked of five Big 12 teams in the USA Today/NFCA top 25.

Taylor, a junior center fielder, emerged from a two-game sweep of Baylor in MU’s final home series of the regular season on May 1-2 with a Big 12-best .460 batting average.

Fleming was chosen USA Softball Player of the Week after going 11 for 13 in five games, hitting three doubles and two home runs, scoring seven runs and driving in eight.

Nottleman has an 18-6 record, Hainey a 9-2 mark and Muller a 5-1 record.

On a bus ride home from a recent series at Iowa State, Earleywine asked Thomas how her arm was feeling.

“She said, ‘You know, in the last two or three days this thing is really starting to feel better,’ ” Earleywine recounted. “ ‘I’ve got full range of motion. And the pain is really minimal.’ ”

Earleywine reiterated that the pain would have to be completely gone before he would allow Thomas to cut loose and really test the healing of the stress fracture.

“Until the pain is completely gone,” he explained, “there’s still a stress fracture.”

Even if a bone scan or MRI shows the fracture is healed, Earleywine might not use Thomas in the Big 12 tournament. Returning to pitch now would cost Thomas a complete season of eligibility, eliminating the possibility of a medical redshirt ruling.

“I’d say the chance is slim,” Earleywine said of a possible return this season, “but I think the chance is there.”

Taylor contends the outlook for the team has not changed since that afternoon in the dugout at Oklahoma.

“We can’t focus on hoping that Chelsea comes back this year,” Taylor said. “We have to focus on the now.

“We have Jana, Kristin, Lindsey. We have to focus on that.

“It’s not all about just thinking about just one person coming back. It’s a team sport.”

To reach Mike DeArmond, call 816-234-4353 or send e-mail to mdearmond@kcstar.com



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/09/1935006/mizzou-softball-roars-on-without.html#ixzz0nYO3yFAs

Alma hoping for at-large softball tournament bid

Eventually Tara Leddy was going to break.

The junior ace for the Alma College softball team has been a rock all season and particularly brilliant over the past four weeks as she has not allowed a single earned run in her last five starts.

But even the best pitchers cannot be perfect at all times and Leddy's one errant pitch cost her three runs and proved to be the difference Sunday morning at Scots Park.

Needing a win over Adrian College to stay alive in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association softball tournament, host Alma College instead could not find any offense to support Leddy and watched as one swing of the bat by Jenna Kloster in the fourth inning turned the tides.

The three-run home run from Kloster was all the scoring the Bulldogs needed in the 3-0 decision, sending top seed Alma College home prematurely and hoping for an at-large bid during today's Division III NCAA Tournament selection show that will take place at noon.

"I think we are still in, but it's all up to how the top seeds in the other conference tournaments do," said Alma College head coach Denny Griffin.

"If we had won this one against Adrian, that would have been the clincher but unfortunately they were a little better than us today. We have a good resume, but you just never know until your name is called."

It was a long wait to get the tournament completed as inclement weather canceled the proceedings on Friday and Saturday.

After going 1-1 on Thursday, the Scots (30-9) needed to defeat Adrian (29-10) and then Trine University twice in order to win the MIAA Tournament title.

The rematch against Trine never transpired.

"I saw a lot of life out of our girls this morning and I don't think the early start played any role," Griffin said. "We came here expecting to play three games and it just didn't work out the way we planned."

As soon as the contest started it had the makings of a pitcher's duel, one in which one bad pitch might be the difference.

That, unfortunately for Alma College, was exactly what happened.

Kelly Eberhardt (20-7) entered the circle Sunday as Adrian College's single-season strikeout leader, a mark she broke in the final regular season doubleheader of the season.

Her abilities in the circle were evident from the get-go as she struck out two in the first to work around a Kelsey Rightenburg single.

Eberhardt then struck out the side in the second and one more in the third with the Scots going down in order both times.

"I tip my hat to Kelly, she pitched a great game," Griffin said. "Our kids said the ball was moving and she mixed her pitches. Tara pitched very well for us too, it was just a couple pitches in that fourth inning she'd like to have back."

Leddy (13-5) matched her counterpart through the first three, striking out four hitters and giving up just one hit.

But then the fourth inning happened, a frame in which Leddy ran into the kind of trouble she had been able to avoid the last three-plus weeks.

A leadoff walk and a one-out single set the table for Kloster, who smacked the ball just over the left field fence to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage.

It ended Leddy's streak of no earned runs at 36 1/3 innings.

"She's been unbelievable for us during these past few weeks and she knows she made a couple of bad pitches that they hit hard," Griffin said of Leddy. "It's tough because we didn't have a lot of highlights offensively and when you can't support your pitcher you aren't going to win games."

After going down in order in the fifth, Alma College appeared it might have a little offensive life left in the top of the sixth.

A leadoff single by nine-hole hitter Dana Fend started things off, while pinch runner Chelsea Jensen moved to second on a groundout.

But with one out, the hardest hit ball by Alma College all day off the bat of Rightenburg was snagged on a line by Bulldogs first baseman Meghan Stevens for the second out.

"Rightenburg laced that ball and they made a tremendous play on it, but who knows what would have happened had we had a couple of runners on base," said Griffin.

Another groundout ended the frame, while the Scots went down in order in the seventh to end it.

Leddy surrendered the three earned runs on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over seven innings.

Eberhardt threw seven shutout innings of three-hit ball, striking out nine and walking none.

Rightenburg led Alma College with a single and a stolen base, while Sarah Johnson and Fend had the other two hits.

"Regardless of what happens, we've had a great season and were the conference champions," Griffin said. "Hopefully we get in and have the chance to play some more softball next week."

Trine went on to win the MIAA Tournament title as it topped Adrian College 1-0 in the final.

Roth Looks to extend illustrious career

STORRS, Conn. -- On the day she officially became one of the University of Louisville's newest graduates, Melissa Roth stared into a blue sky hundreds of miles away from the commencement ceremonies. Rather than fidget with a rented gown or pull a tassel from one side of a mortarboard to the other, she adjusted her chest protector, slipped her fingers through the bars of a catcher's mask and pulled it firmly over her face as she crouched in the dirt behind home plate.

Roth can claim her diploma when she returns to campus, but she was happier wearing the tools of ignorance than cap and gown on her graduation day.



"Mel has a passion for the game; she loves the game," Louisville coach Sandy Pearsall said after her team swept a doubleheader at Connecticut. "She lives it, breathes it. I mean, I think that's what really makes her different. There's nobody [else] I know right now on my team who probably spends every minute thinking about softball."



It hasn't been time wasted for the All-American. When Roth does take off the uniform for the final time at Louisville, she'll rank among the program's all-time leaders in every significant offensive statistical category. She's already the all-time leader in runs and doubles, ranks second in walks, home runs and RBIs and third in hits. A catcher and one of the nation's best sluggers, she's even fifth in stolen bases.



Say what you want about compiling those numbers in the Big East, a conference still looking to prove itself among softball's elite, but Roth not only made the United States national team that traveled to the Pan American qualifying tournament last summer -- she hit .476 with 11 RBIS in 13 games while catching pitchers like Monica Abbott.



Back at Louisville, she's hitting .405 with a 1.345 OPS this season. Her .850 slugging percentage entering the weekend was good enough to rank ninth in the nation, but she was also in the midst of a three-week hitting funk as she arrived in Connecticut for the final weekend of the regular season.



Even with the Cardinals in good shape for an NCAA tournament at-large bid should they lose at home in next week's Big East tournament, she could hear the clock ticking.



"I'd say probably like the last three weeks, a little bit, I've kind of felt that, 'Oh my gosh, the season's coming to and end.'" Roth said. "But then I've just got to kind of look back and realize, 'You know what, if we play our softball and our teams plays [our softball], the sky's the limit.' My season could go another month."



Counting the days and hours remaining isn't the mark of someone having a brief fling with the game. And Roth is in it for the long haul. She carried on the family trade when she first put on the catching gear, which wasn't long after she first picked up a softball. Both parents were catchers. A brother is a catcher. Even her nephews are strapping on the shin guards in Little League these days. And on the rare occasions she gets a chance to go home to California on break, she's often at a local field by seven or eight in the morning, working on her own hitting or watching and working with youth teams -- she's already coached kids from 10 years old up through 18-and-under travel ball.



That lifelong relationship likely won't end when her college career does -- she was drafted by National Pro Fastpitch's USSSA Pride. But as Pearsall put it, there's just something different about playing the college game.



As her stay in Connecticut came to an end, Roth came up with three hits in her final five at-bats, not counting a tape-measure shot that drifted just foul late in the final game of Saturday's doubleheader. Her teammates, particularly Chelsea Bemis and Alicja Wolny, picked up the slack in the interim weeks. And perhaps now, with graduation gone and the postseason here, she can just enjoy what's left.



"I really feel like it's going so fast," Roth said. "We're down to the last month of softball, and I can't believe it. Technically, I just graduated [Saturday], but I just can't believe it's gone by so fast.



"I don't know, I guess it's been the best four years of my life."



Graham Hays covers women's college softball for ESPN.com. E-mail him at Graham.Hays@espn3.com. Follow him on Twitter: @grahamhays.

SEC Softball Tourney Bracket

The Southeastern Conference announced its 2010 Softball Tournament field Sunday with the nationally third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide claiming the No. 1 seed. The tournament will be hosted by the University of Arkansas at Bogle Park, Thursday-Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.


For the first time in SEC history, the entire tournament will be televised live on the ESPN family of networks. The quarterfinals and semifinals will air on ESPNU, while the championship game will air primetime on ESPN at 6:30 CT.

Alabama clinched its second SEC title with a 6-1 win over Mississippi State on Sunday and will make their 14th consecutive SEC Tournament appearance. Eastern Division champions, the Florida Gators earned the No. 2 seed and will also make their 14th consecutive SEC tournament appearance. All eight teams were in the tournament last season. The Kentucky Wildcats are making their second back-to-back appearance to the tournament, fourth overall.

On Thursday, the No. 3 seed LSU Tigers will open up the tournament against No. 6 seed Kentucky at 11 a.m. CDT, followed by No. 2 seed Florida and No. 7 seed Auburn at 1:30 p.m. The evening session will feature No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 seed Tennessee at 4 p.m., and the host school, No. 8 seed Arkansas, will take on No.1 seed Alabama in the nightcap at 6:30 p.m.

Covering the games will be ESPN’s softball crew of Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Jessica Mendoza and Cara Capuano. SECSports.com will be live at the tournament as well, with exclusive online coverage behind the scenes.

The championship game can also be heard live on XM radio. The channel will be announced Monday. Tickets for the single-elimination tournament can be purchased through the Arkansas Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-800-982-4647.

Friday's semifinals will be at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The championship game will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Salling delivers big hit as UW clinches Pac-10 softball title

Jenn Salling hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning Sunday to lift the No. 1 Washington softball team to a 1-0 win over Stanford, its second walkoff victory in two days.

Jenn Salling hit a run-scoring double in the eighth inning Sunday to lift the No. 1 Washington softball team to a 1-0 win over Stanford, its second walkoff victory in two days.

The victory, coupled with second-place UCLA's 4-2 loss to California, gives Washington (43-5, 15-3) its third Pac-10 title and first since 2000.

It marks UW's first outright conference title since 1996, when coach Heather Tarr played third base for UW.

The win gave UW a three-game sweep of the Cardinal (33-17, 5-13). The Huskies won all six series in conference play, three by sweep. Since a 4-0 loss at Oregon dropped UW into a tie for first with the Ducks, the Huskies have won nine of 10 games, including seven in a row.

Danielle Lawrie (33-2) allowed just one hit in eight innings and struck out 10 while walking two. She has struck out 10 or more in eight of the past nine games and 13 of 15, all coming against Pac-10 teams. She also moved 11 strikeouts from the Pac-10 career record.

Baruch stuns College of Staten Island twice to capture CUNY softball crown

Top-seeded Baruch College emerged from the losers’ bracket to record back-to-back victories over the College of Staten Island and earn the school’s first CUNY Conference softball championship Saturday at CSI.

The 8-6 and 8-3 wins were a sharp contrast to how the marathon afternoon began when it was the Dolphins who were in the catbird seat for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III regionals.

The day started well for the defending champion Dolphins in the continuation of Friday’s scoreless game against Baruch. CSI scored four runs in the top of the 10 inning to take a 4-1 victory in the winners’ bracket final.

CSI then took a few hours off while the Bearcats dispatched with John Jay in a mercy-rule win, meaing the Dolphins needed just one victory over Baruch to repeat as champions in the double-elimination format.

It took CSI 10 innings to finally get on the scoreboard against Baruch starter Nicole Flint in the first meeting, but the Dolphins jumped on the right-hander for a solo run in the first frame, then took a 3-0 lead in the second when Amanda D’Amato ripped a two-run double to left.

However, Baruch won the regular-season title and led the league in hitting, and after being blanked for nine innings in the first encounter by CSI pitcher Danielle Ponsiglione, finally got to the right-hander in the bottom of the second.

The Bearcats rapped out five hits in the inning, including home runs by Flint and Melissa Pena, scored five times, and took a 5-3 advantage.

"I think everyone kind of expected the hitting to pick up the second time around," said Baruch designated hitter and pitcher Andrea Tepfer, who got the win vs. John Jay. "You get to see the same pitcher all day for five, six, seven at-bats, and something is bound to happen. The pitchers get a little tired, and as a hitter, you’ve seen everything they throw."

The Dolphins touched Flint for three more runs in the fifth on RBI from Kristi Dillon, Jillain Graniero and Ponsiglione to knot the score at six apiece, but the Bearcats rallied for two in the sixth to force a deciding game.

Tepfer got the ball for the Bearcats, and the former Susan Wagner HS star was up to the task.

The right-hander scattered six hits in her five-inning stint and her teammates rapped out 10 hits to put away the title.

"It feels good to win this championship, especially here on the Island," Tepfer explained.

"They earned it," said CSI coach Stella Porto. "They’ve done a terrific job building up the program. I know we’ll be right back in it next year because we are still very young (lose just two players to graduation) and the girls want to get back on top."

Japan's 'knuckle princess' off to play US men

TOKYO — Pint-sized Japanese pitcher Eri Yoshida said Friday she had sharpened her tricky knuckleball as she left for the United States to become the first woman to play professional baseball against the men in 10 years.

"I want to attack harder than ever with my knuckleball," the 18-year-old pitcher told Japanese media before leaving Tokyo to join her new club, the Chico Outlaws of the US Independent Golden Baseball League.

"I want to stick it out until the end of the season," she said at Narita airport. "I have improved the success rate and control of my knuckleball. I cannot wait to see what kind of world unfolds before me."

Her speciality, the knuckleball, is a pitch thrown with little speed or spin and moves erratically and unpredictably towards the home plate.

The right-handed sidearm pitcher Yoshida, 155 centimetres (five feet one inch), had her hair cropped before joining the team's training camp on Saturday to gear up for the season's start on May 19.

"It feels as if I won't need another haircut for half a year until the end of the season," she said. "I will take one day at a time to fight on."

Yoshida said last month that she would look forward to challenging Major League Baseball "if I can."

She sealed a contract with the California-based club last month after attracting attention in a US tryout winter league in Arizona earlier this year.

She will be the first woman to play for a pro team in the United States since Ila Borders retired in 2000 from her career in independent leagues, and the first ever Japanese woman.

Yoshida, nicknamed the "Knuckle Princess", became the first woman to play professional baseball with men in Japan last year.

She made her professional debut in March last year, playing with the Kobe Cruise in an independent league in western Japan. She went 0-2 in 11 games before leaving the Kobe club at the end of the season.

Her idol is Tim Wakefield, 43, a right-handed knuckleball master who has pitched for the Major League Boston Red Sox since 1995. While playing in the winter tryout league, she managed to meet Wakefield at the Boston Red Sox's spring training camp.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved

PANAMA HOSTS & WINS C.A. GAMES SOFTBALL

Panama was not only the host site of the softball competition at the 9th Central American Games but their men’s and women’s teams came away as the gold medalists at the tournament that ended yesterday.

A quadrennial event, the Central American Games are yet another multi-sport event that softball is on the programme of. In this case, both men’s and women’s fast pitch are part of the Games. The 2010 edition took place at the Sport City of Kiwanis in the Clayton Area of Panama City.

The last time these Games were held (2006) Panama was also the winner in men’s softball. They did it this year by getting seven runs over the final two innings to defeat El Salvador, 7-2. The teams were scoreless after five innings before Panama put up four runs in the top of the sixth. The eventual silver medalists countered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of that inning but the host team would score three more times in the top of the seventh and hold El Salvador off the board in their final at-bat to seal the victory.

Honduras finished third by virtue of a 6-4 victory Nicaragua, marking an improvement from 2006 when Honduras came in fifth place. (This year’s fifth place finisher was Belize, while Costa Rica came in sixth.)

In women’s play, Panama was the one showing an improvement over the Games from four years ago, rising two spots themselves from a bronze medal finish in ’06 to gold this time around. They had to hold off a hard charging El Salvador team to do so though. The host team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning and then increased their lead by two more runs three innings later. But El Salvador chipped away, with two runs in each of the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, only to fall short, 5-4, and take the silver medals.

The winners had advanced to the gold medal game by virtue of a 7-4 triumph over Nicaragua, while El Salvador downed Belize, 7-3, to set up the showdown with Panama.

See the scores from all of the softball games on the official event website.

UW softball's Danielle Lawrie no-hits Stanford

Danielle Lawrie fired her fourth no-hitter of the season and Shawna Wright drove in a career-high five runs to lead the top-ranked Washington softball team to an 8-0 win over Stanford.

Danielle Lawrie fired her fourth no-hitter of the season and Shawna Wright drove in a career-high five runs to lead the top-ranked Washington softball team to an 8-0 win over Stanford on Friday.

The game, played before 1,667 at Husky Softball Stadium, was called after five innings because of the mercy rule.

The Huskies (41-5, 13-3 Pac-10) need three wins in their final five games to clinch at least a share of the conference title.

Lawrie (31-2) struck out 11 and walked one in her eighth career no-hitter — sixth most in Pac-10 history. The senior is 34 strikeouts shy of the Pac-10 career record.

Wright, a freshman, ripped a three-run double in the first inning and a two-run home run in the third to give her 11 home runs and a team-leading 48 runs batted in. She has a conference-leading 22 RBI.

Lawrie also went 2 for 3 with two RBI and a run.

The Huskies and 15th-ranked Stanford play again Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at noon.

Nine Pac-10 Softball Players Named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine District 8 Softball Academic All-American Team

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.- Nine Pac-10 softball student-athletes were named to the 2010 Academic District 8 Softball Team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced recently. Five were selected to the first team and four and four were named to the second team, with ARIZONA STATE leading the way with three selections, STANFORD following with two, and ARIZONA, OREGON, OREGON STATE and UCLA with one honoree each.

In order to be nominated for Academic All-District, a player must be a starter or significant reserve, have a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and must have completed at least one full academic year at her institution. Voting is done by members of CoSIDA. The members of the first team are placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Arizona State sophomore pitcher Hillary Bach was named to the first team with a 3.82 GPA in marketing. The Tulsa, Okla. native leads the Sun Devils with a 2.00 ERA and a 21-4 record. Teammate Katelyn Boyd, a sophomore infielder from Phoenix, Ariz., boasts a 3.79 GPA in family and human development. Boyd leads the squad at the plate, with a .443 batting average and has knocked in 47 RBI. Junior Lesley Rodgers was named to the second team with a 3.76 GPA as a sociology major. Rodgers has compiled a .358 batting average with 53 hits and 18 RBI.

Stanford senior infielder Shannon Koplitz was named a first team honoree, boasting a 3.49 GPA in human biology. Koplitz has also been stellar for the Cardinal on the field, averaging .369 at the plate, with 32 RBI. She is joined on the first team by Newark, Calif., native Alissa Haber, who has a 3.31 GPA in English. The senior outfielder ranks second in the Conference with a .448 batting average and 64 hits.

Arizona senior short stop K'Lee Arredondo represented the Wildcats on the first team. The psychology major has a 3.55 GPA and is batting .369. She is also tied for third in the Conference with 51 runs scored.

With a 3.65 GPA, Oregon catcher Kaitlin Vitek was named to the second team. The junior human psychology major is currently hitting a career high .310 slugging percentage with 14 hits and 5 RBI.

With a 3.70 GPA, Oregon State pitcher Kelly Dyer, has graduated with a degree in human development & family science/sociology and is currently working on her graduate degree. The Eugene, Ore., native is tied for fourth on the Beavers' all-time list for career saves with eight and is fifth all-time for career strikeouts with 375.

The Bruins are represented on the second team by sophomore Samantha Camuso. The physiological science major holds a 3.45 GPA and is batting .333. She is fourth on the team with eight home runs and 19 walks, and fifth with 32 runs batted in.

-www.pac-10.org-

Hawaii : WAC Regular season champions

MANOA (HawaiiNewsNow) - The No. 20/23 Hawai`i softball team (41-11, 19-1 WAC) won the Western Athletic Conference series over Fresno State with a doubleheader split Saturday night at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in front of a capacity crowd. Fresno State (34-16, 13-5 WAC) snapped UH's 18 game win streak in the first game of the day with a 9-7 win. But the 'Bows bounced back in the nightcap to win, 5-4, on a walk-off solo home run hit by Jessica Iwata in the bottom of the seventh.

Wolf Pack non qualifer for WAC tournament

RENO, Nev. – The Nevada softball team scored a dramatic comeback to win 9-8 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday against Boise State but the Wolf Pack fell 8-1 in game two at Hixson Park.

Nevada’s record moved to 17-27 overall and 4-15 in WAC play. Boise State moved to 25-30 overall and 12-8 in WAC play. With the loss in game two, Nevada was eliminated from contention for the WAC Tournament next week in Las Cruces, N.M.

Nevada’s season will conclude on Saturday at Hixson Park with Senior Day. The Wolf Pack will honor its five seniors – Jessica Haight, Amanda Nims, Kelsey Starr, Sam Bias and Katie Holverson – as they play the final game of their collegiate careers. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

In game one, Nevada made a dramatic comeback to win it in the ninth inning. The Wolf Pack trailed 8-3 in the seventh inning but scored five times to tie it and send the game into extra innings.

The Pack got on the board first, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. A single by Danielle Patrick and a walk by Kelsey Starr put runners on and both scored on a throwing error on a ground ball hit by Lauren Lastrapes.

After Boise State got one back in the top of the second inning, the Pack took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second as Sam Bias doubled and later scored on a wild pitch.

Boise State would battle back, though, and take a lead with a big fifth inning. The Broncos scored five times with the big blow coming on a grand slam by Christina Capobianco. Boise State then took an 8-3 lead with two more runs in the sixth inning.

But the Pack came out strong in the seventh. Kortnee Wiley doubled and that was followed by an RBI double from Sam Bias. After Danielle Patrick groundout, Britton Murdock walked and Kelsey Starr singled to load the bases. Lauren Lastrapes came through with a two-run double to cut the lead to 8-6. Sam Puzey then tied the game with a two-run double to center that scored Starr and pinch-runner Chelsea Barilli.
The teams both missed scoring opportunities in the eighth and Nevada held Boise State in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the inning, however, Sam Puzey led off with a single. With one out, Amanda Nims doubled down the line in left to put runners on second and third. After Kortnee Wiley walked to load the bases. Puzey then raced home on a wild pitch to win it for the Pack.

Katie Holverson tossed three innings of scoreless relief to get the win for the Pack.

Things did not get off to a good start for Nevada in game two, however. Boise State scored once in the first, three times in the second and twice in the third to open up a 6-0 lead.

The Wolf Pack did not have a base runner until the fifth inning when Kelsey Starr singled to lead off the inning. She advanced to second on a throwing error on the play. A Lauren Lastrapes groundout moved Starr to third with just one out. But Sam Puzey struck out and Megan Fincher grounded out to end the threat.

Nevada got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. With Danielle Patrick (single) on first and Sam Bias (fielder’s choice) on second, Britton Murdock singled back up the middle to score Bias. But Kelsey Starr grounded out to third to end the inning and Nevada trailed 7-1. The Wolf Pack went down in order in the seventh to seal the win for Boise State.

Dogs' down techsters

Morgan Melloh took the mound for Fresno State and was solid. The Junior Left handed pitcher held the techsters to one run to help Fresno to a 2-1 win over Louisiana Tech. The win gives the Bulldogs there No. 2 Seed in the WAC tournament. The Dogs' need to win the WAC tournament to get an automatic bid to post season, the Dogs have yet to fail to get to post season.

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Dogs Lose Two Players :

Head Coach Margie Wright has announced in an early Press Conference that Senior Lisamarie Coronado and Freshman Haley Williams have left the team. Coronado suffered a Knee injury in play against Hawaii, the extent of the injury was to believed to be serious after extraw evalutaions were done. Coronado wil no longer be part of the post season. Haley Williams left the team with undisclosed reason, but was a mutual agreement between Williams and Head Coach Margie Wright.