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KMC Majors Girl Softball Championships June 19 at the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s Twin Fields wow crowds
What most players dream of came true for centerfielder Lani Cabana June 19 at the KMC Majors Girl Softball Championships at the Twin Fields on Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
***image2***It was championship night. Her team – Vogelweh’s Bandits – had been down the entire game so far against a team that had beat them twice in regular season play – the almost-undefeated Ramstein’s Riptide.
“We’ve just got to beat them,” said Bandits leftfielder Maddie Blagg, of what was going through her team’s mind before the championship game.
Bases were loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and the score was 3-2 for Riptide when Cabana went into the batter’s box. Her triple and latter steal to home broke the Riptide’s strong defense displayed throughout the night, making it now 6-3 for the Bandits.
This “homerun with a stop at third” was the most pivotal point of the championship game said Bandits Coach Paul Gross.
Riptide answered back in the top of the fifth inning, scoring twice including a steal to home from shortstop Victoria Simpson. The Bandits held Riptide to those two runs, ending the close-fought game, 6-5.
***image3***“There was lots of base running and good steals, and there was lots of good infield work,” said Riptide Coach Randall Pletzer, talking about his team’s performance during the championship game.
Best play of the night went to Riptide Catcher Crystal Pletzer who threw out a runner on third base in the bottom of the second inning, said the game’s umpire Brandon Braconier.
It was a good-pitching game by both teams – Bandits Pitcher Kayla Pahls and Riptide Pitcher Sarah Hartman, said the garrison’s Youth Sports Director Anthony Broccoli.
“Just the defense on both teams was extremely high – the girls did a great job on defense,” said Broccoli. “They played hard and with good sportsmanship.”
Landstuhl’s Strikers took third place in the week-long tournament sponsored by the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s Child and Youth Services. The tournament showcased eight teams of 11- and 12-year-old girls from Ramstein, Vogelweh, Landstuhl and Baumholder.
