By Tamas Mondovics
Riverview/Gibsonton EastBay 10U Lady Warriors travel softball team coaches, players and parents have every reason to celebrate thanks to the girls winning a series of seven tournaments stretching from August to December.
The girls began their winning streak in August with the season’s first tournament win against the Clearwater Lady Patriots in the NSA “Back to School Bash.” The win was followed with three USSSA first place finishes in Ft. Myers, Bradenton and New Tampa.
In October, the team won the “Misfits October Pink Classic at the Park” tournament in Zephyrhills where they went 5-0 over the weekend outscoring their opponents 63-2 to capture their first ISA (Independent Sports Association) title of the year defeating the Pasco Sun Devils in the championship game. The victory marked the team’s fifth Fast-Pitch Travel Ball Tournament championship in a row in 2015 and improved their record to 58-9 for the season.
The sixth championship title for the program came over the Halloween weekend when the girls beat Team Tampa 13-6 in the championship game in Clearwater to take the NSA (National Softball Association) Bomberween tournament crown.
The win brought the team’s season record to 63-9 for the calendar year, but the girls weren’t finished just yet. Working to put the icing on the softball season’s cake, the girls went undefeated (6-0) to win the NSA Toys for Tots travel Softball Championship played at the FishHawk Sports Complex in early December.
On Saturday the girls went 3-0 by defeating Bloomingdale, Team Tampa and host team FishHawk Lady Bandits.
Ready for Sunday’s single elimination games, the Warriors maintained momentum by beating Team Tampa and The Flex from Cape Coral. For the championship, the warriors defeated the Storm ’05 of Lakewood Ranch 10-8.
Over the six games, the Lady Warriors scored 63 runs on 58 hits while only allowing 17 runs.
Lady Warriors Coach Matt Hallock emphasized his team ended 2015 on a high note by capturing their seventh travel softball tournament championship in a row and closing out the year with a 69-9 record.
“The girls deserve it,” Hallock said. “They worked hard and it paid off.”
The girls will conclude their 10 and under season playing in the USSSA World Series at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, July 16-23.
