2005 held at Salinas Sports Complex in Salinas, California on August 8-14, 2005.
Champion – Shamrocks, Vienna, Virginia
Runner Up – Arizona Hotshots Gold, Scottsdale, Arizona
Wearing white four-leaf clovers on their jerseys, the Virginia Shamrocks found some luck and timely hitting against the Arizona Hotshots on Sunday at the Salinas Sports Complex.
Maddy Coon hit an RBI double and later scored on a passed ball in the third inning to help the Shamrocks beat the Hotshots 3-1 in the title game of the Amateur Softball Association’s 18-under Gold National Championship.
The Shamrocks scored all three runs against starting pitcher Kim Reeder, the former Notre Dame product who last pitched two days ago. After Coon scored on a passed ball with two outs, Reeder was pulled for Katie Cotta, who ended the inning.
“My game was about ‘C range,” Reeder said. Before he was doused with water, Shamrocks coach Tommy Orndorff said he was elated his team finally pulled through with the title.
Earlier in the week, he celebrated his birthday. While his team didn’t promise him a championship, Orndorff said a viable gift would be to play in the title game.
“I’ve coached 36 years, and this is what you dream about,” Orndorff said. “I’ve always felt we could do it.
Seeing the University of Michigan win the College Softball World Series earlier this year brought hopes that more teams east of the Mississippi River could win softball titles in the college and high school levels, Orndorff said.
The Shamrocks won seven straight games to take the 64-team double-elimination tournament. The Hotshots made bids late in the game to force a second “if’ game, but many of the rallies started with two outs and were ended.
Arizona broke through in the top of the sixth with two outs. Jaci Hull hit a double and Caylyn Carlson promptly singled her home to cut its deficit to 3-1. Dani Gonzales reached on an infield hit, but Casey Willow then hit a grounder to first base.
“We’re a team that wakes up when we get behind,” said Ari-zona manager Rick Jones. “We just ran out of gas.”
It’s the highest finish for any Arizona travel softball team in the state ever, Jones said.
The two teams met several times earlier this year at regional tournaments throughout the nation, with the series pulled even. Two weeks ago, the Shamrocks did in the Hotshots in a low-scoring affair.
“With our pitchers, one is enough,” Coon said, referring to the passed ball in the first inning that allowed Courtney Bures to score and give the Shamrocks a 1-0 lead. In the first game of Sunday’s action, the Shamrocks beat Arizona 1-0 to reach the finals.
Arizona was then sent to the losers bracket and, with the help of a two-run home run by Stefanie Ewing, defeated the Orange County Batbusters 3-1 to qualify for the title game.
With the national championship done and the outcome not what she had hoped, Reeder has other teams on her mind.
“I’m thinking about UCLA and Stanford,” said the Ohio State University incoming freshman. “We play them in a tournament coming up, so I have to get ready for them.”
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Shamrocks, Vienna, VA (7-0)
2. Arizona Hotshots Gold, Scottsdale, AZ (6-2)
3. O.C. Batbusters, Santa Ana, CA (6-2)
4. Impact Gold, Houston, TX (7-2)
5t. Corona Angels, Corona, CA (4-2)
5t. Anaheim O.C. Batbusters, Garden Grove, CA (7-2)
7t. Texas Eclipse Gold, Magnolia, TX (4-2)
7t. Gold Coast Hurricanes Gold, Davie, FL (5-2)
9t. Worth Firecrackers, Huntington Beach, CA (3-2)
9t. So Cal Diamonds, Newbury Park, CA (3-2)
9t. Victory USA Gold, Fountain Valley, CA (3-2)
9t. SK Sudden Impact Gold, Houston, TX (5-3)
13t. Strikkers, San Jose, CA (3-2)
13t. Chaos, St. Louis, MO (5-2)
13t. So Cal Athletics, Montclair, CA (5-2)
13t. Washington Ladyhawks, Redmond, WA (4-3)
17t. American Pastime Gold, Upland, CA (2-2)
17t. Beverly Bandits, Orland Park, IL (2-2)
17t. Tulsa Eagles Gold, Tulsa, OK (2-2)
17t. Gordon’s Panthers, Canyon Lake, CA (2-2)
17t. Georgia Titans, Lithonia, GA (2-2)
17t. Texas High Voltage Gold, Deer Park, TX (3-2)
17t. Indiana Magic Gold Clay, Rochester, IN (4-2)
17t. Sorcerer Softball 18 Gold, San Ramon, CA (4-2)
25t. TX Magic Gold, Missouri City, TX (3-2)
25t. Georgia Elite, Douglasville, GA (3-2)
25t. Georgia Fire Gold, Roswell, GA (2-2)
25t. Texas Rapid Fire, Flower Mound, TX (2-2)
25t. San Diego Renegades Gold, San Diego, CA (2-2)
25t. Nashville Nighthawks, Madison, TN (2-2)
25t. Strike Zone Ford, Hayward, CA (2-2)
25t. Texas Storm Gold, Bellaire, TX (2-3)
33t. Valley Breeze, Pacoima, CA (2-2)
33t. Missouri Renegades Gold, Union, MO (1-2)
33t. Mad Dogs, Alliance, OH (1-2)
33t. Blast Gold, Beaumont, TX (1-2)
33t. Louisiana Voodoo Gold, River Ridge, LA (1-2)
33t. Colorado Comets Gold, Denver, CO (1-2)
33t. KC Xtreme, Olathe, KS (1-2)
33t. Suncats, Glendale, AZ (1-2)
33t. Mize Diamonds Gold, Los Gatos, CA (1-2)
33t. Kansas City Peppers, Olathe, KS (1-2)
33t. Tuff-N-Tuffer Gold, Somerville, NJ (1-3)
33t. Vancouver Ford Gold, Vancouver, WA (1-3)
33t. Nor Cal Lite, Woodland, CA (1-3)
33t. Finesse, Sterling Heights, MI (2-2)
33t. High Intensity, Niceville, FL (2-2)
33t. Houston Power Gold, Katy, TX (2-2)
49t. California Cruisers, La Palma, CA (1-2)
49t. Oregon Panthers Gold, Salem, OR (1-2)
49t. Finesse, Omaha, NE (1-2)
49t. Jersey Inferno Gold, Basking Ridge, NJ (1-2)
49t. South Houston Mystixx, Houston, TX (1-2)
49t. Glacier NW Gold, Vancouver, WA (1-2)
49t. Southern Force Gold, Johnston City, IL (1-2)
49t. Washington Sidewinders, Snohomish, WA (0-3)
49t. So Cal Vipers, Moreno Valley, CA (0-3)
49t. Salinas Storm 18U Gold, Salinas, CA (0-3)
49t. Lil Saints, Phoenix, AZ (0-3)
49t. Team Fla, Clearwater, FL (0-3)
49t. R.B.I. Monarchs, Los Angeles, CA (0-3)
49t. Texas Storm Gold-Dixon, Pasadena, TX (0-3)
49t. WA Spirit Gold, Tri-Cities, WA (0-3)
49t. CF Intruders, Houston, TX (0-3)
2005 GOLD Bracket
