By Mike Blake
The Taft City Diamonds 16U traveling softball team played a tough tournament last weekend — September 20-21, the Bakersfield: NSA (National Softball Association) Bakersfield Pretty in Pink Tournament at the Mesa Marin Sports Complex — and earned their way into the finals of their bracket, before falling to the Bakersfield Braves and gaining the runner-up trophy.
The Diamonds finished the weekend 2-3, with one win on Saturday and another victory on Sunday. Taft City opened on September 20 with a loss to the Shafter Brawlers 14U team, 4-1; then they defeated the Bakersfield Braves SL team, 10-2 and lost to the SoCal Spirit, 6-1. On Sunday, September 21, the Diamonds beat Bakersfield Velocity, 9-2 and were defeated by the Braves, 6-3.
Recap of the action
Taft City Diamonds coach Jesse Rodriguez said the tournament was fun and hard-fought. “All five of our games were very competitive.” he said. “This was one of the most local tourneys we could get into, meaning that the majority of the teams were from right here in Kern County. These are all teams our girls will be facing this summer in high school. And we played well. We are right there with the best of them. We went 1-2 the first day. We lost by one swing of the bat giving up a home run against the Shafter Brawlers to lose 4-1. We beat the Bakersfield Braves by just out-hitting them. It was good offensive game for us. I think that in the third game, the humidity got to us. I know I was burned out by the third game and the humidity isn’t something we are used to. But it wasn’t a bad game. I just feel like we are a lot better than that and we just got beat fair and square. We couldn’t get the bats going.”
Sunday was “Bracket Day”. Coach Rodriguez said, “We ended up with the No.1 seed in the Silver Bracket. The goal is to make the Gold Bracket. Looking at the teams that were in the Gold Bracket, we could easily play with those teams. But at that point, there was nothing we could do about it. So we went into Sunday expecting to play hard and expecting to win. We played a good game against the Velocity, which is another team out of Bakersfield. We were tied for the majority of the game until that last inning. We went through the line up a couple of times, so that third time around, we finally timed the pitching up and put the ball in the gaps. It was definitely a good feeling, the way were hitting, to go into that Championship game.”
The Silver Bracket championship was a rematch between the Diamonds and the Bakersfield Braves. Coach Rodriguez said, “The Braves are team we have played several times before, but this outcome wasn’t the same that we’ve had in the past. Julianna Edgar pitched for us that game and did so well. We just weren’t able to capitalize on our hitting. Their pitching held us down throughout most of the game. It was just a good hard-fought game. Our girls never quit fighting and we went inning for inning. We had multiple opportunities but we left the girls on base. But we also did that on the defensive end where we held them to only a run or two. The Braves pulled out the win 6-3, and we ended up with the runner-up spot in the Silver Bracket.”
Though they didn’t come out on top, Coach Rodriguez thought it was a good learning experience for the team. “We continue growing as a team, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch these girls compete. The NSA officials had each team elect an ‘MVP’. Each team would select an MVP from the opposing team. We gave it to the Braves’ relief pitcher Sami Wyly. She pitched a great game and we just didn’t get to her this time around. The Bakersfield Braves elected Alexia Rodriguez from the Diamonds; I think she controls the game very well from behind the plate.”
“Now we prepare for our next competition,” said Rodriguez. “ We play October 4-5 in Santa Maria at ‘Oktoberfest by the Sea’. It’ll be a big tourney. It looks like close to 20 teams are entered.”
Shafter Brawlers 4, Diamonds 1
Taft City managed only one hit in the game, a single by Kylene Nixon, and worked three walks and a hit batter, but fell to the Brawlers after a 3-run third inning broke open a 1-1 tie to win 4-1.
The Diamonds took 1-0 lead in the first. With one out, Alexia Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, Nixon singled to left, and with two outs, Rodriguez, who had stolen third, stole home for Taft City’s only run.
Diamonds 10, Bakersfield Braves 2
Taft City earned their first win of the tournament scoring in bunches – two in the first, two in the second and four in the third, to take a 10-0 lead and went on to win 10-2. The Diamonds managed six hits, with Heaven Laux and Kylene Nixon getting two apiece, and 10 Diamonds reached base in walks. Nixon drove in three runs and Laux two, to lead the attack. Taft stole six bases, led by Nixon’s three, and Juliana Edgar started and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits.
The Diamonds struck for two in the first, on a lead-off single to right by Laux, an error on a sac-bunt by Alexia Rodriguez and a two-run double to center by Nixon.
Three walks, two singles, three stolen bases and three passed balls produced four Taft City runs in the second.
Taft scored four more in the third on five walks and two hits, including another double by Nixon.
SoCal Spirit 6, Diamonds 1
First-day action closed out with a loss to SoCal Spirit. Taft City was outhit nine to six, but the game was tight at 1-0 SoCal until a five-run Spirit outburst in the third broke it open to win 6-1.
The Diamonds got their only run in the bottom of third on consecutive one-out singles by Sohpia Prieto, Heaven Laux and Alexia Rodriguez loaded the bases. Prieto scored on a sac-fly to left by Kylene Nixon.
Alexia Rodriguez had two hits to lead Taft City.
Diamonds 9, Bakersfield Velocity 2
On Sunday, Taft City scored eight runs in the fourth inning and advanced to the Silver Bracket finals with a 9-2 win over Bakersfield Velocity.
Down 2-0 in the second, Taft City hit the scoreboard on a lead-off single by Juliana Edgar, a hit batter (Olivia Cortez) and a steal of home by Edgar.
Taft went to work in the fourth. Down 2-1, Kenadie hale led off with a line drive double to left. Edgar sac-bunted her to third and Cortez singled past second to tie the score at 2-2. An error and a dropped third strike scored Cortz to give the Diamonds their first lead, at 3-2. A single by Chloe Melton, an error and a double by Brooklynn Baker cleared the bases and put TC up 6-3. Heaven Laux followed with a double to make it 7-3. With two out, a one-run single by Kylene Nixon plated Laux and a double to center by Hale scored Nixon to make it 9-3, Taft City.
Taft City outhit Velocity 11-9 as eight TC players got hits. Rodriguez, Nixon and Hale each had two hits each for the Diamonds, and Baker led the production with three RBI. Juliana Edgar pitched four scoreless innings for Taft City.
Bakersfield Braves 6, Diamonds 3
The Silver Bracket Championship game on September 21 saw the Bakersfield Braves take a 1-0 lead in the first, Taft City tied it in their turn, but the Braves put up a three-spot in the third and while Taft City closed the led to 4-2, they never got closer and the Braves took the crown with a 6-3 win.
Taft City scored in the first on a lead-off single by Heaven Laux, a sac-bunt by Alexia Rodrigurz and a productive ground out by Kylene Nixon to tie the game at 1-1.
Down 4-2 in the third, Taft scored a run on a one-out single by Nixon, a walk to Kenadie Hale and a single by Juliana Edgar.
Behind 6-2 in th4 fifth the Diamonds made their last rally, scoring a run with two outs on walks to Hale and Edgar and an RBI single by Olivia Cortez. But that was all the Diamonds could muster.
Taft was outhit 10-6 and only Laux had mor than one safety – she had two singles. The Diamonds worked six walks and had five stolen bases.
Team record:
After the two win-three loss weekend, the Diamonds’ season record is 18-15-1, with a runs-scored advantage of 242-172.
Competitions have moved into a spread-out mode, Coach Rodriguez said, “We’ve moved into the “student-athlete” aspect of the game. Where we have girls missing for volleyball, school events or even family gatherings. We are down to a very solid 11 girls.”
Taft City Diamonds team and coaches
Taft City Diamonds team members include Brooklynn Baker, Allisyn Burton, Olivia Cortez, Ellie Derichie, Juliana Edgar, Kenadie Hale, Macey Heimiller, Heaven Laux, Chloe Melton, Kylene Nixon, Ashton Pate, Sophia Prieto, Brezlyn Rodgers, Alexia Rodriguez and Kaydence Veach.
Team coaches include Jesse Rodriguez, Miguel Rodriguez, Cody Smith, and Daniel Cortez Jr.
Diamonds’ upcoming schedule:
October 4-5 — Santa Maria – NSA – “Oktoberfest by the Sea” — Hagerman Softball Complex
October 12 — Local Double Header in Taft in Celebration of Oildorado
October 25-26 — Big Bang Halloween Tourney in Hanford