The U-12 West County softball all-stars turned in a great
showing at their own tournament on June 10 and 11, taking second
place among several of the best teams in the North Bay. Other
participating teams included Mark West, Windsor, Rohnert Park and
Sonoma.
The all-star squad, coached by Marty Benck and assistant Connie
Benavidez, posted two wins in four outings in a solid weekend of
softball played at Analy High School.
West County opened the tournament on Saturday with a win against
Mark West. The team squared off with a powerful Rohnert Park squad
in game two, falling by one run in the last inning (no scores were
available).
In Sunday¹s action, the locals bounced back to notch a
convincing win over Sonoma Valley in the morning game, setting up a
rematch with Rohnert Park for the tournament championship. Another
exciting and well-played game resulted in a 6-4 win for Rohnert
Park.
³Most of these girls were on the all-star team I coached last
year,² said West County skipper Marty Benck. ³This was a very good
core group that should go on to make a difference for future Analy
and El Molino softball teams,² he predicted.
The U-12 squad was an excellent blend of pitching, defense and
strong hitting. Sharing the pitching duties were hurlers Nina
Henelsmith, Taneya Will, Allison Lopez and Kelly Benck.
Top hitters for the tournament included Kaitlyn Jay, Erin
Martinez, Benck, Hemelsmith and Lopez. Payton Fedrick also chipped
in with an outstanding defensive tournament for the West
County.
Rounding out the West County team were: Ashley Boyle, Jesse
Paddock, Kim Charlson, Emma Field, Kerri Rampone and team manager
Lori Jay.
