The SoftballNation nationals did not start well for the Scrappers-Austin 18-U team in Virginia Beach last Thursday, but the tournament ended well for the Roanoke-based squad as they won four straight games on Sunday in 105 degree heat to capture the championship. The elements played a key role in the quality of play as players fought the heat during a grueling day that began with an 8:30 AM start and ended at around 5:00 PM.

     The Scrappers-Austin team drove to Virginia Beach early on Thursday AM and got out of the cars and played two pool games. They lost 3-2 to a very good Stafford Storm squad, then blew a 4-2 lead versus the Newport News Lady Pilots in the bottom of the last inning. With two outs and none on, the Pilots benefited from two costly errors to rally for a 5-4 win on a walkoff hit. Scrapper spirits were not very high after a lackluster beginning.

     On Friday, the Scrappers-Austin blasted the NOVA Blaze 10-2, and Delco Tsunami 10-0, to end pool play 2-2. With the last game ending before lunch, the heat was not much of a factor in the games. The schedule also gave members of the team time to enjoy various beach area activities.  

     On Saturday morning, the Scrappers faced the Blaze in the first round of double elimination play and hit three home runs in routing them 19-6. This pitted the Scrappers vs. the Pilots once again, and the Pilots had been a difficult team for the Scrappers to beat all summer. The contest was again a thriller with the Pilots winning 7-6 in an eight inning ITB game. This was a very difficult loss and a deflated Scrapper squad had to play an elimination game vs. the Bi State Misfits immediately following the game. In a typical "going through the motions" game the Scrappers survived a late Misfits rally by scoring a last inning run to pull out a 7-6 win.

     In order to accomplish their goal of winning the tournament, the Scrappers had to win four consecutive games on Sunday. This would be a tall order in any setting, but on a day that the temperature resided at well over 100 degrees, the task would be daunting. The day began with the Scrappers playing their best game of the weekend with a 5-1 win over the Storm. The Pilots were beaten by the Virginia Beach area Lady Aces squad so the Scrappers had to go face the Pilots, a team that had beaten them three times in a row in very intense games. The Pilots jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one inning, but in high level slugfest, the Scrappers won a double inning ITB classic 12-9. This meant that the Scrappers would have to beat the Lady Aces twice to claim the title.

     In the first championship game, the Scrappers scored a run in the top of the seventh to win an exciting game over the Lady Aces, 9-8. The scores were elevated because the heat drained energy from pitchers and fielders and no defensive play was routine. The win set up one game to take it all. Things did not start well as the Scrappers got hammered in the first inning and trailed 7-0. The Scrappers played to their name as the refused to give up. Trailing 10-6 in the bottom of the fifth, the Scrappers had to strike out intentionally in order to have the game go one additional inning(as time was about to expire). The Lady Aces added two unearned runs in the top of the sixth to lead 12-6 heading into the bottom of the final inning. In fairy tale fashion, the Scrappers rallied for six runs in their final at bat to force another ITB inning. The Scrappers held the Lady Aces without a run, and in the bottom of the seventh they sacrificed their ITB runner to third and plated the winning run on a squeeze bunt. The 13-12 victory was not pretty, but definitely showed the character and guts of the team.

     Hollee Warlitner, Kaitlyn Culler, Tamara Smith, and Rebecca Williams were recognized as all tournament players from the Scrappers. Warlitner hit nine home runs during the eleven game weekend. The Scrappers-Austin team ran their season record to 40-10-2 with this weekend's games.  

Scrappers 14U headed to USA/ASA National Championship

The Scrappers 14U team will be leaving for Moline, Il to participate in the most prestigious girls fast pitch softball tournament in the nation. The 14U USA/ASA National Championship will be held from Aug 1 - Aug 8. The tournament will consist of 156 qualified teams from 35 different states. California will be represented by 33 teams, Texas 13, and Georgia 13. Virginia will be represented by the Scrappers and two other teams. This is the second year in a row that the 14U team has qualified for this tournament.