By Donna Cruz

The Siskiyou Heat ASA U16 girls fast pitch softball team returned home from the NAFA Summer Nationals in Milwaukee, OR with the 2008 Sportsmanship Award.

The Heat placed fifth, after being eliminated from the tournament by Lebanon, OR. The team conducted fund raising activities to help offset the traveling expenses for the Summer Nationals

Coach Joe Spini was extremely pleased with the team’s performance, noting a close 2-1 loss against the Washington state champions as one of many positive achievements for the girls.

The Heat placed third at the Cooper the Dog tournament in Eugene, OR the weekend prior to Nationals.
Although the summer season is over for the Heat U16 team, they plan to go to a couple of tournaments in the fall.

The U18s Summer National Tournament was canceled due to lack of teams.

YREKA – The Eagle Point Eagles cooled off the Siskiyou Heat U-12 ASA softball team on Thursday, taking down the home team 10-1.

The Eagles led 2-0 after one inning, 3-0 after two innings, and 5-0 at the end of four. Eagle Point sealed the deal in the top of the fifth inning by scoring five runs, giving them a 10-0 lead.

The Heat went into the bottom half of the fifth looking to at least avoid a shutout. Courtney Huston led off with a walk. Huston advanced to second and then to third base on passed balls. Chantell Frazier walked, and moved to second base on a steal. With one out, Jena Turner singled to drive in Huston, making the score 10-1. The game ended via the 8-run mercy rule after five innings.

Turner went 2-3, with an RBI. Lacie Landrum was 1-2, with a walk and two steals.

The Heat will be in action again on Friday at 6:00 pm against Ashland to kick off their four-team round robin tournament, which continues on Saturday, starting at 10:00 am at the Shasta View fields.

YREKA – The Siskiyou Heat U-12 ASA softball team toasted the Upper Rogue Rebels in double-header action on Saturday. The Heat won game-one, 10-5, and game-two 12-4.

The Heat exploded for eight runs in the second inning of game-one to take a commanding lead. With one out, Alicia Mandt took a walk. Mandt then stole second and third base, and scored on a wild pitch, giving the Heat a 1-0 lead. Michaella Ensele also walked, stole second, and scored on a single by Courtney Huston. Huston also scored in the inning, as well as Chantell Frazier, Jena Turner, Lacie Landrum, Emilie Wagy, and Katie Brummett.

The Rebels responded with a run in the top of the third inning, and four runs in the fourth inning, to make it 8-5. However, scores by Frazier and Landrum in the bottom of the fourth inning increased the Heat’s advantage to 10-5, which wound up also being the final score.

Landrum led the Heat offensively, scoring two runs, swiping three bases, taking a couple of walks, and going 1-1. Turner went 1-2, with a run scored, a walk, and four steals. Huston picked up an RBI, scored a run, and went 1-2. Brummett was 1-2, with a run, a walk, and a steal. Riva Martin notched a complete game win (5R, H, 3BB, 6K). Martin also went 1-1 at the plate, took a walk, and was hit by a pitch. (more…)

YREKA – The Siskiyou Heat U-16 softball team hosted Eagle Point on Tuesday, losing 3-0, despite a good pitching performance by Kayla Spini.

Spini allowed one earned run, four hits, walked seven, and struck out nine, in seven innings of work. She recorded the first six outs of the game—five via the strikeout, and one by snagging a popped up bunt.

Eagle Point led off the game with a single, and the runner advanced to second on a passed ball. Spini struck out the next two batters, but the cleanup hitter smashed a wind-aided double to put Eagle Point up 1-0. The Heat went down in order in their half of the first inning.

Eagle Point took advantage of two walks and a pair of errors to score two more runs in the top of the fifth inning, making it 3-0.

It appeared that the Heat were going to get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tori Weatherford wound up on second base to lead off the inning, when the Eagle Point shortstop committed a fielding and a throwing error. Weatherford advanced to third base on a ground out, but that was a far as she would go, as the next two batters struck out and grounded out.

Spini had the only hit for the Heat, and went 1-2. Defensively, Beth Franklin was solid at third base, and catcher Tianna Cruz threw out a runner attempting to steal second base in the top of the seventh inning.