Lil Rebels take state title

Team defeats Reno squad thanks to a quick offensive start

The Lil Rebels 12-and-Under "A" Division fastpitch girls softball team won the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Nevada State Championship on June 20 in Las Vegas by defeating the Reno Lightning, 15-11, at West Flamingo Park.

The team went a perfect 3-0 in the tournament to earn its first championship.

In the championship game, the Lil Rebels struck first against the Lightning, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the first inning as the girls batted through the order. They would never look back.

The Lightning scored a run in the second inning to make it 4-1, but the Lil Rebels answered as Mikayla Thielges knocked in two runs with a bases-loaded hit in the third inning to make it 6-1.

In the bottom half of the third, Reno rallied for three runs to make it 6-4.

But that was as close as the game would get.

The Lil Rebels exploded for eight runs in the top of the fourth inning as they batted around again, making the score 14-4. Thielges, Jasmine Wilson, Katie Devlin, Dana Mason and Ally Hansen all had an RBI in the frame, but the big blow was a bases-clearing triple by Rae-Ann Bohm.

Reno's players responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and held the Lil Rebels scoreless in their half of the fifth, and then put up another four runs in the bottom of the fifth to draw within three, 14-11.

The Lil Rebels scored once in the top of the seventh to make it 15-11 and then held the Lightning scoreless in the bottom of the inning to win the game and the state championship.

"I'm so happy for these girls. They are really a great bunch of kids," said manager Mary Thielges. "It's the first time that this team, a product of two different teams, has won a championship. Now we're headed to nationals."

Other members of the state champion team are Juelaine Noa, Molly McBride, Desiree Laswell, Stephanie Likos, Katie Lee, Darcey Cochran and Ashley Vince.

Genevieve Orris, who was an All-American pitcher at UNLV, is the team's head coach, while Chris Wilson and Jon Bohm act as assistants.

The championship for the 12-and-under team creates a virtual softball dynasty for the Lil Rebels club as the 14-and-under and 16-and-under squads are also current state champions.


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