One game into their postseason, the team members of the Las Vegas Rage 12-and-under girls softball squad suddenly found themselves one game away from having their season end, a season the fastpitch club had visualized as being one to remember.
The Rage had just lost to the Carson Valley Hurricanes, 11-4, in the opener at the 2005 Nevada State American Softball Association's Tournament in Sparks in June, sending the team into the loser's bracket and just one game away from going home for the summer.
There would be no regionals, no national tournament.
It was at that point -- between the loss to the Hurricanes and before the next game that same day with the Las Vegas Stingers -- when head coach Mel English decided to put the proverbial ball in the girls' court.
"We sat down and discussed it," English said. "I asked them what they wanted."
After some soul searching and mulling the rest of the summer without softball, the girls responded with the answer English was hoping to hear: "It's not happening again, Coach."
And it didn't.
The Rage bounced back to shut out the Stingers, 9-0, as Breanna English struck out 13 in the victory. Later that day, again behind English's pitching and some strong hitting, the Rage beat the Reno Heat, 6-5, to keep the hope of winning state alive.
The following day, in the team's fourth game at state, the Rage pounded out 14 hits to defeat the Rail City Smoke as Ryann Schlieker went the distance on the mound, allowing just one unearned run.
Needing a win in the next game to have a chance to play for the state title, the Rage responded by eliminating the team that had sent them into the loser's bracket earlier, the Hurricanes, 10-1. English was superb on the mound again while Danielle Brock led the offense, smashing the team's first home run in the tournament.
The victory sent the Rage into the championship against the Nevada Lightning -- a team the Rage would have to beat twice to win the state title and qualify for the ASA national tournament.
Facing the best pitching they had seen in the tournament, the Rage responded by winning 5-0 as English shut down the Lightning to force a decisive rematch between the two for all the Silver State's marbles.
In that decisive game, the Lightning bounced back to defeat a somewhat physically drained Rage team, 8-0 to win the state title and with it, a berth at nationals.
But all was not lost for the Rage.
"This was the girls' goal to make nationals by winning state," Coach English said. "In ASA you can get to nationals by going to a qualifier, but we didn't enter any national qualifier because we didn't have the money."
After finishing second at state, the Rage traveled to the regional tournament July 8-10 in Plesanton, Calif., where the team went 2-2. The squad won its opener against the San Jose Sharks, 4-3, lost a nine-inning nail-biter to the NorCal Breeze, 8-7, defeated Foxx Fastpitch from Northern California, 9-5, and then lost to the NorCal Shockers, 8-7, in extra innings.
And while the girls were keeping their game sharp, the Rage coach said Nevada ASA tournament director Sally Commerford was lobbying the ASA, saying there are actually two outstanding teams from Nevada and that the Rage was most worthy of getting a berth in the prestigious tournament. It worked.
The coach revealed how playing in this tournament, held in Aurora, Colo. on Aug. 1-7, was the team's goal right from the start.
"Their goal was to go all the way this season," English said. "The girls had spent so much time this last year playing down in Southern California playing the tough teams you have to play to stay at that level. The girls had spent a lot of time with these California girls, who all congratulated us on how well we were playing and our girls wanted to see them at nationals. It was actually California teams that gave them the desire to go (to nationals) because honestly, going to the ASA Nationals is like the Holy Grail in girls fastpitch softball. ASA Nationals is as big as the boys Little League (World Series) baseball is."
In the opener at nationals, the Rage was defeated by the Austin (Texas) Stars, 3-1, on a late-inning two-run double. The Stars would go on to finish fifth in the nation in the age group.
But the Rage players returned to their winning ways in their next contest against the New Mexico state champs, the New Mexico Fire Fastpitch. The Rage extinguished the Fire behind the pitching of Schlieker, winning 8-2.
The following game that day pitted the Rage against the Arizona Thunderhawks and the Las Vegas girls came away winners behind the arm of ace English.
Later that day, the Rage locked horns with the Oklahoma Sluggers and again were victorious as Amanda Aker continued her torrid hitting in a 4-3 win.
On Aug. 6, the Rage met the American Athletics in another must-win situation for the girls, who had visions of a national championship dancing through their heads. After a grabbing a nice 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run home run by Kayla Griffith, the ride finally came to an end as the A's -- last year's 10-and-under champs -- eliminated the Rage, 8-4.
Despite the loss, Coach English was ecstatic with how his girls played.
"They played outstanding," he said. "And we got so many compliments what great sportsmanship our girls had, as well as several compliments about how nice my coaching staff was."
Along with solid hitting and strong defense, the coach gave much credit to his team's pitching throughout the postseason.
"It was phenomenal. Breanna stepped her game up and you could look at her face and see that she wanted it," he said. "And Ryann, coming out of a year of not having this experience, really stepped up her game. Her change-up was making girls' knees buckle in the end."
After the tournament, the Rage finished tied for 25th in the nation in its age group and had achieved the goal of making it to the tournament.
"These girls are doing it because they want to play college ball some day," English said. "The girls in travel ball all want to play in college someday."
Along with Aker, Griffith, English, Schlieker and Brock, the 11-girl team includes Rheana Trujillo, Megan Robbins, Ali Bodnar, Kristyna Fong, Kayla Anderson and Savanah Webster. Helping head coach English out were assistant coaches Dan Bodnar and Dan Brock and manager Naoma Griffith.
And it's no surprise where the players, which will now move up to the 14-and-under division next year, wants to be a year from now: Johnson City, Tenn., where the 14-and-under championship will be held.
"They want to go back to ASA Nationals next year," Coach English said.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
