Tag Archives: Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League
Halloween champs: Albany-Berkeley Sting is scary good
By Mark Galbraith
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U team, Sting, continues its victorious streak. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
The Under 12 Albany-Berkeley Sting completed their Fall season by winning this past weekend’s Monster Bash Classic tournament with a thrilling back-from-the grave finish.
Like all good nail-biters, this story starts on a bright, sunny day. On Saturday, Sting got into the Halloween spirit by taking the field in Crayola-inspired Technicolor uniforms, designed by Berkeley’s own budding activewear designer, Katie Kaneko. (At the time of this story’s submission, there was no confirmation if Ms. Kaneko intends to expand upon her Sting designs to create a complete Fall collection.)
Sting’s opener against the Salinas Storm was a well-played contest between two evenly matched teams. Pitcher Quinn Lewis and sharp Sting defense kept the Storm’s potent bats in check for much of the game. … Continue reading »
Valley sting: Albany-Berkeley 12U wins at Davis/Dixon
By Mark Galbraith
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U team, Sting, continues its victorious streak. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
As a previous cub reporter on the Sting beat noted last year, dropping into the Central Valley used to be a daunting journey for Albany Berkeley Girls’ Softball League’s finest. Infernal heat, adobe-hard infields, and battle-hardened opponents often added up to disappointment: players dismayed at not having a chance to play for a tournament title and its accompanying trophies, and their parents downhearted at an early exit leaving them no legitimate excuse for blowing-off weekend errands.
However, this is a new trail-blazing Sting team. Coming off a championship run earlier in the month, they entered the Valley without fear, confident in their bats and gloves. Make no mistake: there would be no trips to Pastime Ace or Berkeley Bowl for the traveling Sting faithful this weekend. … Continue reading »
NorCal girls’ softball teams feel the sting in new season
By Mark Galbraith
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U team, Sting, continues to turn heads in 2012. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
The Albany-Berkeley Girls’ Softball 12 & Under Sting team continues to turn heads in 2012. Their latest display of domination on the diamond was at last weekend’s Fall Brawl tournament in Fremont. After a slow start in the opening rounds, Sting got their game in gear, finishing with a victory in the Championship game over the hometown Fremont Flyers via the mercy rule.
While this result may have been similar to their summer performances, a few of the faces have changed for their fall campaign. New coaches, Jenna Best, Jolene Henderson, and Lori Saaf; and players Amelia Galbraith and Tara Steckler looked to join the strong core of returners to keep the good times rolling.
The weekend started when Sting and its swarm of supporters pulled into Fremont’s fogged-in Central Park well before sunrise on Saturday morning. … Continue reading »
ABGSL Sting 12U team wins final summer season tourney
By Kate Campbell
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U travel team, Sting, won the final 2012 summer season tournament. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
Facing a field of eight other teams, none of whom they had yet played this season, the Sting team had strong pitching, was on fire with their hitting and solid in their fielding. Their batting lineup started slow on Saturday, narrowly losing their first game on Saturday to the San Bruno Storm 8-7. Despite 14-3 and 7-2 wins in their other games, they were seeded a dark horse fifth on Sunday. Ironically, in single elimination Sunday they again matched up against the San Bruno Storm, and this time they shut them out 2-0 in seven innings, with Robyn Wampler pitching a perfect game.
Sting was definitely one of the teams to beat on the B team softball circuit this summer. This was their third tournament win out of the five tournaments they played for the season. Beyond the wins, though, the team was known for the teamwork, camaraderie and positive attitude that characterized both practices and tournament competition. … Continue reading »
Berkeley-Albany softball team wins tournament
By Kate Campbell
Playing at the Big League Dream fields in Manteca, the Albany-Berkeley Sting team was once again undefeated in their three Saturday round robin games in a field of ten teams. Seeded second on Sunday, they went on to win the tournament in extra innings with international tie-breaker rules in the championship game, defeating the Brentwood Wildcats 9-7.
The Big League Dreams park includes six field modeled after major league stadiums. Sting played a game each at Tiger Stadium and Yankee Stadium, but played the remaining four games at Fenway Park. With turf infields and well-maintained grassy and spacious outfields, as well as goofy painted walls to simulate the unique architecture of the outfield stands, the “stadiums” were not only fun but conducive to clean fielding on infield grounders and successful base running on long hits to the outfield. … Continue reading »
Hits, put-outs and a Garbanzo tournament victory
By Bora Reed
Bora Reed, an Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League parent and the league’s reporter coordinator recently wrote to Berkeleyside wondering if we would publish game reports. “Why not?” was our reply. Here’s the first:
The Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League season is well under way, with girls grades 1-8 building skills, learning teamwork and having fun. Berkeleyside provided one perspective on the league from Moneyball author Michael Lewis in December. Below is a report of the Older Division’s mid-season tournament last Saturday, along with a few reports from games in the Middle and Younger Divisions. Special thanks to the team of embedded reporters for the game write-ups.
Zonta Garbanzos Win Mid-Season Tournament
Zonta Clubs’ Garbanzos girls softball squad jumped to an early commanding lead from the get-go in their first game on Saturday against the Friedman-Brueggemeyer Fantastic Flying Frying Pans with one run each scored by Zinnia Thewlis, Grace Rusin, Dylan Kurzgul and Anne Mugler. The four-run lead was held throughout the four-inning game thanks to sharp pitching from Zinnia and Grace and deft fielding skills of Claire McNally and Griffen Campbell. … Continue reading »
Michael Lewis: After Moneyball comes softball
By Michael Lewis
One of the striking traits about Berkeley is the competitive spirit its residents bring to seemingly uncompetitive activities. They may not be playing the same game as everyone else, or be willing to admit an interest in victory, but the games they play, they play to win.
In addition to a lot of obvious intellectual and artistic achievement, our population can go head to head with any in its capacity to find what is morally objectionable in common foodstuffs; in its ability, as pedestrians, to make life miserable for automobiles; in its sensitivity to the presence of petroleum in products; and in its willingness to express political opinions, especially on bumper stickers. If the Olympic Committee ever were to replace cycling with recycling, our residents would not only take home all the medals, but know exactly which colored bin to put them in. And of course our tree sitters would kick the butts of tree sitters in any other similarly sized city. … Continue reading »
