Lake Shore Lightning 10u

Proving once again that they can compete with any team, the Lightning played 4 strong games claiming victories before falling in the semi-finals. Once again, Megan was strong in the pitching circle and batter's box. In 11 innings she allowed no runs and struck out 23 batters while walking 1 and giving up just 3 hits. At the plate Megan batted .786, scoring 5 runs and driving in 9 more. Others excellent batters included Bridget, Cara and Melanie. Bridget collected 9 singles, 7 runs and 4 stolen bases. At one point Bridget had 7 hits in 7 straight plate appearances. Cara enjoyed her best tournament of the year, batting .667 including a triple and 3 singles. Melanie batted .533 with 4 singles, 2 doubles, a triple and a home run. Melanie also struck out 32 batters in 18 innings in the circle. While coming up short in the semi-final, the girls from Pasadena played excellent ball in the extreme heat of the Heat at the Beach Tournament.

The Heartbreakers Classic proved challenging for the Lightning. Ending the weekend with a 2-2-1 record the Lightning made it as far as the semi-finals for the second week in a row. Many players excelled at various times during the weekend, though Lauren had a particularly strong tournament. Lauren took the mound several times on Saturday and Sunday, finishing the weekend having pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up 9 hits and only 3 walks, while striking out 13. She recorded both of the Lightning victories. At the plate, Lauren also excelled, going 6 for 13 with 6 RBI. Also strong on offense were Megan, with 8 RBI, Erika, 7 for 12, and Cara and Bridget with 5 stolen bases each. Bridget was very strong in the field making several excellent plays with her glove. All in all it was a good weekend for the Lightning.

After 11 straight weekends of ball the Lightning take a weekend off. But there's little time for rest, the Mid-Atlantics and World Series are coming up.

Coming off the high of winning the Maryland State Championship and a weekend off the celebrate the 4th of July, the Lightning came up short in their attempt to win their 4th straight tournament. While they easily handled the Howard County Patriots 16-0 and the Fairfax, Virginia, Firebirds 24-0 in their first two games, the Lightning fell to the Bayside Blues 2-5 in their final game Saturday. Sunday's single-elimination play began with the Lightning matched-up against the Patriots one more time. As they had in their previous 3 meetings the season, the Lightning prevailed, this time by a score of 12-0. Following their openning round win the Lightning squared off agains the Maryland STARS. Once again the Lightning remained undefeated in the season against an opponent, beating the STARS 8-3 for their 7th victory over them this year. The semi-final win against the STARS advanced the Lightning to a championship match-up against the Bayside Blues. In yet another classic showdown the Lightning fell short 5-6. This was the first loss in a championship game for the ladies from Lake Shore who were a perfect 5-0 in final games. Next up for the Lightning are the Mid-Atlantic Championships.

The Lightning travel to Columbus, Ohio for this year's Eastern World Series. The culmination of a full year of hard work promises to be an experience to remember. Make your resevations and come cheer on the girls as they share in this spectacular event.