The Roanoke Rapids based 14U Lady Twisters travel fastpitch softball team headed to Greenville, NC this past weekend to compete in the USSSA Queen of the Hill Tournament.
In just their third 14U tournament the ladies were looking to continue to improve upon their 4th and 3rd place finishes in the previous tournaments.
They faced the Spirits to begin the tournament on a hot but breezy day. Logan Ross stepped on the rubber and pitched a solid 4 innings. Logan and her Catcher Alayna Davis were fortunate to have a defense behind them that was ready for the job, as the defense helped retire 12 of 16 batters. As the Lady Twisters headed to the plate, the bats came to life for them with Tyasia Stansbury and Kenzie Stallings having key hits. As the bats continued to swing, the defense rose to meet it,and the Lady Twisters defeated the Spirits 14-0.
Their second game of the day was a back to back game, where they faced the Lady Dukes. Playing two games in a row in the 95+ degree heat was starting to wear on the Twisters, but they continued to fight through it, led by a strong performance on the rubber by Mia Fleming. The defense helped her retire 12 of 20 batters. With a strong 3rd inning the Lady Twisters plated 4 runs and effectively pulled away for a 7-5 Victory over the Lady Dukes.
Having reached the first break of the day, the Lady Twisters awaited their seeding and eventual opponent in the first bracket game. Once pool play ended they were awarded 2nd place and would face off against 3rd seeded Lady Venom, also from Roanoke Rapids.
The short break the ladies got proved to be exactly what they needed. Kalissa Williams stepped on the rubber and battled, with her defense helping her retire 11 of 18 batters. Key bunts by Alexandria Richardson and Logan Ross followed by huge hits by Kaylee Collier and Kalissa Williams got the Lady Twisters one the board early with 5 runs in the first inning. The bats refused to cool off and over the course of the game the Twisters plated six more runs with hits by Makaila Ricks, Kamryn Dixon and Skylar Wade as the Lady Twisters rolled to a 11-3 win, ending Saturday 3-0 and earning a late afternoon start time on Sunday.
Unfortunately they ran into the Clippers on Sunday afternoon. Kalissa Williams once again headed to the pitcher’s circle for the Lady Twisters but had to battle her way through 2 strong innings, before the Clippers and their consistently strong hitting finally pounced and ended the the Lady Twisters win streak in the tournament at 3.
The loss dropped the Lady Twisters into an elimination game in which they would once again face the Lady Venom, who had had to fight out of the loser’s bracket Sunday morning. The Lady Venom jumped out to an early lead in this game, and the Lady Twisters took to the challenge of fighting back to earn a spot in the Championship Game. With Kalissa Williams in the circle and Alexandria Richardson behind the plate, they worked over 5 innings along with the defense to keep the Lady Twisters in the game. In the 3rd inning a leadoff hit by Richardson and hits by Kamryn Dixon, Kalissa Williams and Kenzie Stallings would give the Lady Twisters a 4-3 lead. The two teams traded runs, with the Lady Venom tying the game in the top of the 5th inning. Kamryn Dixon reached first on an infield single, and was joined on the bases by Mia Fleming. The Lady Venom chose to intentionally walk the hot bat of Kenzie Stallings, loading the bases for Alayna Davis. Alayna worked the count to 3-1 before she got a hold of a great pitch and drove in the winning run with a hit to left center. The Lady Twisters advanced to the Championship Game with a 6-5 win over the Lady Venom.
In the Championship Game the Lady Twisters faced the Clippers once again. Unfortunately the Clippers wasted no time and lead off with 4 runs in the first. With Mia Fleming working in the pitcher’s circle and Logan Ross behind the plate, the Lady Twisters would play great defense against a very strong hitting team. With the Championship Game being their third game in a row, the heat had worn down the Lady Twisters. Akirah Gray and Jaina Davis had hits in this game, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough as the Lady Twisters fell to the Clippers, and claimed 2nd Place in the USSSA Queen of the Hill Tournament in Greenville.
The Coaches would like to thank the girls and their parents and families for all their hard work and dedication to making our team better each and every day.
Pictured above:
Left to Right back row: Assistant Coach Kevin Davis, Akirah Gray, Kamryn Dixon, Tyasia Stansbury, Skylar Wade, Kalissa Williams, Mia Fleming, Kenzie Stallings, Head Coach TT Williams
Left to Right froni row: Alexandria Richardson, Makaila Ricks, Alayna Davis, Logan Ross, Jaina Davis, Kaylee Collier
