Hopper’s Dreams finish third in Beaverton
U-18 squad one win shy of championship
By: ARGUS OBSERVER SPORTS STAFF
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 10:02 AM PDT
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| Submitted Photo
Members of the Fields of Dreams U-18 squad pose for a photo moments after clinching third-place honors at the Aloha Invitational Softball Tournament in Beaverton. Overall, the Dreams finished 2-3 and notched a 4-2 victory to claim third place. |
BEAVERTON—Facing 16 top teams, many of them in U-18A ranks, the Treasure Valley U-18 Field of Dreams team chalked up third-place honors at the Aloha Invitational Softball Tournament in Beaverton.
The Dreams went 1-2 in pool play action Saturday, and notched a 1-1 record in Sunday’s action.
In the semifinal round, and a championship berth at stake, the Dreams faced off against the Oregon Mystics, out off Eugene, and squandered a 5-1 fifth-inning advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Mystics took advantage of three Dream errors and scratched across four unearned runs to even the total to 5-all, before scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh inning on a walk-off RBI single off hard-luck starter Melissa Blackwell.
“We just had that one bad inning,” Dreams coach David Hopper said. “It was definitely a tough loss, but give the girls credit, they battled.”
The loss put the Dreams in the consolation round where they battled against Tara Hutchinson, Allison Yano and the other Field of Dreams team.
In the game, Hopper’s crew, led by Baker City hurler Tori Brown came away with the 4-2 victory and the third-place hardware.
Saturday, in pool play action, the Hopper’s Dreams walked away with a 1-2 record, losing the first game of the tournament 7-0 to the Oregon Rain, out of Portland.
The Dreams got in the win column in their next game, as Blackwell tossed a complete game and drove in Miriah Dodson with the game-winning RBI single in the international tiebreaker round to defeat Medford by a 3-2 score.
In the top half of the tie-breaker, Blackwell shut down Medford and paved the way in the next inning after Dodson was at second base to start the frame.
“She was an absolute warrior out there for us,” Hopper said of Blackwell. “She had everything working for her and our defense played a great game behind her.”
In their last pool play game, the Dreams hit the diamond against Bend’s Oregon Silver Bullets, with the Bullets taking a 10-3 decision.
“They were solid all the way around,” Hopper said of the Bullets. “They had great pitching, defense and hit well with runners in scoring position.. They just did everything right.”
In a phone interview late Monday, Hopper said he was proud of his team and noted many opposing coaches were impressed with the level of softball being played in eastern Oregon and southwest Idaho.
“Both of these teams played some good softball this weekend. There are many great athletes on both teams,” Hopper said. “Playing in a highly competitive tournament against some of the top players in the northwest, these girls were not intimidated one bit. They should all be proud, they put on a solid showing.”
Both Dreams teams hit the field again at the Boise Blast Tournament on June 26.
Just the facts wrote on Jun 30, 2009 2:53 PM: