The Ceres Sizzle travel softball program had four teams participate in the NSA Northern State Championship earlier this month.
18s
The Sizzle finished in first place in the 18-and-under division.
Ceres was seeded fifth.
“It goes to show you, you still got to play the game,” head coach Audel Valencia said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re seeded. You have to go out there and perform.”
The Sizzle posted a 4-2 record.
Ceres bounced back after dropping its first two games.
“Our pitching was there,” Valencia said. “Our defense made the plays when they had to. Our offense was great. That gave us a chance to win.”
Ace pitcher Vanessa Millan compiled a 3-0 record during the second day of the tournament.
She lowered her earned-run average to 1.96.
“She’s a smart player,” Valencia said. “She doesn’t strike out a lot of girls. But she knows how to make batters uncomfortable.”
Millan collected one single, three RBIs and one run on offense.
Xhena Romo had two doubles, three RBIs and one run.
Athena Dizney had three RBIs.
Emily Lopez had three runs.
Jannet Valenica and Jayden Corona each had one RBI and two runs.
Aleksa Oliveros had two runs.
Destiny Herrera had one RBI and one run.
Ceres rallied for a 13-11 win over the third-seeded Cen Cal Khaos in the championship game on July 2 at the Pedretti Sports Complex in Turlock.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Valencia said. “I’ve never had a team take state. It’s a first for a lot of our girls.”
Down 9-6, the Sizzle scored seven runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 13-9 lead.
“The girls stepped up when they needed to,” coach Valencia said. “It’s unreal. I didn’t think we’d pull it out. The girls kept battling.”
Ceres upset the top-seeded Nor Cal Pride 6-4 in the semifinals on July 2.
The Sizzle led 6-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning.
“The girls came out swinging,” Audel Valencia said.
Ceres upset the fourth-seeded Valley Heat 11-3 in the quarterfinals on July 2.
The Sizzle won just one of three games in pool play on July 1.
Ceres topped Ruthless FPCC by forfeit.
The Sizzle lost 7-1 to the Valley Ducks and 6-1 to the Nor Cal Pride.
“The heat really got to us on Saturday,” coach Valencia said.
16s
The Ceres Sizzle advanced to the quarterfinals of the NSA Northern State Championship.
The second-seeded CC Angels eliminated the Sizzle from the tournament with an 11-5 win on July 2.
Ceres beat the sixth-seeded San Lorenzo Heat-Red 8-2 in the quarterfinals on July 2.
The Sizzle won all three of their games in pool play.
Ceres bested the Tank Town Hawks (17-2), Fresno Force (8-0) and SL Heat-Red (9-6).\
12s
The second-seeded Ceres Sizzle had to settle for runner-up honors after being edged 3-2 by the top-seeded Cen Cal Khaos in the championship game on July 2 at Rainbow Fields.
“We’re showing teams from bigger cities that Ceres has a fiery, competitive team,” assistant coach Matt Perry said. “We’re starting to turn the corner and get to the next level.”
The Khaos scored the winning run in the final inning.
Cen Cal battled back from a 2-0 deficit.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Perry said. “We were so close.”
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” he added.
Ceres shut out the third-seeded Westside Bullets 3-0 in the semifinals on July 2.
“We’ve played them a handful of times,” Perry said. “None of the games have been lopsided.”
The Sizzle compiled a 4-0 record in pool play on July 1.
“It was awesome to see,” Perry said.
Ceres beat the Porterville Magic (8-0), Athletics (7-1), Firecrackers CC (11-0) and Cen Cal Stars (9-1).
The Sizzle outscored their opponents, 35-2
“ This team has improved tremendously,” Perry said. “They’ve become so much more confident. These girls believe in each other.”
10s
The Ceres Sizzle finished in the top 8 in the 10-and-under “B” bracket.
Sixth-seeded Ceres lost 13-3 to the third-seeded WC Wolverines in the quarterfinals on July 2 at Northgate Softball Complex.
The Sizzle went 1-2 in pool play on July 1.
Ceres cruised to a 13-4 win against Top Dog-Red.
The Sizzle lost 9-4 to the TC Lady Tritons and 12-3 to the Modesto Arsenal.
