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Sizzle 10s finish first in Ceres
Ceres Sizzle 10 and under
The Ceres Sizzle 10-and-under travel softball team won all six of its games en route to finishing in first place at the Sizzle Summer Classic earlier this month at George Costa Ball Field Complex. - photo by Contributed

The Ceres Sizzle 10-and-under travel softball team accomplished another one of its goals.

Ceres finished in first place at its home tournament earlier this month.

“Sizzle doesn’t get the credit they deserve when it comes to travel ball,” head coach Nicole Ferrel said. 

Ceres compiled a perfect 6-0 record at the Sizzle Summer Classic, held July 6-8, at George Costa Ball Field Complex.

"The girls put extra pressure on themselves because they wanted to win at home.”
Head coach Nicole Ferrel

“Losing the tournament before, they knew they had to work harder and they did,” Ferrel said. “They did great. The girls put extra pressure on themselves because they wanted to win at home.”

Ceres bested Newman 3-2 for the championship on July 8.

“It was such a competitive game,” Ferrel said. “For them to be able to win was big. We ended up beating the team that knocked us out at the Newman Tournament.”

The Sizzle broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Makaela Brown scored from third base on Nani Sagapolu’s hit to right field with one out.

“We knew Newman wasn’t going to be an easy team to beat,” Ferrel said. “It was intense. The girls stepped up.”

Ceres beat Oakdale (8-1, 10-2) twice, and Newman, Tuolumne County Black Ice (12-0), Calaveras Rampage (8-3) and Westport (11-0) once at the Sizzle Summer Classic.

Brown, Amaia Ferrel and Lizzy Figueroa contributed in the circle.

“We have really great pitchers carrying us through these games,” Nicole Ferrel said. “They know they have a good defense behind them.”

The Sizzle claimed titles in Ceres and Riverbank, and placed third in Newman this summer.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to win two first-place trophies,” coach Ferrel said. “This was supposed to be a building year. We have a really young team. A lot of our girls have never played travel ball. Only four girls will move up to 12u. They have another year to grow and get better.”