How the Southwest was won
For the second straight year in a row and the third time in the last four years, the Senior League Softball World Series trophy went to the team representing USA Southwest. On Saturday, Aug. 14, the Northside Suburban Little League, playing out of San Antonio, Texas, defeated the USA East, represented by Haverstraw, NY, 3-1, in the 2010 Senior League Softball championship in Roxana.
Coastal Point • Chris Clark: Southwest’s team, from San Antonio, Texas, poses for some pictures after winning the championship game in this year’s Senior League Softball World Series in Roxana last Saturday.The East came out swinging first, as they took a marginal 1-0 lead in the third inning, after Brianna Rivera’s shot to left-center field brought around Taylor Corretjer. A late rally from Southwest, however, was enough to secure the championship.
Pinch runner Gabrielle Lerma was brought home after steady bats went to work in the fifth, leveling the score, 1-1. Gabriella Winkler batted an RBI in the seventh, bringing in Britney Ramos for the team’s first lead in the game, and was later brought home herself by Ryler Moreno. Southwest pitcher Henessey Soto picked up nine strikeouts in the win, allowing only four hits and one earned run.
The Texas team won 17 straight games in their run for the championship, going undefeated in the regional tournament to earn themselves a bid to Roxana, then knocking off teams one-by-one at the World Series tournament. All last week, Southwest tallied victories against first-year rivals, a returning contender and a former world champion – USA Southeast (Portsmouth, Va., 4-3), Canada (Windsor, Ontario, 12-1), Latin America (Maunabo, Puerto Rico, 6-4), USA West (Tuscon, Ariz., 9-5) and USA Central (South Bend, Ind., 13-0), respectively.
The Senior League World Series title was second one earned by a San Antonio, Texas, team. In 2007, the Northwest Little League, whose district sits adjacent to Northside Suburban Little League, brought first place to San Antonio. In 2008, it was the ASOFEM Little League from Puerto Rico that claimed the title. In last year’s World Series, Southwest’s Calhoun, La., defeated the Central contenders from South Bend.
“This is a really tough tournament,” noted Southwest manager Joseph Losoya. “We were unlucky in last year’s regionals, but to be here at the top this year, it feels great.”
The Southwest team found themselves trailing in only two games throughout last week’s World Series play, and both times they were able to battle back. “We have a great defense,” Losoya added, “and these girls never give up. We [trailed] Puerto Rico earlier in the week, but these girls played on and came back.”
He attributed much of the team’s success through the tournament to pitcher Henessey Soto.
“She is a real workhorse,” he said. “She did what she had to do to keep the East off balance. She’s done very well for us this week and is probably one of the best pitchers her age in San Antonio.”
Ramos’ run in the seventh to put the Southwest in the lead was an emotional one for Losoya, who admitted he was cheering too much to notice the error by the East that helped bump the lead to 3-1.
“We all got really excited,” he said. “I hadn’t even seen the overthrow [at first base].
“[Winkler] hadn’t hit too much for us this week, but she really came through with it,” Losoya added. His team, consisting primarily of 14-year-olds, may very well make a run for the series again next year, but, for now, he’s just going to enjoy this year’s accomplishment.
“Everything really came together this year,” he said. “We reached the pinnacle. A lot of these girls are going to be looking on to college and where to play. I respect that. Some will move up, but a lot of them will return. For now, we’re just going to enjoy being on top.”
The hosting District III team out of Laurel struggled in the tournament this year, though they picked up a 3-1 win on Friday, Aug. 13, over the Southeast to clench a fifth-place finish. They opened up the tournament at the beginning of last week with a win over USA East, but missteps against Central and Asia-Pacific cost them a chance to contend for a higher finish.
