In late July, the River Region Thundercats arrived at the Orange Beach Softball Complex at 7 a.m. for their first game of the day. After 16 hours, five games and one rain delay, the players finally left, taking a new trophy with them.
The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) held its annual national tournaments for fast-pitch softball last month in Gulf Shores. The Thundercats, who were represented by players from Elmore County, Wetumpka and Tallassee, competed in the 16U tournament.
“It was rough by that night,” Thundercats team manager Suzette Tatum said. “They were out of gas but they didn’t give up… Friday finished on nothing but adrenaline.”
The championship came down to the final play of the tournament Friday night. With the game tied 6-6, the Thundercats had runners on second and third with no outs in the final inning. Elmore County’s CJ Thornton laid down a squeeze bunt, allowing Hannah Parker to score the winning run for the Thundercats.
“The team’s hearts were in it and they wanted to win,” Tatum said. “They didn’t want to go home without getting the trophy.”
Sinclair Cole, of Tallassee, pitched in four of the five games for the Thundercats on the final day. She was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher for the tournament and won MVP.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Cole said. “It was a great feeling because I felt that meant someone who was watching me play thought I deserved it.”
Cole recorded seven wins as a pitcher during the week and finished with 18 strikeouts while posting a 1.55 earned run average. She also hit one of the team’s three home runs and led the Thundercats with 15 runs batted in. Cole finished the tournament with a .444 batting average.
Madison Britt was the team’s offensive leader, finishing with a team-high 14 hits and a .700 batting average. She reached base a total of 19 times in 11 tournament games.
The Thundercats defeated every team in the field but they had to fight through a little bit of adversity before being awarded the trophy.
After winning all four games in pool play, the Thundercats found themselves in the losers’ bracket after dropping the first game in the knockout round. The team won its second game on that day to advance to the tournament’s final day, setting up the miracle run Friday.
The Thundercats defeated the team from Louisiana on Friday morning 13-0 and set the tone for the rest of the day. The blew past Outkast-Steadman, the team that beat the Thundercats in the first round, then defeated the Apex Fastpitch squad from Troy to advance into the championship series on Friday night, setting up the late dramatics in the finale.
The Thundercats had a total of 10 players with five different high schools represented. Cole is from Tallassee while Sierra Black goes to Wetumpka. Thornton, Britt, Maci Curlee, Ebone Pierson, Madelyn Becker and Alyssa Beam attend Elmore County. Parker is at Brewbaker Magnet School and Kailey Voland attends Prattville.
