Energy U-18s win sub-state to advance to state
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Emporia U-18 Energy won the ASA Sub-State Tournament in Osage City on Saturday, posting a 3-1 record to qualify for the Class B State Championship from June 29-July 1 in Topeka.
“We played some very good softball against some very good teams,” Energy coach Lin Muninger said.
Emporia started its weekend with three consecutive victories to wrap up the championship before losing its final game.
The Energy had a flair for the dramatic early, coming from behind to take a 7-6 win over the Topeka Flames in Game One.
Emporia trailed 6-3 in the final inning when McKenzie Cinelli started the rally with a hit. Brendy Muninger followed with a single, and Amy McAfee and Amber Jones contributed back-to-back doubles to tie the game at 6.
Javyn Carl delivered the game-winning hit, singling to score Jones and end the game.
Jones, who also picked up the win in the circle, led Emporia with three hits. Cinelli and Brendy Muninger both chipped in two hits each.
The Energy once again won in dramatic fashion in its second game, taking a 1-0 victory over the Parsons Dirt Devils.
The game was scoreless at the end of regulation, so the International Tiebreaker was used.
Parsons had the first crack at scoring with a runner at second. The team led off with a single, putting runners at first and third with none out.
Emporia would battle through it, though.
Pitcher Amy McAfee snagged a groundball that was heading up the middle, getting the runner at third in a rundown for the first out.
With runners still at first and third and two outs, McAfee threw a wild pitch, but catcher Lenae Wells recovered and threw back to McAfee, who tagged the runner out at home to end the threat.
Cinelli was placed on second to start the bottom half of the inning, and she advanced to third on Brendy Muninger’s groundball. After a strikeout, Jones hit a high pop-up that was misplayed by the third baseman, allowing Cinelli to score the game-winning run.
McAfee picked up the win, and Carl had Emporia’s only hit.
The Energy clinched the championship with a 6-1 victory over the Paola Heat.
Emporia once again had to come from behind after allowing a run in the first.
The Energy scored two in the bottom of the first, three in the second and one in the fourth.
Elyse Hecht, Brendy Muninger, Chelsea Goins, Cinelli, McAfee, Jones and Carl had the Emporia hits, while Jones picked up her second win of the tournament.
Emporia fell in its final game to the Paola Red Raiders, 4-1.
The Energy scored its only run in the fourth, as Cinelli walked, Brendy Muninger reached on an error, both runners advanced on a passed ball, and McAfee contributed an RBI groundout to second.
Brendy Muninger had the only hit for Emporia.
The Energy (10-6) will play a home tournament this weekend.