The team won the Southeast Softball League Tourney
Scott Connor | Contributor
Some say the hardest mountain to climb is the one within. The Alcester-Hudson 12U softball team conquered a battle with their competition and themselves, winning the Southeast Softball League Tournament Championship during a sweltering June weekend. The Cubs fought their way through the heat and the loser’s bracket, winning an impressive five games on a June Saturday. Four of these games were back-to-back, including the last two for the championship against a Lennox squad who had sent the Cubs to the losers’ bracket the day before.
Cubs pitcher Leah Solberg, pitching the last four games for the Cubs, said all the encouragement from her coach, friends, and dad, and having a good catcher to pitch to, all helped pick her up when she was drained and wanting to quit.
Coach Michelle Serck added, “No words can express how proud I am of the girls. They played with so much heart and determination. To beat the team you lost to the day before is remarkable and hard to do.”
The Cubs opened the tournament on Friday with a solid 12-7 win over Centerville. The Cubs came up short to a dominating pitching performance by Lennox, falling 2-3.
The brackets the next morning told the story, winning the championship would require five wins that day. Just the thought of playing five games, not to mention playing in the 90+ degree heat, and knowing they would have to face Lennox again, seemed like a huge summit to climb. The team dug in and went to work, defeating Canton by a score of 7-2. They continued their ascent with a win over Parker 5-3.
Then, in the closest game of the tournament, they narrowly scaled by another Lennox team 7-6, rising to the finals. With the summit in view, the Cubs’ strong mental game helped them achieve a 6-4 win over the Lennox team who had bested them the day before. In game two of the championship, the Cubs beat Lennox again, 6-3, eliminating Lennox to reach the top.
“Going through the loser bracket wasn’t ideal,” said Nathan Beeler, who assisted with the team this year. “It was tough, but I think it actually worked to our advantage, not losing momentum from one game to the next.” Beeler also noted that this group of girls should be exciting to watch in the years to come.
Assistant Coach Ella Serck boasted, “I am so unbelievably proud of these girls! I have never seen a group of girls have such resilience. I was so lucky to have an opportunity to coach these girls.”