The Pintos won their first tournament as a host.
California (9-4) went 3-0 in the inaugural California softball tournament on Sept. 15, after defeating the Versailles Tigers 12-1 in the opening round, the Belle Tigers 9-2 in the semifinal, and the St. Elizabeth Hornets 6-4 in the championship game.
"It is always nice to win a tournament championship, especially when you are hosting the tournament, it was the first year, and it was really nice to be able to win it," California head coach Steven Stock said.
In the championship game against St. Elizabeth, the Pintos found themselves trailing for the first time during the tournament, as St. Elizabeth jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. California responded the following inning by producing three runs to cut the Lady Hornets' lead down one. California then tied the game in the fifth inning and took a two-run lead in the sixth inning to make it 6-4. California scored six runs on nine hits and had two errors. St. Elizabeth scored four runs on six hits.
Stock said the team kept battling, even when they were down early on.
"Our pitching and defense were good, as we were able to hold St. Elizabeth scoreless after the fours runs, which allowed us to make the come back," Stock said.
Lauren Hill led the team with three hits and Camryn Schlup was second with two hits. Kendra Dunham, Hannah Hill, and Kaitlyn Turner each had one walk. Lauren Spillars had a team high two RBI in the game, while Lauren Hill and Britani Allee each had one RBI. Schlup pitched six innings and struck out nine batters, while giving up four runs on six hits.
In the semfinal game against Belle, the Pintos led 1-0 lead after the first inning. Belle tied the game at 1-all in the third, but California retook the lead at 2-1 in the fourth. California tallied four runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 6-1, and then added three more in the sixth to make it 9-2. California had six hits and committed just one error. Belle scored their two runs on four hits and had four errors.
Kaitlyn Turner led the Pintos with two hits. Camryn Schlup led the team with three walks, while Hannah Hill tallied two walks. Destiny Cook, Turner, and Lauren Spillars came up with two RBI apiece. Schlup pitched six innings and struck out three, while giving up two runs on four hits.
California scored in every inning against Versailles. The fourth inning was the team's best, when they scored four runs to make it 8-0. The team totaled 15 hits and two errors. While Versailles mustered just three hits and committed four errors.
Lauren Hill, Hannah Hill and Lauren Spillars had three hits apiece for California. Kaitlyn Turner led the Pintos with three RBI, while Lauren Hill and Spillars both produced two RBI. Camryn Schlup allowed one run in four innings and struck out nine. Spillars did not allow a run in two innings and struck out three.
The Pintos scored 27 runs on 30 hits during the tournament. Stock said the team did a good job of putting the ball in play.
Stock said everyone on the team contributed during the tournament.
"It was not really any one player, we had contributions from every player, as each had hits and RBIs in the tournament," Stock said. "They also all contributed defensively, as we played pretty solid in holding our opponents to a total of only seven runs in the three games.
"I think this gives us some confidence that when we play together and enjoy playing the game, we will have a better chance to be successful."
The Pintos play at 5 p.m. Sept. 20 at Pilot Grove.