First-year program takes second in first tournament together
TWIN CREEKS – The Gilroy Chaos, a 10-under travel softball squad, went to their first tournament at Twin Creeks on June 27-29 and came out with a berth into the National Junior Olympics to be held July 19-20 in San Diego.
The local diamond girls finished in second place with a 3-1 tournament record – reaching the championship game in only their first action together.
In Friday’s opener, the Chaos defeated the Livermore Smoke by a 10-4 spread with outstanding pitching from starter Danielle Kinoshita and reliever Sara Lira – who closed out the game with four strike-outs.
The Chaos then went on to defeat the San Bruno Storm by a 14-5 margin with hot hitting from Michele Sosa, Kinoshita, Lira and Adrianna Osuna. The second straight victory put the Chaos in the tournament title game.
In the championship game, the Chaos suffered a 17-3 loss to the Crushers 17-3 – but the locals kept their spirits up and came back to take second place by beating Mountain View Nova, 10-2.
Teamwork was the key factor in the Chaos’ tournament run as everyone played their hearts out. Kinoshita and her side-kick catcher, Adrianna Osuna, recorded 34 strike-outs in four games and snagged eight girls trying to steal. Kinoshita walked two batters the entire tournament.
The Chaos are headed to the Junior Olympics – which is the first year of the national event put on by ASA. There will be opening and closing ceremonies similar to the real Olympics.
Unfortunately, the 10-under team will not be attending this function since six of the 14 players are on the Gilroy All-Stars and the game dates conflict. On the upside, the Gilroy Chaos 14-under team – coached by Chris Hernandez – also gained a berth into the Junior Olympics and will be competing in the tournament.
The Gilroy Chaos is a new travel softball fastpitch organization in the garlic capital with three age groups currently going to tournaments from Northern California to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 10 -unders are coached by Alicia Holliday, Mark Sotelo and James Jimenez; the 12-unders are coached by Anthony Contreras and Jerry Nelson; and the 14-unders are coached by Chirs Hernandez and Manuel Gonzales.
The Chaos are a non-profit organization that relies heavily on donations and fundraisers. Current fundraisers include a Golf Tournament on August 17. Anyone interested in playing in the tournament, please contact Alicia Holliday at 848-6477.
Team Roster
Maricela Olmos
Sarah Lira
Kaylana Mah
Adrianna Osuna
Danielle Kinoshita
Stephanie Gomez
Dominique Perez
Celeste Mendoza Jimenez
Michelle Sosa
Vanessa Tellez
Sarah Spindel
Lindsey Holt
Janelle Hernandez
Alyssa Garcia
