Softball: Riptide fares well at Vista tournament

VISTA - The Riptide, a Pacific Coast Bobby Sox girls under-13

fastpitch softball team spent Memorial Day weekend at the Spring Bobby

Sox National Championships and reached the championship game.

In Saturday’s 7 a.m. opener, the Riptide dropped a 7-2 decision to the

Long Beach Sharks before rebounding with a 6-2 win over the Menifee

Extreme.

Chelsea Kaplan’s three-run double scored Jessica Knight, Amanda

Billing and Jamie Heenan to give the Riptide the lead for good. Later in

the game, Clea O’Kieffe’s two-run double scored Michelle Tolfa and Holly

Van Hiel.

The next game was against Tustin South and the Riptide prevailed,

13-4. Billing, Heenan and Catherine Dailey provided a majority of the

offense, while Tolfa and Kaplan provided solid pitching relief.

In a rematch against Hartwell, the Riptide returned the favor and

posted a 4-1 win. Heenan had a key two-run hit, as did Amber Munnelly.

Van Hiel pitched a complete-game gem with eight strikeouts.

On Monday, the Riptide took on a strong team from Brea Hills and

pulled out a 3-2 comeback win to advance to the finals. Munnelly helped

the Riptide tie the game with an RBI double in the second inning. Three

innings later Van Hiel’s double with two runners on base broke the tie.

In the finals, against undefeated Santa Monica, the Riptide played a

well-played game but fell, 4-0, and settled for the silver medal. It was

the first time a team from Pacific Coast has reached the final of an

“open” tournament.

PACIFIC COAST RIPTIDE

Top row, from left - Catherine Dailey, Katie McCullough, Chelsea

Kaplan, Amber Vitalo, Amber Munnelly, Michelle Tolfa. Bottom row, from

left - Clea O’Kieffe, Jessica Knight, Holly Van Hiel, Jamie Heenan,

Amanda Billing.