Angels’ Detmers one tough girl

Steve Virgen

”... Win or lose, I will always do my best.”

-- Final portion of

Little League pledge

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- In the top of the fifth inning, with two out,

the Costa Mesa American Little League Angels of the minor B division

trailed, 11-0, Saturday. The Angels had allowed nine runs to the

Ocean View Tigers in the top of the fifth. The game was virtually

over. But that was of no concern to Shelby Detmers, a catcher for the

Angels.

Detmers, the only girl in the game, took a pitch to her left

forearm and lay on her back in pain. Her coach came to her aid and

asked her if she wanted to keep on playing. She could have easily

went to the bench. But she rose to her feet and continued to play.

Aside from the score, Detmers had other reasons to remain in the

game, a District 62 Tournament of Champions quarterfinal at the

Huntington Valley Little League fields.

“I know I’m a girl and they probably think that I’m weird or that

I can’t play,” said Detmers, a 9-year-old and one of two girls in the

CMALL minor B division (ages 8-10). “I like showing them I’m tough. I

want to show them I can play better than they can.”

On the very next pitch after Detmers overcame the pain, the throw

was wild and the Tigers sent their runner from third to home plate.

The runner slid safe, but Detmers came quite close to tagging the boy

out.

Detmers’ courage appeared to have inspired her teammates.

When the top of the fifth ended, the Tigers led, 12-0. If the

Angels did not score in the bottom of the fifth, they would lose by

the mercy rule. But the Angels scored three runs, avoiding the

shutout and ending their season with a 12-3 loss in the full six

innings.

“She’s a courageous little ball player,” Angels Manager Tim

Watkins said of Detmers. “She kind of keeps the whole team focused

when she’s the catcher. She also works very hard in practice. She’s a

real team player. I just loved coaching her.”

Before the bottom of the fifth, Watkins told his players not to

quit and to avoid the mercy-rule loss.

“Pretty much all season, we showed that we never quit,” Watkins

said. “I knew we could score. The Angels always hang tough. I was

really proud.”

And so another Little League season ended. Young players learned

more lessons. In their final game, the Angels learned they need to

take advantage of opportunities. They left eight baserunners stranded

including two in scoring position in the third and fourth innings.

However, the Angels also displayed one of all coaches’ hopes. They

played some of their best baseball toward the end of the season. In

fact, the Angels played their best game when they defeated the

Robinwood Cardinals, 10-0, by mercy rule after five innings Monday

night. Brandon Bonghanoy contributed, “great pitching,” Watkins said,

as did Logan Benter. Brooks Watkins, Zach Wade and Idren Luna

delivered key hits.

When the Angels were facing elimination by mercy-rule shutout

against the Tigers, Evan Castroverde, Kenrick Juarez and Everett

Brown scored runs to extend the game to six innings.

Castroverde led off the fifth inning with a walk. He advanced to

second on a wild pitch. Juarez collected an RBI single after his

base-hit went past the shortstop.

Juarez advanced to second, to third and then slid home on passed

balls. Brown, who reached on a walk, advanced to second and third on

passed balls, and scored on a throwing error by the Tigers pitcher.

The Tigers opened the game with three runs to help themselves

advance to the semifinals Monday.