The Vipers 16U fastpitch team stayed hot in winning the 2023 Legacy Summer Shootout in Brighton, Mich., over the weekend.
With the tournament win, the Vipers have now won three of the five events in which they have competed.
The Vipers opened the tournament with a 10-2 win over MBS Jets Faspitch then suffered its only defeat of the weekend by dropping a 3-2 decision to Krash 16U.
With a 17-0 win over Lapeer Lighting, the Vipers concluded pool play with a 2-1 record.
They opened bracket play with a 9-1 win over Freedom Fastpitch and then downed Resistance in the semifinals, 7-2. Resistance had won the other pool with a 3-0 record.
To win the tournament, the Vipers had to score three runs in the top of the sixth inning of the championship game to avenge their earlier loss to Krush, 6-4.
Elizabeth Kocsis powered the Vipers at the plate and in the circle.
She hit .438 (7-for-16) with two triples, a home run, and five runs batted in, and she tied Macey McGhee for the team lead with eight runs scored. In the circle, she posted a 1.75 earned run average by allowing two earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts in eight innings of work.
Lily Prebul led the Vipers with a .563 batting average (9-for-16). She recorded a double, a triple, and knocked in a team-best six runs.
Elena Scott batted .500 (7-for-14) with four doubles and five RBI. Olivia Sacks hit .467 (7-for-15) with four doubles and four RBI.
Lizzy Gardner, McGhee, and Lilly Jarc also hit .400 or better.
Gardner hit .438 (7-for-16) with a double and four RBI, McGhee batted .429 (6-for-14) with a double and four RBI, and Jarc finished .400 (4-for-10) with a pair of RBI.
Kassidy Samuelraj threw a team-best 15 innings in the circle. She allowed three earned runs on 13 hits and struck out 21 to finish the tournament with a 1.40 ERA. Scott threw five innings and allowed one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts. She also finished with a 1.40 ERA.
The Vipers posted a 1.50 team ERA after allowing six earned runs on 34 hits with 21 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched.
VIPERS 14U-CLARY
Mark Clary’s 14U Vipers squad won its first four games at the J-Town showdown in Jefferson before falling to Ohio Energy in the championship game.
The Vipers finished 2-0 in pool play with two shutouts—a 10-0 win over Fire Fastpitch and a 12-0 victory over Ohio Blast.
They opened bracket play on Sunday with an 11-0 win over Fire Fastpitch, and then defeated Quakes Fastpitch in the semifinals, 11-2.
The Vipers gave up five runs to Ohio Energy in the first inning of the championship game and never recovered in a 14-2 loss.
Elli Berkowitz had a big weekend as she teamed up with teammate Jenna Janezic to pitch a perfect game in Friday’s opener and finished the tournament with a team-best .778 batting average. She was 7-for-9 with a double, a triple, and six RBI.
Berkowitz threw eight of the 17 2/3 innings pitched and allowed two unearned runs on five hits and struck out eight.
Kathryn Bouffard and Gabi Dadante also hit over .700 and tied for the team lead with seven RBI each.
Bouffard hit .750 (6-8) with three doubles. Dadante batted .727 (8-11) with a double, and two triples.
Janezic pounded out three hits in her five at-bats to finish the tournament with a .600 batting average. She doubled and knocked in five runs.
In the circle, Janezic allowed nine earned runs on 14 hits and struck out nine in 9 2/3 innings.
VIPERS 12U
Vipers 12U finished the Ohio Emeralds Showdown in Massillon with a 1-4 record.
Their win was a 13-3 victory over the host Emeralds.
VIPERS 14U-MCINTOSH
Greg McIntosh’s 14U Vipers finished the Diamond Chix Summer Slam in North Ridgeville with a 2-3-1 record.
Gianna Terlop led the Vipers with a .625 batting average. She finished 10-for-16 with two doubles, and a triple, and tied Jenna Poyer for the team lead with seven RBI.
Poyer hit .556 (5-for-9) with two doubles and seven RBI.
Kyla Newnes and Maya Cormell also hit .500 or better.
Newnes hit .529 (9-17) with four doubles, two RBI, and a team-best 10 runs scored while Cormell batted .500 (7-for-14) with a double and four RBI.
Gracelyn Schultz chewed up most of the innings for the Vipers in the circle. She allowed four earned runs on 13 hits and struck out nine in 12 innings of work.
Sydney Cahill went 2-0 in the circle by allowing one unearned run on two hits with eight strikeouts in six innings, and Sophia Neilsen allowed seven earned runs on 12 hits with six strikeouts in seven innings.
