10U Elimenators Win Lake Shore Softball Crown

The Lake Shore 10U Elimenators softball team steadily improved over the course of the season, culminating with an 11-5 win over the Dirty Diamond Divas in the Lake Shore 10U softball championship game at Bodkin Park in early June.

Wearing lime green uniforms, the Elimenators lineup of Emmy Jackson, Reese Barchanowicz, Isabel Schulze, Maya Stankard, Sophia Jones, Gillian Price, Natalie Bates, Ava Humphrey, Kristina Penkala, Abbey Aamold went .500 in the regular season but played their best softball come playoff time to go undefeated in the postseason tournament and win the championship.

“The real story behind this team was fun and chemistry,” said assistant coach Brian Price, who coached the team with Amanda Henderson, Rob Snowden, Mert Schulze and Dan Bates. “This championship was proof that having fun and working hard pays off. Every player played a key role in our playoff and championship wins.”

He said the team focused on fundamentals and bought in to a team-first mentality.

“Coaches and players worked on a quite a few fundamentals while focusing on speed, situational plays, hitting the ball up the middle, and most of all, players supporting players and realizing there are no superstars,” said Price. “This team’s attitude during every game, win or lose, was amazing. The young ladies gave it their all and never gave up all season. In the championship game, we had timely hits by every girl and pitching that continued to get better all season.”

Price added that the championship game was a celebration of accomplishment for everyone involved on both sides.

“[The runner-up] Diamond Divas showed the same great sportsmanship all season,” he said. “At the end of the game, it was difficult to tell which girls won or lost. Both were hugging each other, taking pictures together and laughing.”