10U Elvaton Tornados Defeat Broadneck, Take NCCGSL Championship

By Colin Murphy

On June 19, the Elvaton 10U Tornados girls softball team defeated the Broadneck Navy Eagles, 10-6, to become the 2011 NCCGSL 10U champions. After a dominant regular season in which the Tornados posted a 13-0-1 record and scored a total of 242 runs, the Tornados swept through the playoffs, going 6-0 and outscoring their opponents 82-33. The Tornados finish the season with an undefeated record at 19-0-1.

With a mixed group of experienced players and several girls new to softball, Head Coach Chris Jordan was proud to see his team gel quickly and continue to improve throughout the season. “They all did really well, and they came together as the season went on,” said Jordan, who emphasized that the Tornados saw excellent play all season long from the entire lineup of Katelyn Phares, Elle Busch, Isabella Penafiel, Janiah Jennings, Tara Gabrielson, Ryleigh Spiegel, Paige Toney, Delaney Butler, Chrissy Jordan, Amber Shearin, Mackenzie Spiegel, Olivia Burkowski, Emma Fontz, and Mary Pat Cassidy; excellent pitching from Jordan, Spiegel, and Gabrielson; and constant improvement from the team’s younger players. “Our younger girls really started hitting the ball well, and that really picked up the team in the playoffs,” said Jordan. 

After cruising to early-round victories over the BP Blue Cylcones, Crofton Dynamite, Severna Park Green Hornets, and GORC Green, the Tornados ran into stiff competition in the tournament semifinal, edging the GORC Lady Wildcats by a score of 5-4. In the tournament’s championship game, the Tornados faced a legitimate challenger in the Broadneck Navy Eagles. Elvaton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Navy Eagles clawed their way back into it with two runs in the second inning. Broadneck then took a 5-3 lead after scoring three runs in the third inning, and the Tornados needed an offensive burst in order to reclaim the lead and swing the momentum back in their favor.

They delivered. Powered by a three-run homer off the bat of Elle Busch in the fifth inning, the Tornados scored four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to bring their total to 10. Christina Jordan pitched the final three innings and surrendered only one run, sealing the 10-6 victory for the Tornados.

After the victory, Coach Jordan was grateful for the effort of his players and the support of the coaches and parents. “[Coaches] Rich Spiegel and Gina Gabrielson, [team mom and scorekeeper] Michelle Jordan, and the parents were a big part of the team’s success. We couldn’t do anything without the parents…I really enjoyed watching the girls improve and grow as a team. We really seemed to come together through the playoffs.”