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From: Benicia Herald, 05/06/05
Rebels’ Defense Wins Sacramento Tournament
The Benicia Rebels continue to make this
their best season yet, by winning another USSSA Championship in Sacramento,
last weekend going a perfect 4-0 in the 9 team tournament.
The old adage that defense wins championships
rang true this weekend for the Rebels. The talented 14 and under Benicia team allowed only
2 runs in the two day contest, showcasing the defense that has helped to place them at #2 in the northern California USSSA
ranking. With this win the team further prepares for the Super NIT in southern
California, a tournament which showcases the best teams
in the state on Memorial Day weekend. A win in this tournament would place the
Rebels in the enviable position of qualifying to play in another national venue in Orlando,
Florida. The championship team has already qualified to play in the Super Series
National Championship in Arizona this summer.
Last weekends tournament included a formidable
field of teams from, Marin County, Petaluma, Stanislaus, Antioch, Elk Grove, and the Central Valley. On Saturday, Marin County’s
North Bay Extreme went down to the Rebels 4-0. Playing error free baseball, the
Rebels denied any runs to cross the plate. It was patience, selective hitting and aggressive base running that set the Rebels
on track for their second convincing victory of the tournament with a 6-0 win against Antioch’s
Star Sports. These shut out victories advanced the Rebels to the number one seed
in Sunday’s single elimination contest.
Earning a bye on day two of the tournament,
the Rebels were well rested and ready to challenge Petaluma’s
P-Town Stingers. In game one of single elimination play, Benicia put on a virtual hitting clinic, batting around twice and
scoring 9 runs to take the game in a one sided 9-2 victory. On the other side of the winners bracket, the #6 ranked Stanislaus Heat’s win over the #7 ranked Nor-Cal Blaze, set the stage for Sunday’s
championship game.
A scoreless 5 innings kept both sides on edge and treated fans to outstanding baseball. It was however in the bottom of the 5th inning that the Rebels broke the stalemate, scoring
3 runs, and dealing a devastating blow to the hopes of the Stanislaus Heat. The thrilling game ended with a web gem of a play
by the Rebel’s right fielder, giving Benicia the 3-0
win and their second tournament championship of the spring season.
The Rebels will be hosting a double header
against Tri-Valley Baseball on Saturday, May 8th at 11:00 at
Benicia High School. All are invited to come out to watch the championship team in action.
As always, the Benicia Rebels would like
to thank the generous members of the community that continue to offer encouragement and support, including our friends at
Benicia Plumbing, Universal Building Supply, S.P. Automotive and Reginald Kwok of Concord.
For information on the Benicia Rebels’ tournament schedule please visit their website at BeniciaRebels.org. To contact the organization, email them at benicia_rebels_baseball@yahoo.com.
9:36 am PT, Thursday, Mar 31, 2005
The Benicia Rebels Take Top Honors In USSSA Easter
Classic
The Rebels proved to be nearly perfect
in their most recent tournament last weekend winning two games, tying one, and taking the final game against the highly ranked
Star Maker Titans, to bring home the championship trophy in the USSSA 14 and under majors tournament on Sunday.
It began with a compelling contest against
the always tough East Bay Powerhouse. A pitching strategy of high speed followed by three innings of brilliant off-speed pitching
left the Powerhouse off balance at the plate and lead the Rebels to a 6-4 victory in the first game of the tournament.
Marin County's
North Bay Extreme was hoping to take the Rebels down a notch in Saturdays game two, which proved gripping for fans on both
sides, as the two teams fought to break through its opponents solid defensive performances and strong hitting. It was in the
bottom of the final inning, when it became clear that each would have to settle for a draw when the game ended 3-3.
In Saturday's final game however, the Rebels
all but sealed the Extreme's third place standing in the tournament when they trounced the Antioch Senators l4-0 in game three
and elevated their tournament standing due to the high number of runs scored by the Rebels during this game.
Having gone undefeated in the tournament
throughout Saturday competition, the Star Maker Titans began Sunday, the final day of the competition on top. However, the
Rebels were soon to change that. Despite injuries, sore arms and foul weather
the Rebels played this all important final game like true champions. In an 8-5
upset the Rebels dethroned the Star Makers to take the weekends top prize.
The Benicia Rebels are preparing
for their revisit to southern California in May to participate in the USSSA
super NIT tournament. In this tournament the Rebels could qualify them to compete for the national championship in Orlando
Florida. This team has already qualified for the Super Series National Tournament scheduled
for July 9-17, held at the Seattle Mariners spring training facility in Peoria, Arizona.
The Rebels are the flagship team of the Benicia Baseball Club, a non-profit organization that is designed to provide opportunities
for young athletes to compete and develop their skills at a higher level. The club appreciates the generosity of local supporters
but are still in need of donations so that they can represent this community in a national venue. To make a donation and/or
to learn more about the Benicia Rebels, log on to BeniciaRebels.org. To contact the organization, e-mail them at benicia_rebels_baseball@yahoo.com
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