California Cup tournament

August 7-8, 2004

(click cup for more information)

Lancaster - I

The El Segundo Rounders capped a perfect 6-0 weekend with a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over Raymar to capture the Lancaster Alliance weekend title.  It was their first time back in the championship game since the opening weekend at Palm Springs March 6-7, 2004.  After that early season win, the Rounders had stumbled at Santa Fe Springs twice, going "one and out" both Sundays.  The team appeared to be regaining form at the second Palm Springs tournament, making the final four.   In Lancaster, they came full circle back to the championship game.

Enroute to the tournament title, the Rounders defeated:

Lancaster Finalists

The Rounders reached the finals by outlasting the Amigos in an 8 inning tie breaker game, 9-8, while Raymar got there with a 10-2  win over Palm Springs.   The Raymar-Rounders matchup marked a reprise of that very first Alliance tournament of the year, also won by the Rounders.  Raymar had a tough tie breaker win of their own Sunday morning, a 5-4 win over San Diego.  It marked the third time in five tournaments that Raymar made it to the championship game, tying the Edge for that distinction, though Raymar is still looking for that elusive first title for 2004.   For a list of tournament winners and runners-up to date, click here.

Championship Game

In the title game, the Rounders took a 3-0 lead, but Raymar rallied for 4 runs in the 4th to take a 4-3 lead, with the key blow coming on a  two run triple by Doug Shaw that split the left center field gap.  But the Rounders rallied to tie, then go ahead in the 6th, on a clutch two out single by Andy Lawry, followed by a two run single by Danny Roberts to provide the final 7-4 margin of victory.  Rounder's second baseman Jimmy Crotzer and catcher Mike Hemperly earned all tournament honors on the weekend, as did Damian Guerrero and Joe Salcido.

Palm Springs and Amigos Fortunes on the Rise

Palm Springs made their second trip to the Final Four, winning 4 games in a row before falling to Raymar in the semi-finals, including a win Sunday morning over the league leading Edge, while the Amigos made the Final Four for the first time, and pressed the Rounders to the wall, behind the pitching of young Anthony Martinez.  The Amigos snapped Dan Zupp's 11 game win streak with a one run win over San Diego on Saturday.  Rumor has it that the Amigos will be the lone Southern California team competing in the National qualifier this (Memorial) weekend in Fresno. 

Standings Tighten Up

The weekend tightened up the Alliance standings considerably, with Edge and San Diego now tied for first, while the Rounders and Raymar are tied for third place.  With the tournament title and a 3-0 Saturday, the Rounders picked up two points to catch Raymar. 

Pack Tightens on League Leaders Edge and San Diego

The Edge and San Diego, which started the weekend with 61 and 59 respectively, and a comfortable cushion over the rest of the pack, fell to within striking distance (4 points) of Raymar and the Rounders, who are now tied for 3rd with 64 points.   San Diego claimed 5th place on the weekend, gaining two points on 6th place finishing Edge leaving those two teams in a 68 point tie for the league's top spot.

For the Edge, it was their worst weekend of the Alliance season, going 1-2 on Saturday with losses to the Rounders and So Cal Fear, and another to Palm Springs on Sunday, going 2-3 on the weekend.

The strong third place finish at Lancaster by the Amigos catapulted them over the Black Sox into 5th place, with Palm Springs now only two points behind the injury-riddled Black Sox.  Kudos to Fred Hanker for a lot of hard work to fill spots for all of his injured players.  If the Black Sox were a soap opera, they would be "General Hospital".  But hurt or not, they continue to battle, a credit to Fred's leadership.  

We've posted most of the "Game Recaps" from information available.  (see menu button at upper left).   If you have any of the missing information, including scores, winning and losing pitchers or game details, email us at info@fastpitchwest.com

[Saturday night -5/22/04-LANCASTER, CA]- Only two of eleven teams finished Saturday with perfect 3-0 records, the Rounders and Palm Springs, the first time both clubs have turned in a 3-0 Saturday.   The Rounders got past the league leading Edge at 9am Saturday morning, adding wins over So Cal Fear and the Black Sox, while Palm Springs came from behind to beat 3rd place Raymar, 6-5 in one of two Saturday night games.   The biggest surprise of the day was the league leading Edge falling twice, including a 10-8 nightcap loss to So Cal Fear which went 2-1 on the day.   San Diego clinched the top seed in their pool with a 2-1 record, beating (and losing to the Amigos, who also went 2-1.

For complete scores and round robin standings, click menu buttons at left.