Rebels 12U Softball Team Is Runner-Up In Benefit Tournament

For girls fastpitch softball in Fairfield County, the Labor Day weekend is always highly anticipated with the season-ending tournament in Trumbull. 

The three-day event attracts some the best softball talent in the 10U-16U categories across Fairfield County who come to pay tribute and raise money for the family of Donna Festa, a major supporter of Trumbull Little League who was tragically killed in a car accident 4 years ago. 

The Ridgefield Rebels 12U team, taking a cue from Irene, stormed into the 1st game with an offensive onslaught of the CT Seahawks led by Christina Casazza, Nicole Kiernan and Claire Phelan, each with multi-hit games. Sage Zunda pitched a complete game as the Rebels breezed to a quick victory 13-1.

In game two, the Rebels' superb defense of Megan Hyatt at second and Kendall Rogoff behind the plate along with Gloria Davey at first kept opponent Fairfield Fury '99 at bay. The Rebels offense played small ball with bunts by Jenna Tumillo, Ryen Fujitani and Jacqueline Nadel as the Rebels' power hitters while the Phelan sisters, Kiernan and Casazza continued their hot hitting. Fujitani and Zunda combined for the victory, shutting down the Fury after the second inning as the Rebels' went up 2-0 in the Tournament.

In game three of Saturday's pool play, the Rebels played the Fairfield Fury '98 team in a great pitcher's duel. Ryen Fujitani posted four and two-thirds impressive innings and left the game in a 2-2 tie. Rookie Jenna Tumillo closed the 5th by inducing the Fury's MVP hitter to strike out. Later in the game Casazza hit a double and came home when Claire Phelan drove a two-hop triple off the left field fence. But the Fury squeaked out a late inning run and stole the victory 4-3.

On Sunday, the Rebels faced the Greenwich Lady Redbirds and won the game by a score of 12-2 behind the hot hitting of Hyatt, Casazza, Kiernan and Leah Phelan. Zunda went all the way for the Rebels on the mound with masterful control and a good mix of her pitches. Kendall Rogoff called a great game from behind the plate while the Rebels infield played nearly flawless defense. 

The Semi-final game pitted the dominant Rebels against a revived CT Seahawks team seeking revenge. This game became an epic nine-inning battle. The Seahawks jumped out to an early 4-1 lead with a couple of walks and key base hits. It took the Rebels a couple of innings to settle and find their tempo, and by the third inning, the Rebel defense and pitching were firing on all cylinders.  In the bottom of the fifth, singles by Jacqueline Nadel, Hyatt, Casazza, Claire Phelan and Kiernan sparked the offense to three runs to tie the game. 

In the first tie breaker after completion of regulation play, the Seahawks scored two runs in their half of the inning. After getting one run back, Meghan Hyatt scored the tying run on a gutsy play tagging up from third on a pop up to the pitcher sending the game into its second tie breaker inning. As the game went into its second tie-breaker, the Seahawks pushed a run across in the top of the 8th  inning to take the lead for the third time. With the Rebels down to their last out and facing elimination again, Sage Zunda singled to right driving in Nicole Kiernan and tying the game one again.

The Rebels' confidence and patience at the plate paid off. Ryen Fujitani laced a 2-2 pitch to left field for a single sending Rogoff to third base.  Gloria Davey stepped to the plate and, in dramatic fashion, drilled a line drive base hit to right field to score Zunda and win the game by a score of 8-7.

Emotionally and physically drained, the Rebels pushed on to the Championship game versus the Fairfield Fury '98. This time, the Rebels' pitching ran out of gas quickly and the Fury posted a 9-0 lead in the first two innings. As darkness crept over the crowd, the game looked out of reach.

But all of a sudden, the defense and pitching caught spark from a phenomenal play by Leah Phelan in right field catching a hard-hit smash on the run over her shoulder taking away a multi-base hit. In the bottom of the fourth inning, hits by Casazza and Kiernan helped drive in 2 runs and put the Rebels on the scoreboard. In the next inning, Jenna Tumillo got the offense going with a walk.  Davey reached on a fielder's choice and Fujitani and Hyatt each singled, setting the stage for the team's two, three and four hitters who delivered big.

Casazza, hitting .588 for the weekend, smashed a triple to centerfield driving in three runs. Claire Phelan, batting .529 for the tournament, followed that hit with a double to right center scoring Casazza. 

Kiernan, who also batted .529 for the weekend, hit a smash to center field but a laser thrown by the Fury’s centerfield to home caught Phelan as she tried to score from second base. Meanwhile, Fujitani, Tumillo and Zunda were trading off innings on the mound trying to settle into a groove. Zunda soon found the zone and sealed up the Fury's offense from the 3rd inning on. 

The never-say-die Rebels were right back in the game with the score 9-6. In the end, however, the Fury outlasted the Rebels and won by a score of 10-6 to become Donna FestaTournament Champions for 2011.