Artesia Punishers stay focused, claim berth to USA/ASA National Championships

By Loren Kopff

RIVERSIDE-With nearly a five hour rest period before playing the third of five games on June 19 in the Amateur Softball Association 18-U “A” State Tournament, Artesia Punishers manager Bob Medina took his team to see the new Karate Kid movie. Already with their backs against the wall having lost the first game of the double elimination tournament, the Punishers took most of the story line from the movie, with an emphasis on being focused, and used it in their final three games to qualify for the USA/ASA 18-U “A” National Championships in Hemet in early August.
The Punishers won four straight games out of the loser’s bracket at Orange Terrace Park to qualify for the nationals for the first time since 2008 and fourth under Medina’s watch. They won the 2007 National Championships in College Station, TX.
“Winning is great; this is a plus,” Medina said. “But this is exactly what we wanted out of this tournament. We wanted people to challenge us.”
The clinching game came on the afternoon of June 20 as the Punishers knocked off the (Mission Viejo) American Athletics 5-1 as the team made the most of its five hits. With the game still in doubt entering the top of the seventh inning and the Punishers up 3-1 with two outs, shortstop and recent Mayfair High School graduate Mahrisch Medina singled and came home on a double from catcher Sarah Carrasco (Lakewood High School graduate), who would later score on a wild pitch.
The Punishers took the lead in the third inning when the speedy Medina, who is trading in her blue and silver high school colors for the purple and gold of East Carolina University, hit a fly ball to left to plate second baseman Arren Nunez (South East High School graduate). The lead increased to 2-0 in the fifth when a groundout from left fielder Abrianna Palacio (Garden Grove High School) allowed pitcher Brittany Colenzo, the pride of Downey High School who will be attending Vanguard University, to come home.
The American Athletics finally broke through in its half of the fifth when Emily Craig, a Valley Christian High School graduate, doubled and was replaced by pinch runner Esther Strom, who scored her team’s lone run. Colenzo allowed seven hits, three of which came from Jenny Hurst. But the Punishers were also aided by exceptional defensive play as a pair of runners were thrown out at home. The American Athletics also stranded six runners.
The tournament began on June 18 against the (Mission Viejo) O.C. Elite and the Punishers were holding a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the third. But the O.C. Elite scored four runs in its half of the third and scored the game winner in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Jessica Roper (Mayfair High School/California State University, San Marcos) went three for three while first baseman Kristina Akiona (Pacifica High School) went two for two, scored once and drove in a run.
“We took one of the pitchers out real early because she felt she couldn’t fulfill the obligation of the umpire,” Bob Medina said. “When that happened, we weren’t ready for it and we ended up giving up a lot of runs real quick. But with our backs to the wall, win or lose, this was our plan anyway because we needed to prepare for Nationals or Western Nationals, whichever the case.”
From that point on, the Punishers would be challenged and had to rally in their next three games. On June 19 against the (Tustin) Pure Gold, the Punishers trailed 1-0 before scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth to post a 3-1 victory. The Punishers didn’t get their first hit until the bottom of the fourth when Akiona hit a slow roller between third base and shortstop. The next inning began with Nunez hitting a deep ball to center for an out. But Roper would single to right and be replaced by pinch runner Sydney Colenzo (Downey High School).
Another fly ball to center set the stage for Rochelle Rivera (Fountain Valley High School graduate) who blooped a single to left to bring in Sydney Colenzo. On the very next pitch, the older Colenzo singled to center for the eventual game winner. Brittany Colenzo pitched the first of her four straight stellar games, allowing just two hits and striking out three. When it was all said and done, she threw 329 pitches in the four wins, allowed 18 hits, struck out 11 and had an earned run average of 0.84.
“I can’t say anything more about Brittany,” Bob Medina said. “She’s the most valuable player if I have to say that at all. You get a feeling at some certain point in time in the game that somebody wants it or there’s some kind of drive; there’s just something in the air that that’s the kid. Brit was that kid. Her attitude, her demeanor…everything was about it. That leader quality showed all the way through.”
Following the game was a long lunch and the movie before resuming action against the (Newbury Park) PC Predators where the Punishers scored four times in the bottom of the fifth to turn a 2-1 lead into a 6-1 victory. With one out, Akiona and Mahrisch Medina were walked before Carrasco’s single allowed Akiona to come home. Roper would be hit to load the bases for second baseman Natalia Morales (South East High School graduate). Her infield single brought home Medina. Then a walk to right fielder Amanda Natsuhara (Canyon High School/University of California, San Diego) and a sacrifice fly from the younger Colenzo ended the scoring.
“It kind of gave us something to visualize on and we did visualize on it a couple of times when [I] almost got hit [standing in the coaches box],” Bob Medina said of the movie. “It kind of broke the ice a little bit and it was a good, nice warming time [together]. But most of all what they got out of that was they were able to bond and they came out of it staying focused. And anyone who sees that movie…focus. That’s what they were talking about in the dugout.”
The next morning, the (Covina) Minors Gold had a 1-0 lead after half an inning. But the Punishers scored twice in their half, two more times in the bottom of the third and put the game away with a two-spot in the fifth in an 8-3 win.
The bats really came alive as Carrasco went four for four with two RBI and Mahrisch Medina went three for four with two runs scored. But for the second straight game, Morales came up with the biggest hit as she came off the bench in the fifth and delivered a two-out single on a 2-2 count to bring in courtesy runner Celine Fuentes (Ocean View High School) and Sydney Colenzo to make the score 6-3. In the next inning, Carrasco brought in the final two runs with her fourth single.
“I feel like a Major League Baseball player and I said that once before,” Bob Medina said. “You go to [Morales] who is probably one of our best hitters on the bench and she’s been our best hitter. We put her on the bench for this particular reason and she knows what her job is and she accomplishes it every single time.”
For the tournament, Carrasco batted an even .500 while Mahrisch Medina hit .467. Four other players battled at least .300 and as a team, the Punishers had a .322 clip.
Now the Punishers can relax for the next month and tune up for the 18-U “A” National Championships, to be held in Southern California for probably the first time ever. Since 1996, the only California cities that have hosted the event have been Sacramento (1998) and Clovis (2004). Last summer’s tournament was in Las Vegas and in the past 15 years, Illinois has also hosted the National Championships three times while Texas has been the hosts twice.
“Where else can we go,” Bob Medina asked with a pleasant grin. “I believe right now that they believe nobody can beat this team. If we keep having the tools with the pitching staff and the hitting on the bench, there are probably not too many teams that are going to be able to take care of us unless we beat ourselves.”