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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 31, 2002
The 12-and-under Clearwater Bullets placed seventh out of 74 teams at the National Softball Association (NSA) World Series in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The hard way.
After winning their first game July 22, the Bullets lost 2-0 the next day to the Pittsburgh Power Red and were forced into the losers bracket. One more loss would have meant an early trip home, but the Bullets woke up, fighting through a tiring 48-hour stretch.
The Bullets won two games Wednesday, both shutouts, then added 10-0 and 9-0 shutout wins Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and noon. A 1:45 p.m. game against the Louisiana Legends was an 8-5 triumph, but a fourth game proved too much as the Austin (Texas) Eagles won 6-3.
"Two games Wednesday and four Thursday, that's what happens when you fall into the losers bracket," coach Ed Agen said. "We fell earlier than we wanted to, but actually it was a great effort by the girls."
Players on the team at the end of last fall would not have blinked at the schedule. In one weekend last season, the Bullets played five games on a Saturday and another half-dozen Sunday.
Dunedin's Amber Ehlers and New Port Richey's Brittany Young were the rubber arms in Tennessee, handling all the pitching duties.
Because of its strong finish, the team was invited to the NSA Super Nationals in Peoria, Ill., during Labor Day weekend, where the top teams from the eastern and western U.S. meet.
In other NSA action, the 10-and-under Bullets placed fourth and the 14-and-under team claimed fifth.
MORE BULLETS: As her summer season comes to an end, 18-and-under Red coach Cynthia McGathey knows how to evaluate.
"It's getting the girls on prospect lists, getting faces out there," McGathey said. "If you can pull a .500 season, that's a bonus."
The Bullets nearly did the latter in 35 games over eight tournaments, but, more important, took care of the former.
First baseman Danielle Fry caught the eyes of St. Petersburg College coaches and signed, and six seniors, including Amy McGathey (Northside Christian), Caitlin DeCristofaro (Springstead), Nicole Young (Hernando) and Emily Bayer, established contacts that might pay off.
The team is off until mid September, when another eight-tournament season begins at various junior colleges. The colleges host round-robin tournaments in the fall, providing more difficult competition than 18-under play but also more exposure.
"Coaches don't look at your team, they look at individuals," McGathey said.
All of the Bullets' pitchers return, including McGathey (who finished the summer with a 1.27 ERA), Staci Lyon (Winter Haven, 1.53) and junior Jessica Byrn (Countryside, 3.90).
-- Club softball update will be published Wednesdays in the summer. Coaches are encouraged to call staff writer John Schwarb at 445-4170 or send e-mail to schwarb@sptimes.com by noon Tuesdays.