Burton hosts pitch, hit and run event
For the first time, the local portion of the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run skills challenge featured a softball-only format last Saturday at Cape Coral Softball’s Burton Field.
In the 7-8 year-old age group, Emma Johnson swept through the events to take the all-around title. Other all-around winners included Melanie Davis in the 9-10 division, Shannon Kraznica in 11-12 and Amber Plaza in 13-14.
In the 9-10s, Tabytha Weinstein won the running event. In 11-12, Annette Castaldo and Rebecca Sullivan won the hitting and running, respectively.
Other winners were Sidney Wilson (hitting) and Megan Sullivan (running) in the 13-14s. Sullivan and Plaza tied in the pitching event.
Though it is the first time the league began its competition with softball only, it’s the third year to host an event. The previous two years were the baseball skills challenge.
After the local competition last year, Cape Coral Softball took part in a pilot softball program, which now includes all levels in local, sectional, team and national.
Local winners are eligible to compete in the sectionals.
Cape Softball members have performed well in skills challenge, and the pilot softball program last year.
As a 9-year-old last year, Brooke Lynn Ciccone won the super regional in the softball pilot program. Her score was compared to other regional finalists with the top 10 earning a spot in the national event at the MLB All-Star Game. She placed just outside the top 10.
In 2007, 10-year-old Katelyn Kelly advanced to the Florida Team Championships at Dolphin Stadium. Kelly was the only girl to make it that far, after winning the local competition and competing against mostly boys at the sectional level.