WEST SENECA - The Jamestown Area Girls Softball (JAGS) Under-16 travel softball team finished third in the recent West Seneca Magic Tournament.
It began with an 11-0 win over Magic Team Fitz as Mackenzie Ellis tossed the shutout and Alicia Deering and Khee Nance contributed three hits each.
McKenzie Martin allowed only three earned runs in the JAGS' 8-4 win over the Cayuga Gamblers.
Article Photos
In front, from left, are Kaylei Russell, Emilee Steger, McKenzie Martin, Jessica Leonard, Kaytlin Haines, Karly Schwertfager and Kristi Zink. In the second row are Mackenzie Ellis, Jessica Pace, Victoria Carlson, Amber Riggs, Khyshwaunna Nance and Alica Deering. In back are head coach Bob Pace, assistant coach Dan Martin and assistant coach Bob Leonard. Missing is Kelcie Brown.
Submitted photo
Leading by just 4-3 in the fourth inning, the JAGS loaded the bases with two away and came away with a key two-run hit by Jessica Pace and an RBI hit by Deering.
Ellis and Nance led the way with two hits for the JAGS.
Ellis pitched her second shutout with a one-hitter in a 17-0 victory over Synergy.
Nance led the offense with three hits while Kaytlin Haines, Emilee Steger and Pace added two apiece as the three wins gave the JAGS the top seed in the tournament.
Kristi Zink had three hits, including a triple in her first appearance for the team. Kaylei Russell, Kaytlin Haines and Martin each had two hits in a 8-3 quarterfinal win over the Magic Team Fitz.
One of Haines' hits was a ground-rule double.
Ellis pitched the distance in a 13-5 win over the Magic Orange as the JAGS used its power to back up the pitching.
Jessica Leonard, Zink, Nance, Russell and Pace had extra-base hits with Pace doubling off the left-field wall. Zink finished with three hits while Nance and Russell had two each.
In the semifinals, the JAGS took a 2-0 lead early only to lose to the Magic Team Navy, 6-2.
The JAGS suffered a costly injury when left-fielder Victoria Carlson sustained a concussion when she collided with the fence attempting to catch a fly ball. Her status for the rest of the season is unknown.
Pace and Martin had RBI singles preceded by a single by Nance to give the JAGS a 2-0 lead.
After the injury to Carlson, the JAGS had only a single by Ellis in the sixth inning.
Next up for the JAGS is this weekend's Hamburg Showcase, which is a World Series qualifier.