The 2011 ASA Women’s Open Slow Pitch National championship trophy landed in familiar hands on Saturday evening at ASA Hall of Fame Complex. Enough Said (Tallahassee, Fla.) defeated Armed Forces 16-2 in the “if necessary” game to capture back-to-back Women’s Open titles. Ending the day with a 3-1 record and outscoring its opponents 44-17, Enough Said was led by tournament All American, batting champion (.867) and Most Valuable Player Aree Jenkins. The outfielder went 13-for-15 with 10 runs scored, one home run and five RBI.
“We really had a great time at the tournament this weekend,” said Jenkins. “The fact that we were able to have fun and come back and play even stronger tonight says a lot about us. It showed what we stand for and what this team is all about. We stick together. We are a family and to come out on top was the best way to end the season.”
The All Armed Forces team forced the “if” game on Saturday evening with a 7-6 victory in the championship game over Enough Said. Armed Forces led 5-1 in the third, but Enough Said pieced together a five-run push in the fifth to take the lead 6-5. However, Armed Forces stayed strong pushing two more runs across in the sixth for the eventual victory.
In the “if” game Enough Said opened the game with a 7-0 lead through two innings and never looked back. A five-run fourth inning highlighted by a Sirene Johnson home run pretty much sealed what would be the 16-2 run-rule victory.
The All Armed Forces Women’s team started strong early Saturday morning putting up 22 runs to Quiet Storm’s (Killeen, Texas) 9 in the first game of the day. The Red, White and Blue then matched up with Derby Girls Combat (Seattle, Wash.) who earned a first round bye after finishing runner-up in the 2010 championship. A tight contest that was knotted up at four-all in the third inning, Armed Forces added three runs in the top of the fifth for the eventual 7-4 victory. Armed Forces Shaqina Smith led all hitters in the game going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI.
On the bottom half of the six-team bracket, Ian’s Pride (Calhoun, Ga.) notched a morning victory with an 8-3 win over Hit List Softball (Moore, Okla.). Defending 2010 champion Enough Said (Tallahassee, Fla.), who earned a bye in the first round, then demonstrated its strength with a decisive 11-5 triumph over Ian’s Pride.
Enough Said then continued to go on a tear in the winner’s bracket final with an 11-3 win over Armed Forces. Jenkins assisted in the win tallying 4-for-4 outing with three runs scored and two RBI.
From the loser’s bracket Derby Girls Combat rallied back with a 15-2 afternoon win over Hit List before another double digit 13-2 win over Quiet Storm (Killen, Texas) placed them back in contention for the title.
A rematch from earlier in the day, Derby Girls and Armed Forces squared off in the third place game and battled back and forth. With three lead changes, Armed Forces advanced to the championship game with a bottom of the seventh 7-6 victory after a Trina McGee line drive base hit to right field plated the winning run. Derby Girls Combat finished third in the tournament with a 2-2 record followed by Quiet Storm at fourth, Ian’s Pride in fifth and Hit List in sixth.
2011 ASA Women’s Open All- American Team
Infield: Diana Williams, Enough Said
Infield: Ashley Camp, Armed Forces
Infield: Lorita Williams, Quiet Storm
Infield: Trina McGee, Armed Forces
Infield: Stacie Symonds, Enough Said
Outfield: Aree Jenkins, Enough Said
Outfield: Shaqina Smith, Armed Forces
Outfield: Stefanie Watt, Derby Girls
Outfield: Andrea Jackson, Quiet Storm
Utility: Tracey Bougere, Enough Said
Utility: Karrie Warren, Armed Forces
Utility: Christan Dowling, Derby Girls
Utility: Mya McRae, Derby Girls
Utility: Sirene Johnson, Enough Said
Pitcher: Mary Hoff, Enough Said
Batting Champion: Aree Jenkins, Enough Said (.867)
Home Run Champion: Tie; 3 each; Christan Dowling, Derby Girls; Wendy Klein, Quiet Storm
Most Valuable Player: Aree Jenkins, Enough Said
