The Goleta Thunder, a 12-under all-star girls softball team, won the USA Softball Western National Championships in Roseville, California, making history for the 12-U age group. No Goleta team that young has ever conquered nationals.
“It was 100 percent incredible and crazy. They came together right at the perfect time for the tournament,” team parent Sean Malarkey said of the girls’ undefeated performance.
The team won the championship 8-0 last week, defeating some of the “best teams in California” in the tournament — during which temperatures reached up to 105 degrees — Malarkey said. They went 3-0 in the first series of pool play and 5-0 in double-elimination bracket play. In the first round of bracket play, the girls beat their opponents, Tacoma, Washington's Sundodgers, by a 15-0 mercy victory.