The 14th annual Tournament of Champions presented by Turlock Convention & Visitors Bureau kicked off March 27 as 24 teams from all over the West Coast descended upon the Pedretti Sports Complex in Turlock.
As our California State University, Stanislaus Warriors prepared to host the competitive field of universities they had only one thing on their mind, winning.
The Warriors have had a tough time coming upon wins this season as their record heading into the tournament stood at 9-19. The Tournament of Champions would prove to be just as (if not more so) trying on the Warriors as they faced off against some tough opponents.
The Warriors first game of the tournament was against the Crusaders of Northwest Nazarene University. With the Warriors trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning, two clutch RBI singles from sophomore second baseman Deenah San Luis (Biology) and freshman shortstop Natalie Dorsey (Undeclared) put the Warriors back on top. However, it was not enough in the end to hold off the Crusaders as they walked away the winners 6-5.
The Warriors would not let their next game slip away as they bounced back from their opening game loss with a dominating 8-1 win over Simon Fraser University. The Warriors were victorious due to their combined .321 batting average, five stolen bases and a complete game from senior pitcher, Jessica Varady (Communication Studies) to drop the Dogs.
The Warriors struggled their next three games of the tournament dropping consecutive games to the Montana State Billings, Holy Names and Central Washington.
After a tough middle section of the tournament, the Warriors may have been down but most certainly not out. Their final game would feature a matchup facing one of their CCAA rivals, San Francisco State University. This matchup was particularly important for the Warriors because following the tournament they will face the Gators in a four-game series with CCAA standings on the line.
The Warriors came out swinging against San Francisco State. Scoring early and often, Stanislaus put up a daunting seven runs by the end of the third inning. With RBIs coming from four separate players, the Warriors were simply too much for the Gators to handle.
With a string of tough division series ahead for the Warriors, a solid performance was just what they needed to get back on track and finish the season strong.