Wednesday, July 9, 2003
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Wednesday, July 9, 2003 |
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Vipers qualify for ASA nationals
The Atlanta Vipers 18-under fastpitch softball team from Fayetteville has qualified for the ASA National tournament in Garland, Tex., the last week of July. The team, comprised of mostly Fayette County players, is returning to this prestigious tournament for the second year in a row. The Vipers placed in the top 25 in last year's Nationals in Rockford, Ill. The team, with a current record of 32-5, is paced by the hot hitting of Fayette County High senior Stefanie Norman, who is hitting at a .421 clip with 29 RBI, 16 doubles and 3 home runs. Paige Phillips, also of Fayette County High and a Tallahassee Community College signee, is batting .381 with 23 RBIs and 5 homers. Kelly Fry and Danielle Aszman both are batting .319, while Fry has 4 home runs and Aszman leads the team in stolen bases. Aszman is a Columbus State signee from Starr's Mill High. Megan Nichols of Fayette County High, a Georgia Southwestern signee, has been stellar at third base while FCHS senior Katie Gaspierik's speed, along with that of Kacey Ivey, has contributed greatly to a solid outfield defense and scoring on the bases. Sharing the pitching load and doing an outstanding job are Meredith Gay (16-2) and Blair Potter (14-3). Both have worked hard to keep the team ERA at 0.50. Behind the plate doing most of the catching for the Vipers is Alysha Forsythe, who controls the game calling the pitches and is doing an excellent job. Rounding out the squad is Meghan Mulcahy, who was brought back after her freshman year in college to help out with the catching and other utility duties. Meghan batted .421 in her debut with the team. She is a McIntosh High graduate and a sophomore at UNC-Wilmington. The Vipers qualified last month playing in a National Qualifier in Florence, S.C., posting a 7-1 record, defeating the East Cobb Bullets in the championship game by a score of 6-1. In this game the Vipers jumped out early to 2-0 lead in the first inning with a walk to Aszman and then a line-drive two-run homer off the bat of Norman (her 2nd of the tournament) which turned out to be the game winner. In the third inning, Nichols would drive home Norman with an RBI single who had doubled earlier in the frame. The Bullets put together a couple of hits in the 4th to score a run before the Vipers broke it open in the 6th inning with Mulcahy and Gaspierik both drawing walks in the inning surrounded by 5 hits RBI singles by Norman, and Ivey; singles by Forsythe, Aszman and a double by Nichols. The Vipers would score 3 and cap the scoring. Gay held the Bullets in check scattering 5 hits throughout the contest picking up the win. The Vipers also posted wins in the tournament against the Georgia Diamonds, South Carolina Spinners, North Carolina Crushers, Norcross Flash and two wins against the East Cobb Bullets. The only loss of the weekend was to the East Cobb Bullets. The Vipers will play in the ASA State and possibly the ASA Regional in Spartanburg, S.C., as a tuneup to get ready for the Nationals. The National tournament is comprised of approximately 130 quality A teams from throughout the country. The team is coached by Rex Norman and Scott Forsythe. Check them out at www.eteamz.com/2003vipers18A. Also, the team is looking for additional sponsors to help absorb the cost of the Nationals. If interested, please contact Rex Norman at 770-460-6128.
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