Mermaid Girls Softball League of Oxnard represented the City of Oxnard and State of California at the Pony National Slow-Pitch Tournament last week in Slidell, Louisiana. The girls captured the National Championship with an undefeated record of 9-0 in the Palomino division (18 and under).
WHAT A PRESTIGIOUS ACHIEVEMENT FOR THESE LADIES... you go girls!!!!
The girls only had a little over a month to prepare for the tournament once the regular season ended. Since the league is non-profit, the girls have to raise all of the money themselves for travel expenses. They do this by seeking sponsorship from the community and conducting fundraisers(e.g. car washes, league dinners, raffles, etc). This year was especially challenging because the team had to raise enough money to travel by plane. (In previous years, the team traveled in rental vans for an extended number of days.)
Committed to the opportunity, these girls sacrificed their entire summer to be on the team, and for some,
this was their first and only trip out of Ventura County.
Team players were: Jessica Lopez (Captain), Amanda Zuniga (Captain), Nydia Fabian, Reyna Garcia, Marisol Montanez, Denise Pech, Robin Puga, Raquel Gonzales, Marissa Pech, Amber Bruno, Crystal Montanez, Ashley Martinez, Brandi Pech, and Julie Puga. Coaches were: Tournament Director Tony Mendoza, League Vice President Anthony Mendez, and Sophia Saenz.
Chaperones were Mermaid Board Members Joe and Veronica Puga, and Mariana Mendoza. Donna Gonzales and Alex Puga also attended and supported the team.
The girls played 9 games in 3 days and underwent extreme weather conditions including high levels of humidity, unbearable heat and scattered rainstorms.
Games were as early as 8:00 a.m. and as late as 8:00 p.m. on any game day, thus the girls had to be prepared to play at all times throughout the 3 day tournament. Since the tournament was held so close to New Orleans, the girls also had the opportunity to witness first hand the devastation of Katrina.
To date, Mermaids are the ONLY slow-pitch softball league on the West Coast and have represented California at Nationals for several years now. The girls displayed excellent playing skills, strong-willed hearts and good sportsmanship and teamwork,
on and off the field. IT WAS TRULY AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE!!
The Mermaids were the only team inthe division to hit homeruns over the fence.Homerun hitters were Robin Puga (5), Reyna Garcia (4), Raquel Gonzales (2), and Nydia Fabian (2). Tournament veteran, Amanda Zuniga, pitched every inning of each of the 9 games. The team's amazing defense only allowed a total of 10 runs to be scored by all the other teams for the entire tournament.
The team was honored by the City of Oxnard at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 24th. They were invited to a breakfast on Thursday, July 26th by the Rotary Club of Oxnard who is one of the team's sponsors. The girls will be working a booth at the Salsa Festival Sat 07/28 and Sun 07/29 in downtown Oxnard.
The tournament team would like to extend its appreciation to
League President Joe Guerra, Mermaid Softball Board Members, the City of Oxnard, ILWU Longshoreman of Port Hueneme,
Rotary Club of Oxnard, Ciro Smog Check, My House Lending, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Camarillo), All Sport Action Photography, Tihomirov Chiropractic Inc.and additional private sponsors.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the team can contact Veronica Puga @ 805.890.8135 or submit donation to:
Mermaid Softball
P.O. Box 342
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
Mermaids have been serving the community since 1967 and maintain an annual membership of 300 girls, ages 4 through 17. The league embodies all the traits set forth by the Pony Organization and encourages positive sportsmanship and fun recreation.
Registration for 2008 begins in October. For info, contact Publicity Chair Mariana Mendoza 805.377.6492
www.mermaidsoftball.org