Opening Ceremonies
The Texas Aces were decked out in their trademark "good guy" white hats for ASA 12U Nationals Opening Ceremonies held at J.R.'s Festival Lakes in Leesburg, Virginia on Monday, August 5, 2002.  The girls paraded around as all the teams were announced, and were busy trading pins in the 100 degree plus heat.  A front came through Monday night and brought the temperature down into the 80's, although rain delayed a few pool games.  The Aces first pool game on Tuesday was pushed back until 10:00 am, so that the 9:00 pm games from Monday night could be completed in the 8:00 am time slot.  All pool games were scheduled for one hour and forty minutes, or seven innings.  All bracket games are to be seven innings.

Pool Play
The Aces drew a very tough pool to start the tournament.  They played the Shamrocks from Washington, DC in their first pool game, and couldn't seem to find their bats, losing 4-0.  After that game, the Aces played the Trailblazers from Southern California, who had lost to the Minors Gold . After putting the first run on the board early in the game, the Aces defense was plagued with errors as they lost 6-1.  This put them 4th in their pool, and in for an early bracket game on Wednesday morning at 10:00 am against the Severna Park Green Hornets , also from the Washington, DC area.

Aces Win First Bracket Game
The Aces played their first bracket game on Wednesday at Potomack Lakes Park.  In that game, the Texas Aces run ruled the Green Hornets 12-0 in 6 innings, as Rhiannon pitched a one hitter.  (Well, maybe two hits, depending on how you scored one -- a hit or an error).  The Aces put one run on the board at a time in the first three innings, then added two more in the 4th and 5th innings, then put up five in the 6th to take a 12-run lead.  The Aces had 15 hits, with 2 doubles and a single for Kayla, and a triple and 2 singles for Kesha, who each had three RBI's.  Rhiannon had a double and brought home two runs, Lindsey had a double and scored twice, and Kendall and Amber had two singles apiece. Kelsea , Megan , and Brytish each had one single.  Defensively, the Aces looked good, although they had a couple of errors. Megan caught a hard line drive at 3rd base for one out.   Lindsey at short and Brytish at 2nd base played well and each made several assists to Kayla at 1st base.  Kelsea caught a pop foul behind the plate for another out. Rhiannon had three strikeouts with no walks.  The Hornets had one base runner in the 2nd on a ball hit back to Rhiannon at pitcher, which she deflected away from Lindsey at short, so the runner got on base.  However, a strikeout and two ground outs left the runner stranded.  In the 5th, the Hornets had another base runner that reached on an error and stole 2nd, and got to 3rd on an overthrow to 2nd. Kayla fielded the next hit and checked the runner at 3rd, and flipped the ball to Brytish covering 1st for the out. Brytish threw to 3rd to get the runner leading off, but overthrew.   Kesha in left field backed up the throw, and threw to the plate to get the runner at home, keeping the shutout going!  The Hornets had one hit in the 6th, and that runner was doubled off for the final two outs of the game on a pop up to Brytish at 2nd.   Way to play Aces!

Aces Win Again!
At 4:00 pm on Wednesday, the Texas Aces played the Georgia Spoilers at Claude Moore Park. The Aces were home team, so the Spoilers batted first.  The Spoilers had two hits and scored one run on a wild pitch in the first inning, but the Aces answered back with four hits and four runs, with singles from Brytish, Kesha (2 RBI's), and Rhiannon (1 RBI), and a double by Megan (1 RBI).   Lindsey and Amy both reached on fielder's choices, but the Spoilers failed to get the outs at 2nd on errors.  Lindsey at 2nd played great defense, going to Rhiannon at 1st for two outs in the 2nd, and Rhiannon made one unassisted out at 1st.  Kendall led of the 2nd with a hit, but was forced out at 2nd on a fielder's choice by Brytish.   Brytish reached 2nd as the Spoilers failed to get the force at 2nd, and Megan hit another single to bring home Brytish. Kayla walked the lead-off batter in the 3rd, but Lindsey threw to Brytish at short for the force at 2nd on the next hit.  Another batter reached as the Aces failed to make a play, and bases were loaded on another Aces defensive error.   Kayla walked another batter to score the Spoilers 2nd run of the game, then came back with a vengeance striking out the last batter.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Rhiannon hit a double, and Kelsea reached on error, but Rhiannon was tagged out going home and Kelsea was left stranded.  The Spoilers led off with a single in the 4th, and advanced the runner with a sac bunt.  Another batter reached on an error, and the Aces failed to get the lead runner on a fielder's choice, leaving the bases loaded.  However, Kendall made a great catch of a fly ball in right field and held the runner at third with a quick throw to Megan at the plate, and a ground out to Brytish at short left 3 runners stranded.  In the 4th, Lindsey reached on an error, and advanced on a single by Kayla , but was out on a line drive double play by the Spoilers when she couldn't get back to 2nd.  Lindsey got her revenge in the 5th when a batter reached on a single, and Lindsey made the unassisted tag of the runner going to 2nd then threw to 1st for a double play!  The Aces had 3-up-3-down in the 5th inning, and neither team reached base in the 6th.  The Spoilers rallied back in the 7th, as they led off with a single.  That runner was quickly retired on a fielder's choice, but the next batter brought home a run on a triple, bringing the score to 5-3.  The next batter followed with a single to score another run, bringing the Spoilers within one run.   Rhiannon came in to pitch for the Aces, and on a hit back to the pitcher, retired the lead runner on a fielder's choice for the 2nd out.  The next batter grounded out to Lindsey at 2nd, who threw to Kayla at 1st for the final out of the game.  Aces win 5-4!

Texas Aces Stay in Winner's Bracket for 4th Round
The Texas Aces advanced into the 4th round in the winner's bracket after another run-rule win, this time over the Amherst Lightning from New York.  The Aces were once again home team, with Rhiannon pitching.  The Lightning led off the first inning with a hit, and the runner advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt.  However, the Lightning hit a grounder to Brytish at short who threw to Kayla at 1st, and Kayla quickly threw to Megan at 3rd who blocked the base and tagged the runner for a double play!  The Aces had 3-up-3-down as they struggled to find their bats.  In the 2nd inning, the Lightning were 3-up-3-down with a pop up to Brytish, a grounder to Lindsey at 2nd, and a fly out to Kendall in right field.  The Aces bats came alive in the 2nd, as Kayla and Megan had back-to-back singles.  After one strikeout, Rhiannon got a hit out to the fence that scored one run, but she was held at 2nd and Megan at 3rd after the ball went under the temporary fence.  It would have been at least a triple with 2 runs scoring with a real fence. Amy reached on an error on a fly ball to left field as Megan scored.  Two outs left two runners stranded.  The Lightning had another 3-up-3-down inning, with a ground out and a pop up to Lindsey at 2nd, and an unassisted out at 1st by Kayla .  Lindsey had a single for the Aces in the 3rd, but was left stranded. Rhiannon ran into a little trouble in the 4th as the Lightning led off with a single.  The next batter followed with another hit, and the runner scored. Another hit followed, putting two runners on base.  On a grounder to Kayla at 1st, Kayla threw to Kelsea at catcher to get the out at the plate.  Lindsey made a quick decision on the next hit to get the 2nd out at 1st when she didn't have a play at the plate, and another Lightning run scored, tying the score at 2-2, before a line drive to Kayla at 1st ended the half inning.

Kesha led off the bottom of the 4th with a single, and scored on a triple by Rhiannon.  Amber came in to run for Rhiannon, and scored on a sac fly by Amy.  Kelsea and Kendall followed with singles, and a single on two outs by Lindsey scored both runners. Lindsey was left stranded, but the Aces were up 6-2. The Aces got a quick ground out in the 5th, but that was followed by a single.  On another hit to short, the Aces failed to get the force out at 2nd. Another single by the Lightning loaded the bases.  The next batter grounded to Rhiannon at pitcher, who got the force out to Kelsea at the plate, and Kelsea threw to Kayla at 1st for another double play! Megan walked to start the Aces 5th inning, but got out on a fielder's choice, and the Aces left one runner stranded. In the 6th, the Lightning lead off runner reached on an error, and after a fly out to Kendall in right field, the next batter hit a pop up over 1st base. Kayla couldn't get to it, but Kendall covered and quickly fielded the ball to get the force at 2nd.  However, the umpire called the runner safe on interference at 1st.   Kendall caught the next fly ball to right field, and caught the runner at first in the Aces 3rd double play of the game!  Way to go defense!  In the bottom of the 6th, Kelsea and Megan both walked. Lindsey then reached on a fielder's choice to 3rd, but no one was covering the base, so the 3rd baseman threw to 1st, but made a bad throw which allowed Kelsea to score.  Kayla followed with a single that brought home Kendall.   Megan was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Kesha followed with a single that dropped between short and left field, and another run scored.  After the 2nd out, Amber hit a single to bring home one more run, and the game was called as the Aces led 10-2 in the 6th!

Aces Lose to San Jose Sting
The Texas Aces played the San Jose Sting from California on Thursday at 6:00 pm at Potomack Lakes Park.  This game, the Aces didn't have the home team advantage.  The first inning, the Aces had 3-up-3-down, although they all made contact.  The first Sting batter reached on a dropped pop up and advanced to 3rd on a passed ball and a sac bunt.  However, the next batter hit the ball back to Kayla, who checked the runner at 3rd, and started to throw to 1st, but instead picked off the runner with a throw to Kendall at 3rd.  During the next at bat, Megan threw to Lindsey to catch the runner trying to steal 2nd.  Megan walked with one out in the 2nd, but was forced out at 2nd base.  Rhiannon hit a line drive back to the pitcher which knocked the pitcher's glove off, but she recovered the ball and threw to 1st for the 3rd out.  In the bottom of the 2nd, Kayla walked a batter on one out, which was followed by a single.  The next ball hit to Lindsey at short got the lead runner in a force at 3rd, but another walk loaded the bases.   Brytish made a diving catch at 2nd base on a line drive for the 3rd out, keeping the score tied at 0-0.  Amy led off the 3rd with a single, followed by a single from Amber .  The runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a ground out, but Amy failed to score from 3rd on what should have been a sac fly to center field by Brytish .  A ground out ended the inning, leaving two runners stranded.  The Sting had 3-up-3-down in the 3rd.

Kayla led off the 4th with a double, followed by a single by Megan, which advanced Kayla to 3rd.  After a pop up out, Rhiannon grounded out to short, but Kayla was unable to score from 3rd.  A deep fly out to center field left two more runners stranded.  The Aces defense got the Sting 3-up-3-down again in the 4th with two ground outs to Lindsey at short and one back to Kayla at pitcher.  On two outs in the 5th, Brytish reached base on an error, and advanced on a single by Lindsey , but both were left stranded on a deep fly ball to center field.  The Sting had two quick outs with two ground outs to Kendall at 3rd, followed by a single, but the next batter popped up and Megan snagged the ball for the 3rd out.  The Aces had 3 pop up outs in the 6th.

The Sting came out swinging in the bottom of the 6th, and led off with a single.  The next batter reached on an error as the runner reached 3rd.  That was followed by a two-run double, to put the first and only runs of the game on the board for the Sting.  After a ground out and a strikeout, Kelsea fielded the next ball at 3rd and got the runner going home for the final out.  The Aces had one more chance to put runs on the board in the top of the 7th, but had three ground outs which ended the game. Kayla pitched a great game, the defense was strong throughout the game, despite a couple of errors, and the girls hit the ball well.  They just couldn't come up with the runs with runners in scoring position when they needed to.

Texas Aces Beat Chino Sidewinders
The Texas Aces played the Chino Sidewinders from California at 10:00 am on Friday to start a long day. Rhiannon pitched for the Aces, who were the home team.  After Kayla caught a pop foul on first for the first out, the Sidewinders got a hit, and the runner advanced to 2nd on a passed ball.  Kendall made a great catch for the 2nd out when the next batter hit a fly ball to right field .  The next batter hit one into center field, which Amber snagged and threw home, where Kelsea was waiting to tag the runner trying to score!  The Aces bats were on fire, as Brytish led off with a single, followed by singles from Lindsey and Kayla .  The Sidewinders went to a new pitcher with bases loaded and no outs when Megan came up to bat.  Megan unloaded another single, which brought home the Aces first two runs.  Kendall hit to center field for a fielder's choice which got Megan at 2nd, but brought home another run for the Aces.  Two ground outs ended the inning with the Aces up 3-0.  The Sidewinders came back with strong bats in the 2nd inning, as they got two back-to-back singles, and a sac bunt advanced the runners. Another runner reached on an error as one run scored, but a ground out and a fly out to short left two stranded.  The Aces had 3-up-3-down in the bottom of the inning.  In the 3rd, the Sidewinders first batter reached on an error, but two fielder's choices to Brytish at short retired the lead runners with Lindsey covering 2nd, and Brytish fielded the 3rd out with a throw to Kayla at 1st.  The Aces once again had 3-up-3-down with a pop up and two ground outs.  The Sidewinders threatened again in the 4th as they led off with a single, and advanced the runner with a sac bunt.  The next batter reached on an error, while the runner scored from 2nd.  That was followed by a single to left field, which Kesha quickly threw to home.  The runner tried to score, but the runner left the base path trying to avoid the tag by Kelsea , and was called out on an appeal to the blue.  Another batter reached on a bunt, but a ground out left two stranded, with the Aces leading 3-2. 

Kendall led off the bottom of the 4th with a single, followed by a single from Kesha. Rhiannon hit into a fielder's choice which got Kendall at 3rd, but the runners advanced on a ground out. Kelsea was given the signal to hit and run, but after one foul she couldn't bunt a low pitch. With the count 0-2 and 2 outs, Kelsea unloaded a double that brought home 2 runs and broke open the game for the Aces!  The Sidewinders threatened again as they led off the 5th with a double. The runner advanced to third on a fly out to right field, but a line drive to Brytish at short and ground out left the runner stranded.  In the bottom of the 5th, Kayla hit a single on one out, and came home on a double by Megan.  The Sidewinders brought in their 3rd pitcher of the game, and got the 2nd out on a grounder.  However, Kesha came up with a single to score Megan and bring the Aces lead to 7-2.  In the 6th, the Sidewinders again led off with a single, but on a grounder to 2nd, Lindsey tagged the runner and threw to Kayla at 1st for a double play! Lindsey then fielded the next grounder for the 3rd out.  The Aces rallied again in the 6th, as Amy led off with a single.  Kelsea hit into a fielder's choice, but the Sidewinders dropped the ball at 2nd. Brytish followed with a double to bring home two more runs for the Aces, bringing the score to 9-2.  One more run would have been a run rule, but two fly outs to center and a strikeout gave the Sidewinders one last at bat in the 7th.  The first batter grounded to Lindsey , then a base hit put a runner on 1st.  However, Rhiannon got the lead runner on a grounder back to the pitcher, and a fly out to Brytish at short ended the game, and the Aces advanced to the next round!

Aces Shut Out Scottsdale Storm
After a one game break, the Aces next opponent was the Scottsdale Storm from Arizona, who had won over the USA Athletics - Campbell in the previous round.  The Aces were once again home team, this time with Kayla pitching.  The Aces got 3-up-3-down, with a pop foul to Kelsea at 3rd and one to Megan at catcher, and a ground out to Brytish at short.  Brytish led off with a single for the Aces, which was followed by a single from Lindsey.   Kayla helped the team out with a two-run double, and for the second game in a row, the other team switched pitchers after only three batters!   Megan followed with a single as Kesha, running for Kayla , advanced to 3rd.  Kesha was caught trying to steal home as Megan tried to draw the throw by stealing 2nd.  Kendall followed with a single, but two ground outs left two runners stranded.  In the 2nd inning, after one ground out, Kayla struggled trying to find the umpire's strike zone, which didn't seem to include anything near the knees or the outsides of the plate.  Kayla walked two batters in a row, then got the 2nd out on a grounder back to the pitcher.  After another walk loaded the bases, Lindsey caught a pop up for the 3rd out leaving all three runners stranded.  In the bottom of the 2nd, Kelsea got a single, and scored on a double by Lindsey , to bring the Aces lead to 3-0.  In the 3rd, the lead-off batter for the Storm reached on a "dropped 3rd strike" when she swung at a wild pitch, but was caught rounding 2nd too far after a sac bunt was fielded by Megan at catcher to Lindsey covering first, who threw to Kayla who tagged the runner heading for 3rd for the second Aces double play for the day. Kendall walked in the 3rd,  but was tagged out going for an extra base on a single by Amber.  Amber was left stranded.  The Storm had two more base runners in the 4th on walks, but two ground outs and a strikeout left both runners stranded. Kelsea and Lindsey each had singles in the bottom of the 4th, but both were left stranded.

On two outs in the 5th, the Storm got their first hit of the game when the batter reached first safely on a bunt.  However, a fly out to Amy in center field left the runner stranded.  In the bottom of the 5th, Kendall hit a single, which caused the Storm to bring in another pitcher, but Kendall was left stranded on a fly out and a ground out.  The Storm led off the 6th with a hit out to left field for their 2nd hit of the game, but the runner was retired on a fielder's choice, and Kayla got two strikeouts to leave a runner stranded and keep the shutout going.  Amy walked in the bottom of the 6th, and was safe at 2nd on a Storm error when Kelsea hit into a fielder's choice.   Brytish followed with a single to load the bases.  Lindsey was thrown out at first on a grounder to right field as a Amy scored. Kayla and Kendall each hit singles to bring home another run apiece, bringing the Aces lead to 6-0.  The Storm had one last chance to bat in the 7th.  After Kayla walked the first two batters, Rhiannon came in to finish the game.  Rhiannon walked the first batter she faced to load the bases with no outs.  On a line drive to short, Brytish ran the ball to third for an unassisted double play, and a ground out to Lindsey completed the shutout. 

Aces Finish in Top 12!
The Aces had to play back-to-back against the Invasion from California who had lost to the Nashville Nighthawks. The Aces were once again home team, with Rhiannon the starting pitcher.  The Aces found out that the Invasion team is very aggressive and quick on the bases! After the first runner reached on an error, the Aces failed in several attempts to get the lead runner on fielder's choices.  After a couple of hits and a ground out brought home runs, the Aces were finally able to get the lead runner at the plate, leaving the score 3-0 before the Aces even batted.  The Aces had 3-up-3-down in the first.  The Invasion had two hits in the 2nd, but the lead runner was called out for leaving the base early. The Aces were successful in getting a fielder's choice at 2nd, and a strikeout kept the Invasion from scoring in the 2nd.  The Aces got aggressive with their bats in the bottom of the 2nd, and Megan , Kendall , and Rhiannon loaded the bases with back-to-back singles.  However, the Invasion made a 1-2-3 double play against the Aces, and a strikeout left two stranded.  After a line drive out to Brytish at short in the 3rd, the Invasion got four back-to-back singles which brought home two more runs. However, on another line drive, Brytish ran through 3rd before the runner could get back for another unassisted double play !  The Aces couldn't get on base in the next three innings.  The Invasion had one runner reach on an error with two outs in the 4th, and the runner scored on a double. After the Invasion hit another double, Kayla came in to finish the game for the Aces and got the final out of the inning.  The Invasion came up with four singles in the 5th and brought home one more run.  After the lead Invasion batter walked in the 6th, two failed fielder's choices loaded the bases.  One more run scored as the blues called Kayla for an illegal pitch.  Amber made two awesome catches of fly balls to center field and held the runner at 3rd each time with quick throws back in, before Lindsey got the final out on a pop up to 2nd.  In the Aces final at bat, Brytish hit a single, but was left stranded on three ground outs.

Although the Invasion run ruled the Aces 8-0 in this final game, the Aces coaches, parents, and players were very proud of how far the team came in this tournament.  When it really counted, the team never gave up!  The defense took care of things in the field, and the bats were hot all week.  The pitchers and catchers did a great job all around.  Finishing in the top 12 of  the ASA National tournament is something we can all be proud of.  Way to go Aces!!!  After the final game, the girls (and parents) went back to the hotel and got cleaned up, then the team celebrated at Joe's Crab Shack in Sterling.  They then had a couple of days for sightseeing in the Washington, DC area before heading home to start a new school year.