By Tanya Mutz

The Worth Firecrackers of Huntington Beach, CA believe that life is what you make it.
Coach Tony Ricco says that their team goes out and gives it their all every time they step out on to the field; “regardless of the final results [they] do a good job of making it a special experience”, which is exactly what this team did this past season.

With more than just a winning attitude this team has been headed for greatness since 1990 when the team was created by Coach Gary Wardein. Coach Wardein’s purpose in creating an organization was so that young girls had more opportunities to play softball. After seventeen years the league is still going strong, with five teams in the Firecracker organization ranging from ages 12 and under to 18 and under. All teams are doing well, but it is the 18U Gold team who really shined this last season.

With many successes throughout the season their top two biggest wins were the Canada Cup in Surrey, BC and the 18U Gold National championship in Oklahoma City.
Winning the Championship trophy in the Nationals was no easy task for this team, but they just kept fighting. The Firecrackers had the luck of playing the Corona Angels four times. Each game against them was just as tough as the one before. In one of the four games, the Angels were down by two runs but had bases loaded. The Worth Firecrackers had two outs and pitcher Megan Lagenfeld knew she had to work hard to get this next batter. With a battle between the two, Lagenfeld threw a 22 pitch at bat, eventually winning over the batter with a ground out back at her for an easy out in a tough situation. However, the Corona Angels were not the only competition that the Firecrackers saw.

The Worth Firecrackers also faced Florida’s Gold Coast Hurricanes twice in their battle to win Nationals. In each game the teams fought long and hard. However, one of the games between the two was much more difficult than the other. It was a battle between players up until the very end. After many long innings the two teams went in to what Coach Rico could only describe as “an exciting extra-inning win”. The Worth Firecrackers managed to pull ahead, giving them a newfound confidence. With these wins behind them the team could smell victory up ahead.

As the Firecrackers headed in to the Championship game mixed emotions of apprehension, fear, excitement, and anticipation could be seen upon their faces. The Worth Firecrackers would be playing against the Batbusters, the defending National Champs. As the game began the outlook for the Firecrackers was not too good. But, this 18U Gold team did not travel all the way to Oklahoma City for nothing, and there was no way they were going down without a fight. As it was getting late in the game there was a sudden change of setting. The Worth Firecrackers had bases loaded and Wendy Trot was up to bat. With the pressure on, Trot stepped it up at the plate, hitting a double to tie up the game 4-4. The team’s morale started to pick up, as everyone cheered for an intense championship game. As both teams headed into the bottom of the 7th inning, the tie had to be broken, which is exactly what Lini Koria had in mind as she stepped up to the plate. With a hit by Koria, the tie breaking run stepped across the plate, giving the Worth Firecrackers the win in the Championship game for the 18U Gold Nationals.

“Their strengths were their talent and their ability to not overreact to any pressure or adversity that they faced”, says Ricco a proud coach of their champion team.
All season long the Worth Firecrackers achieved greatness. Each player contributed to the team.
“The thing that stands out to me about this team is that there was no one real stand-out player all year long. Honestly, the talent level was extremely high up and down the roster.” What more could Coach Ricco ask for?

As the season came to an end almost as soon as it had begun, the Worth Firecrackers left the field with smiles on their faces.
For more information on the Worth Firecrackers 18U Gold team, please visit their website at http://eteamz.active.com/worthfirecrackers18gold/.