Colusa Area Little League’s Junior Softball team saw its remarkable run come to an end on July 24 in Tucson, Arizona, but not before doing something no other team from Colusa had ever done: They represented Northern California at the 2022 West Regional Tournament.
The 13-girl team of Abril Guzman, Alaina Torres, Caeden Agnew, Cece Mitchum, Cindel Oliver, Eliza Mitchum, Elli Santana, Maci Garofalo, Mackenzie Wills, Maddy Wolf, Marlie Berry, Savanna Rochette, and Sophia Sandoval started their journey back on June 27 when they thrashed Marysville then Live Oak on consecutive days, to claim the District 2 Championship.
From there, the team traveled to Sacramento where they defeated Palermo, Auburn, and Feather River before suffering a setback to host North Natomas.
Yet, in the double elimination tournament, Colusa bounced back to edge Natomas 4-3 on July 14 to win the Northern California Championship and punch their ticket to the regionals.
Colusa finished fifth in Tucson, going 2-2 after falling to Alaska in the opener 10-2, before again fighting back to down Oregon 13-3 and one of the two Arizona teams 18-7.
It was against the second Arizona squad that Colusa saw its dream of reaching the Little League Softball World Series come to an end as they fell 8-6.
In spite of the loss, manager Billy Wolf was more than pleased with what his team accomplished this season.
“All I can say is I am beyond proud of them,” said Wolf. “What an amazing season for these young ladies. I was privileged to watch them grow into a dangerous team that always put their entire heart into this game. They worked hard to put themselves into the history books.”
Wolf also went on to credit his assistant coaches, Emma Agnew and Abby Wolf, for their commitment to helping the team improve.
For her part, Agnew explained how the adventure turned into something much more than the actual competition, stating that, “This was an amazing experience for our athletes. They represented our community with pride and positivity. They worked extremely hard on the diamond, but also had the opportunity to make friends with other athletes that share a love for the game of softball.”
Making the experience even more special was the incredible support of the community that contributed over $24,000 to help cover expenses and ensure that families had the opportunity to travel with the team.
It was a gesture that was not lost on an appreciative Wolf, who summed it up by saying, “As for our community, we really cannot ask for a better place to raise these young ladies. The support we received to make sure that each and every family was able to participate in this journey was remarkable.” ■
