Capitol Hill, you, once again, have city champions in your midst.
CHLL Softball Majors, the Rockets, (Girls U11) captured a close win over the competitive Cap City Dolphins, capping off a great season, to win the DC City Wide Softball Title. The Rockets took an early lead with aggressive base running and several close calls at the plate as the Rockets stole home time and again. After the third inning the Rockets were up 12-2 but the Dolphins fought back hard with a home run and several base hits to make it a close game. The Rockets were victorious with a final score of 12-11.
As the medals were presented the girls cheered and hugged each other demonstrating great team spirit. They thanked their coaches, Cat, Kathleen and LT for leading them to victory but more importantly teaching them the fundamentals of the game and encouraging them to keep trying. The players all attend several different schools — Watkins, Brent, St. Peters, Capitol Hill Day, Basis, Brookewood, Washington Latin and Immanuel — but team spirit bound them together and they were excited to cheer each other on, whether in the batter’s box or the outfield.
Throughout the spring the girls worked hard — practicing as often as twice a week — fielding, hitting, pitching and catching and their efforts paid off in a big win on Sunday. They played most of their games at Tyler Field on Sunday afternoons and were supported by neighbors and family. Several of the girls had brothers playing in the CHLL Majors or AA — they too had fun cheering the girls.
The Rockets as well as their sister team, the Eagles (girls 12+), have been sponsored by generous support from Capitol Hill real estate agent and philanthropist, Phyllis Jane Young. The Rockets will present Ms. Young with a special photo along with their thanks for her longtime support of CHLL.
Capitol Little League President Seth Shapiro expressed the neighborhood’s pride saying “We are so proud of the girls on both our softball teams and their accomplishments this year. We have a fantastic set of volunteer coaches in our softball division and they have been able to really teach and excite these players. Softball is alive and well on Capitol Hill.”
Do you know a girl who might be interested in giving softball a try? The Rockets and Eagles will have skill clinics throughout the summer and welcome girls to join them. They will continue playing fall ball and hope more girls will come out for the fun, camaraderie and excitement of softball! Beginners welcome — with such great coaches, they’ll be stars in no time. More information can be found at http://www.
The 9/10 and 11/12 CHLL All Star Baseball teams are in practice now for their respective City Tournaments so Capitol Hill Little League isn’t quite finished yet. We will keep you posted on the baseball action.