Pima players hoist the national championship trophy after winning their title on Saturday in Plant City Stadium.

PIMA WINS 2ND SOFTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
2006-05-20

Plant City, Florida -- Fourth-seeded Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ) edged #3 Gulf Coast Community College (Panama City, FL), 3-2, in the title game this afternoon at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division I women’s (fast pitch) softball national championship. The Aztecs (60-10) grabbed a quick 1-0 lead then had to battle back from a one-run deficit to claim their second national title in three years. Pima also beat Gulf Coast by one run in the 2004 national championship.

Freshman outfielder Ashley Aldrich hit into the second out of the top of the top of the third inning, but it brought home Amanda Duran with the eventual game-winning run in Plant City Stadium, leaving Gulf Coast (56-10) still without a national softball title.

Dana Alcocer pitched a complete game for the win and was named tournament MVP. The Aztecs won all five games they played at the event, which began on Thursday.

Gulf Coast’s Debby Connor had hit a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning to give the Lady Commodores a 2-1 lead. Freshman Sarah Dooley went the distance and took the loss.

The national championship, which took place at the world headquarters of the International Softball Federation (ISF), will return to Plant City in 2007 & 2008.

Number Two Indian River Community College of Ft. Pierce fell hard in the semi-final game, which was a battle of Florida teams. Gulf Coast hung a 9-2 defeat on the Pioneers, who finish at 57-13. Indian River had actually taken an early lead with single tallies in the bottom of the first two innings, but the Lady Commodores got things going in the top of the fourth inning and avenged a 3-1 loss to Indian River from yesterday afternoon.

The first four Gulf Coast batters singled in the top of the fourth and two batters later, with the score 2-2, the bases were loaded with just one out, forcing the Pioneers to change pitchers, which didn’t stop Gulf Coast. Anadys Suarez’s 2-RBI single made it 4-2 and the next at-bat ended the inning with the Lady Commodores up by two. One inning later they scored three more times, highlighted by a 2-RBI single from Natalie Vogler. Gulf Coast tacked on two more scores in the top of the sixth on a home run to deep left field by Debby Connor. Vogler finished 3-for-4 with a run scored. Winning pitcher Sarah Dooley went the distance, striking out seven and walking just two.

In the first game this morning, sixth seeded Chattanooga State Technical Community College (55-14) had their four-game winning streak snapped, falling 4-1 to Gulf Coast. The Lady Tigers had opened the tournament Thursday with a 4-1 loss to the 11th seed, but ran off four straight victories until their bats fell silent on Saturday. Gulf Coast’s Stacie David pitched a complete game, striking out eleven Chattanooga batters. Offensively, Blythe Golden and Anadys Suarez hit two-run home runs in the second and seventh innings, respectively, to lead the Lady Commodores.

The 2006 NJCAA All-Tournament Team was: