Noelle McGuire couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend her summer vacation than to be with her friends while making a little history along the way.
The 17-year-old Deerfield Beach teenager played a key role recently in helping her fast pitch travel softball team – the Sunrise Thunder – win the United States Specialty Sports Association 18-Under South Florida B State Championships with a 1-0 victory over the Palm Beach Pride Heat at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach.
Sarah Maloney tossed five shutout innings, gave up one hit and struck out six for the Thunder in the championship game. Tiffany Thompson scored the winning run in the third inning when Heather Bramos was struck by a pitch with the bases-loaded. Bramos went 10 for 11 with seven RBI’s in the state championships.
“We’ve been through a lot,” said McGuire, who played second base for the Thunder and also plays for the Pompano Beach High School team where she is a senior. “We are competitive and we are good. We have a good bond.
“Winning a tournament like this is good for us because it gives us a good reputation,” added McGuire, whose team captured its firstever state championship together. “Winning this is great. This shows that hard work pays off and all of the hours we put into this was worth it.”
McGuire said the team would practice three days a week during the summertime for two hours a day. When her high school season starts, that amps up to five days a week.
The Thunder finished the tournament 6-0 and outscored the opposition, 47-6, in the tournament. Lenny Schlecker, who has coached the Thunder since 2007, said most of the team would continue playing softball in college. The team also went on to finish second in the South Florida A State Championships in Ft. Myers when it dropped a 5-4 decision to the Tampa Heatwave a week later.
McGuire has been on the team for two years and has played softball for 10 years.
“I like to come out on the weekends,” McGuire said. “I love the girls on my team and it makes it fun. I want to play college softball and I work hard every day. I work on my hitting at home. Our team is great and we are like a family. I would rather be in a softball uniform than anything else.”