The 8-and-under William S Hart Pony Baseball & Softball team, the HartThrobs, again qualified for the California state tournament held this past weekend.
Made up of 11 girls, HartThrobs became one of 12 teams to compete in the championship after winning four of the five invitational championships throughout Southern California.
“I mean, going there one time in a row is a massive accomplishment and a lot of things have to go your way. And so, to be able to do it two years in a row with a lot of the same girls is very special,” said coach Bobby Paschal. “It’s a testament to their families, it’s a testament to how hard they work, you know, and just the commitment to, you know, excellent kind of thing, right?”
Paschal said his team was the youngest team to make it last year. The team has been together for over a year now and has worked hard throughout each season they have played, he said.
He added that all the girls are special because they always fight, win or lose.
“Like we always talk about how Santa Clarita, the blue-collar community and it shows in these kids. They come to come to practice, they work really hard, and they go out there on these games,” Paschal said.
Paschal added that playing the sport takes a lot of dedication and that it is always a long day.
“I mean, it’s a long summer. We’ve been going after this since the beginning of May … It’s a commitment financially, mentally, physically, for everybody. The parents, you know, leaving work early doing that,” Paschal said.
The HartThrobs ended up finishing in the top eight in the whole state, according to Paschal.
The team lost a nine-inning game, 1-0, to the state champion Bonita Valley, Paschal said.
The team members are: Kayley Paschal, Cassidy Muhilly, Zoey Bernal, Harper Susdorf, Elle Piña, Blake Reaves, Amyla Robinson, Parker Odom, Olivia Teran, Delilah Valenzuela and Itza Ramos.
