The Harleysville Thunderbirds 14U Gold fastpitch softball team took first place in the Thunderbirds Fall Fest ASA 14U "B" Eastern National Qualifier Tournament held Oct. 15-16 in Souderton. The Thunderbirds went 5-0, defeating the PA Ball Hawks 4-2 in the championship game. Harleysville, coached by Frank Ball, Ernie Klee, Tom Klee, Rob Reuss, Anthony Rosato and Ken Seal, earned a berth to the Eastern Nationals to be held in Dayton, Ohio in 2012.

Pictured front row (from left): Alyssa Schwab, Jovanna Alfonsi, Ashley Seal, Shannon Hill, Kailey Karabin. Back row: Meghan Klee, KC Beck, Celeste Rosato, Shannon Ball, Allison Klee, Briana Reuss, Rachel Helverson, Emily Oltman. Not pictured:　 Dayna Shelly.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 16U girls softball team went undefeated (four victories and one tie) in winning the USSSA Fallapalooza Softball Tournament at Veterans Park in Quakertown Sept. 24-25.


 Pictured front row: Gabby Binando. Middle row (from left): Kacy Carroll, Jenna Gibbons, Morgan Yoder, Paige Shelly, Dayna Shelly. Back row:  Amanda Loar, Nicole Yanni, Missy Wiley, Erelle Sowers, Becca Shanks. Not pictured: Alyssa Kratz, Ashley Seal.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 12U Fastpitch softball team took third Place  in the Pennsylvania ASA 12U State Tournament held July 8-10 in Jessup.

Pictured front row (from left): Shannon Ball, Shannon Hill, Meghan Klee. Back row: Kailey Karabin, Celeste Rosato, Spenser Gray, Allison Klee, Jovanna Alfonsi, Ashley Seal, Meghan Johnson, Briana Reuss. Not pictured: KC Beck.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds Black 14-and-under fastpitch softball team went 7-2-1 and finished in third place out of 86 teams at the PONY Eastern Nationals in Cary, N.C.

Pictured front row (from left): Becca Shanks, Dayna Shelly, Emily Allen, Bekah Slattery, Jenna Gibbons, Kacy Carroll. Middle row: Savannah Toth, Erelle Sowers, Bridget Casey, Paige Shelly, Nicole Yanni, Morgan Yoder, Amanda Loar. Back row: Coach Ken Shanks, coach Ed Sowers, coach Don Shelly. Not pictured: Heather Milligan.

In the Championship Round, Harleysville held off a last-inning rally by VA Edge to claim a 6-5 quarterfinal victory. The Thunderbirds put runnners on base in their semifinal matchup with W Pine Diamond Dusters, but could not find the bi hit and fell 4-1.

Earlier in the tournament, Harleysville earned a win, loss and tie in pool play, then opened bracket play with a 11-4 victory as it went 5-0 with three shutouts.

Bekah Slattery carried the bulk of the pitching duties, the lefthander throwing the last five games and collecting two shutouts. Emily Allen’s superb defensive efforts at second base prevented a few potential rallies from opponents. Center fielder Jenna Gibbons delivered crucial RBI singles on three occasions in tight games. The long ball off the bat of Kacy Carroll helped bury opponents in three contests. The Thunderbirds thank all who supported our team throughout this fantastic season.

 The Harleysville Thunderbirds 12U Fastpitch softball team won the Thunderbirds Classic: USSSA World Series Qualifier Tournament June 11-12 at Alderfer Park in Harleysville.

Pictured front row (from left): Jovanna Alfonsi, Ashley Seal, Spenser Gray, Celeste Rosato, Meghan Johnson, Kailey Karabin. Back row: Shannon Ball, Shannon Hill, KC Beck, Briana Reuss, Meghan Klee, Allison Klee.

This is the second title of the year for the Thunderbirds 12U,as they had previously taken first in the USSSA Spring Dazzle tournament in April. Since the team was first assembled in September of 2010, it has achieved an overall record of 27-9-2.

The team is coached by Frank Ball, Ernie Klee, Rob Reuss, Ken Seal, Shannon McDonald.

Shannon Hill set the tone for Harleysville in its semifinal contest with the Storm. Hill started the game with three strikeouts as she allowed just one run on three hits and finished with 10 strikeouts in the circle.

Offensively, the Thunderbirds scored five runs on 10 hits, with Ashley Seal going 3-for-3. Hill had a pair of RBI, while KC Beck drove in a run with a double.  Celeste Rosato, Kailey Karabin, Allison Klee, Meg Klee, Jovanna Alfonsi and Briana Reuss all hit singles in the win.

Against Jersey Bandits White 12U in the championship, Seal struck out 10 as she pitched a one-hit shutout to help the Thunderbirds claim a 5-0 victory.

Spencer Gray, Seal and Rosato each finished with multiple hits as the Thunderbirds had nine hits from five different players.

Gray led off with a double in the first inning as Harleysville score three times in the frame, then took a 4-0 lead with a run in the third. In the sixth, Meg Johnson singled, then scored the Thunderbird's fifth run.

The Thunderbirds went 2-0-1 on the first day of tournament. Harleysville opened with an 11-2 victory over Storm, with Shannon Ball collecting a single and an RBI. Harleysville tied Jersey Bandits White 12U of Bordentown, N.J. then topped Tri-County Thunder 10-0. The results earned the Thunderbirds the No. 1 seed entering championship play on June 12.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds U12 fast pitch softball team won the USSSA Spring Dazzle Tournament, held early April in Collegeville.  The team went 5-0 during the tournament.

Pictured front row (from left): Brianna Reuss, Shannon Ball, Shannon Hill, Ashley Seal, Jovanna Alfonsi, Meghan Johnson, Spenser Gray, Celeste Rosato, Allison Klee, Kailey Karabin, Meghan Klee, KC Beck. Back row: coach Ken Seal, coach Ernie Klee, coach Frank Ball, coach Shannon McDonald. Not pictured: Coach Rob Reuss.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 14U Red fastpitch softball defeated the Boyertown Storm 6-2 on May 14 to clinch at tie for first in the 20-team, rain-shortened USSSA May Madness Tournament held at Veterans Park in Richland Township. With the victory, the Thunderbirds assured themselves a berth in the USSSA World Series.

Harleysville trailed 2-0 before Morgan Campbell cut the deficit in half when her RBI Single plated Alyssa Hughes. The Thunderbirds then took the lead with five runs in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Hughes' base hit brought Missy Wiley and Dayna Shelly in for a 3-2 advantage. A Heather Moore single scored Hughes, while Brady Tillotson's two-run triple plated Moore and Samanthi Ali, putting the Thunderbirds up four.

Carlee Fairchild relieved Hughes in the cricle and pitched two scoreless innings to seal the victory.

Earlier, Harleysville defeated the Brandywine Blast 7-4 as Emily Gordon drove in two runs and scored once. Shelly, Wiley, Moore, Tillotson and Campbell also drove in runs while Hughes struck eight for the complete-game victory.

The Thunderbirds also bested Velocity Blue 7-1 with Fairchild collected the complete-game win. Campbell, Ali, Hughes and Moore each collected RBIs, while Emily Adelsberger scored twice.

Harleysville also had made several defensive highlights and timely stolen bases throughout the day. Maddie Cadler and Shelley were outstanding at catcher with Calder playing the position in two of the three games.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 16U fastpitch softball team took first place in the Silver Bracket at the Mountain Madness Tournament July 10-11.

Pictured front row (from left): Shara McCalicher, Jenna Marburger, Haley DeLany, Taylor Schwartz. Middle row: Assistant coach Jaime Schwartz, Sarah Derstine, Taylor Copestick, Lauren Urbanski, Meghan Weisel, Kellie Gilman, Sarah Yerk, Amanda Wolfgang. Back row: Assistant Coach Ernie DeLany, head coach Brian Weisel, assistant coach Jeff McCalicher.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 18-and-under fastpitch softball team won its third tournament of 2010, going 6-0 to claim first place at the Hopewell Bad Girls XVI in New Jersey. The Thunderbirds had previously won the first-ever Midnight Madness in Williamsport and the Memorial Day Classic in Quakertown.

Pictured front row (from left): Krysta Moore, Samantha Leonard, Steph Zischang, Shari Lynne Kluth, Olivia Shoemaker, Kayla Kresley. Back row: Mandi Rush, Laura Gronski, Elizabeth Sowers, Mary Cate Scott, Brittany Bray, Corrine Stiles, Elysha Sowers.

Harleysville won three games on the first, earning one of the top seeds. In the second day's championship bracket, the Thunderbirds defeated NJ Breakers 8-1 and Northampton Lightning 13-0 to advance to the finals.

They won three games on Saturday securing one of the top seeds. The team came out on fire Sunday in the championship bracket beating the NJ Breakers 8 - 1 and Northampton Lightning 13 - 0 to advance to the finals.

Facing the Pennsbury Hurricanes for the championship, Harleysville received solid relief pitching from Kayla Kresley, while Mandi Rush delivered a seventh-inning walk-off RBI single to give the Thunderbirds the 6-5 victory.

Comprised of young ladies from Alburtis, Harleysville, Jeffersonville, Lansdale, Phoenixville, Quakertown, Royersford, and Telford, the Thunderbirds have qualified for USSSA Nationals in Ocean City, Md.

Pictured front row (from left to right): Amanda Loar, Emily Allen, Morgan Yoder, Kacy Carroll, Alex Comonitski. Back row: (L to R): Erelle Sowers, Paige Shelly, Heather Milligan, Nicole Yanni, Becca Shanks, Jenna Gibbons, Bridget Casey, Alyssa Kratz.

The Harleysville Thunderbirds 14U went 6- 1 to capture the ASA Spring Thunder Softball Tournament championship May 22-23.

The Thunderbirds were dominant in pool play, scoring 20 runs in two games as they claimed the No. 1 seed entering the elimination round. Heather Milligan threw a shutout, while Erelle Sowers allowed just a run in the second contest. Sowers, Amanda Loar, Emily Allen and Morgan Yoder each had two-hit games.

The T-Birds earned a 8-3 victory in a rainy elimination-round opener. Kacy Carroll retired 11 consecutive batters in the middle innings. In the third, Yoder drove in a run with a double, followed with singles from Milligan, Sowers and Paige Shelly as Harleysville went up 5-1. The Thunderbirds added another run in the fourth off bunts singles by Loar and Jenna Gibbons.

Against Deep Run, Alyssa Kratz retired 12 of the first 13 batters she face, allowing only a bunt single in the second as the T-Birds won 3-1. Harleysville scored twice in the third on base hits by Shelly and Milligan sandwiching a Yoder double. Harleysville then bested North Penn 4-0 in the winner's bracket final. The Thunderbirds broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a two-run triple by Sowers and RBI singles from Carroll and Bridget Casey. Kratz struck out seven batters and retired nine straight batters leading into the sixth.

Facing North Penn again in the finals, Harleysville dropped the first game, but rebounded to win the tournament with a 5-1 victory.

In the first contest, North Penn scored three in the top of the first, Alex Cominitski doubled to left center and went to third on a Loar bunt. Milligan came in to pitch in the third, allowing two runners to reach base. Down 4-2 in the seventh, Carroll singled, with Loar following with a RBI base hit. An Allen single loaded the bases, but the T-Birds could not complete the comeback.
Harleysville opened the second game with North Penn by scoring twice in the first off two-out singles from Allen, Yoder and Milligan. Another T-Birds' run came home in the third after a Comonitski single, Loar sacrifice bunt and a passed ball. Milligan allowed a run in four innings in the circle. Kratz pitched in relief, retiring nine of the 10 batters she faced and struck out four. In the sixth Allen and Yoder singled. Milligan tallied her third RBI on a ground out. Sowers added an RBI single.