A dream weekend for softball squad

What does “Mountain Dream” mean to San Lorenzo Valley sports fans?
To a group of girls 14-and-under, it’s the heart and soul of girls fast-pitch softball.
The “Mountain Dream” team has been around for numerous years and continues to inspire young girls to work and play as a team for the one of the sports they love the most.
And, both working hard and dreaming is what they do best.
It’s 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, and the girls are preparing themselves for the American Softball Association’s Junior Olympic 14-and-under B class tournament in Lake Tahoe. They had four dreams (in coach lingo, “goals”) for this tournament and accomplished each one.
The first was to win at least two of three games in the first round of pool play (they won all three), bat through the batting order, to turn a double play, and to play in the championship.
A fifth dream, at least for Michelle Hitt, was to hit at least one home run.
She hit five.
The coaches made no second guesses when they chose to volunteer their time to support this year’s dynamic mix of seasoned and new players for Mountain Dream.
As a result of the girl’s dedication, with only a few weeks of early practice, the team came together in unexpected ways.
“Pitchers always do better and throw more strikes when they have confidence in the defense behind them. I always promote the less-experienced players and this weekend proved they were a big part of the success. They were able to make plays and get on base. That allowed the big hitters to move them across the plate,” said San Lorenzo Valley High Coach of the Year, Mark Brown, who was a supporting a spectator to the tournament.
True to the team’s goals, they exceeded their dreams.
“We had very few pass balls and only two or three stolen bases, which were a credit to great catching and well-placed pitches,” said a coach.
By the third game, fully covered in dirt from grinding, glee inducing slides, the team ended strong.
So, it wasn’t unexpected, that after Saturday’s play, the evening’s “girl” topics weren’t about boys, but the day’s best and funniest plays, and Sunday’s playoffs.
On Sunday, the team of cheering parents was clearly not disappointed.
They took their first game, then a second.
But the third, with only 10 minutes of rest in between games, provided the team with a challenge.
It was the bottom of the fifth and the girls had only scored one run, with Burlingame up by six.
But Mountain Dream, true to their courage and perseverance, rallied with four more runs. This team was not going down easy and the crowd went wild.
In the end, the team fell short and took second place in the tournament, but according to the opponents, it was the best game they’d had the entire tournament.
For the girls of Mountain Dream, it was just the beginning. Dream-on Mountain Dream!
Melanie Lindberg is a Felton resident.