ALBANY — The East Bay Oaks girls baseball club made a bit of history as it hosted the Western Regional Tournament, presented by the Baseball for All organization, for the first time last weekend.
The tournament, which brought together teams in three age groups — 14-and-under, 11-and-under and 9-and-under — from around the region, not only provided competition, but also an environment that fosters and encourages girls to participate in the sport.
The Oaks, who have players from Albany, El Cerrito and Berkeley, practice throughout the year. Some players also participate on Little League teams — including Albany Little League — during the spring.
During the June 22 opening ceremonies at Memorial Park in Albany, Oaks player Teagan Knowles gave a speech that partly read, “I love playing with all the girls on the Oaks and watching us get better from every practice. I have always felt supported on the field from the players. I haven’t had a coach tell me I couldn’t play.
“I know I am lucky and that there are many girls that haven’t had the same support from their coaches.”
Games took place June 23-24, with the 14-under Oaks beating the San Francisco Bay Sox in three close games — 10-7, 9-6 and 12-8 — to win the championship.
The East Bay Hurricanes won the 11-under division, beating the L.A. Monarchs 18-6 in the first game and the San Francisco Bay Sox 12-1 in the second game. In the championship, the Hurricanes again defeated the Monarchs, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 9-8 win.
The event was a precursor to the national tournament in Rockford, Illinois in August, and was the third tournament the Oaks have participated in since the club was founded in 2016. The Oaks competed in the national tournament that year, and traveled to Rockford for the 2017 nationals, as well.
In last year’s national tournament, the 11-under Oaks won their first four games and finished in second place.