July 28, 2011 - Eden Prairie, MN

South Dakota Fusion Black closed out its impressive 4 year run going 6-2 and finishing 4th at the 2011 NAFA "A" Northern Nationals July 28th-30th in Eden Prairie MN. Black went 3-0 in pool play with wins over the Minnesota Snocats, Minnesota Rockers and the Minnesota Arctic Blast. Pitchers Emily Nichols, Kendall Bosch and Tayler Elster earned the wins respectively. In double elimination bracket play, SD Fusion Black edged Illinois Fusion 4-2 before knocking off the USSSA State Champion Minnesota Stars 5-3 and advancing to the semifinals. The Stars game included a three run homer from Concordia/St. Paul recruit Jade Ptacek and a two run shot from USD recruit Allie Daly.

Click here for the photo gallery of this tournament.

Despite lead off hitter Kersten Bork's home run in the bottom of the first, Fusion Black dropped their first game of the weekend on the final day, with an early morning 11-6 loss to the St. Paul Rookies. Helped by towering back to back home runs from Daly and Laura Hurley, Fusion bounced back with a heart stopping 8 inning 5-4 win over the Omaha Quakes Sliver. The game ended when Fusion's Natalie Shaft hit a 2 out chopper in the infield, then beat the throw to first, allowing Kiely Bren to score from third. Fusion's luck ran out in the following game with a 6-0 loss to the Minnesota Renegades. The game featured some spectacular defensive plays by Fusion, including third baseman Hannah Duerksen gloving a ball hit so hard it was almost impossible to see, shortstop Lizzie Palmer fielding hard hit after hard hit and Devinne Facile's spectacular dive in center. Coach Trent Daly said, "It ended with bases loaded and a close play at the plate. We went down battling. The girls wouldn't have it any other way". Fusion left runners in scoring position six of the seven innings.

Coach Daly added, "We saw a lot of great pitchers this weekend, some who are playing at the college level. We haven't seen a pitcher all year we couldn't hit. Our kids have worked hard this season and it showed with home runs and hard hit balls up and down our line up in every game. A number of our kids can and will play at the college level as well".

After the final game, coach Lonnie Nichols said, "This started out as a group of kids that grew up together and wanted to play softball with their friends. We've added some other kids along the way, but we've never held a try-out. We've looked for kids that wanted to be part of the team. We've tried to make this as much of a family as we can, and we hope that's why so many have stayed over the years. This group has proven that with hard work, anything is possible. They have been able to compete with the best teams in the country. Our young ladies have always put the team before themselves".

In it's four years, South Dakota Fusion Black has:

• won the 14u ASA SD state title in 2008
• won the Sioux Empire Fastpitch 14u "A" city title in 2008
• qualified and played the ASA Hall of Fame tournament in Oklahoma City in 2008
• finished runner up "A" bracket of the 2008 Ringneck International Invitational
• finished 7th at USSSA "B" World Series
• finished ASA 16u state runner up in 2009
• qualified and played the ASA Nationals in 2009
• won the 16u ASA SD state title in 2010
• won the 16u USSSA State title in 2010
• finished 13th at the USSSA A World Series in 2010
• won the Sioux Empire Fastpitch 18u "A" city title in 2011
• finished 4th at the NAFA "A" Northern Nationals
• Won numerous other ASA, USSSA and NAFA tournaments throughout the midwest

Nichols said, "The thing we're most proud of is having smart, kind, respectful kids that understand good sportsmanship. They are humble, hard working and they stick together no matter what. That says a lot not just about the kids, but how they have been raised as well. We wouldn't be here without the families."

Hello and Welcome to the South Dakota Fusion Website

The South Dakota Fusion Girls ASA Travel Softball teams are highly competitive teams comprised of young ladies whose main goal for the 2010 season is to compete for the ASA National Championship. The Fusion has added two more teams this year to complete the organization. We added a 10u team and a younger 14u team; this gives the Fusion Organization a 10u, 12u, two 14u, and two 16u teams for the 2010 season. Our coaches, players, and most importantly our parents share a commitment to excellence. We couldn’t accomplish all that we have the past few years without the hard work of all our players and the exceptional support from a great group of parents.

Our system teaches each athlete how to deal with success and failure, and how to reach both long and short term goals. We believe and teach the girls that hard work, sportsmanship, and team play are the keys to being successful both in softball and in life. The Fusion program is designed to build top-notch players who are motivated to taking their game to a higher level. They will be competing in ASA, AFA, NAFA, and USSSA tournaments, and other competitive venues throughout the country.