Lightning Bolts take out Piranhas with Help from Tristin’s Grand Slam, 9-6

CHANDLER, AZ (April 26, 2014) Tristin knocked in four runs as the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts took home a 9-6 victory over the Future Leaders Piranhas in four innings at Folley Park on Saturday. She hit a grand slam in the third inning.

Alison got the win for the Lightning Bolts thanks to eight strikeouts. She allowed no earned runs, two hits and no walks over three innings.

The Piranhas jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first. They got things going with a single and four consecutive walks.

The Lightning Bolts never trailed after scoring six runs in the third on an RBI double by Krystyna, a home run by Tristin, and an RBI single by Lily.

Two runs in the top of the fourth helped the Piranhas close its deficit to 9-6. A ground out and an error fueled the Piranhas' comeback. Alison got the last out, as the final Piranhas' batter struck out.



"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved." 

Zenimura Biography Now Available at Manzanar

CHANDLER, AZ (April 25, 2014) The award-winning biography, Kenichi Zenimura, Japanese American Baseball Pioneer, by baseball historian and author Bill Staples, Jr., is now available for sale in the Manzanar Store, located at the Manzanar National Historic Site in California. The Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II.

The Manzanar Store is operated by Manzanar History Association (MHA), and features a wide selection of books, DVDs, art prints, posters, T-shirts and other gift items. Purchases from the Manzanar Store directly support educational and interpretive programs at Manzanar National Historic Site.

Baseball at Manzanar
Baseball was a powerful symbol of an American way of life; it boosted morale and brought some sense of normalcy to a confined community. In the words of Takeo Suo: "Putting on a baseball uniform was like wearing the American flag."

Photo: Baseball game, Manzanar Relocation Center,
by Ansel Adams, 1943.
By the summer of 1942 , nearly 100 men's and 14 women's baseball teams were playing a full schedule of games. Teams like the San Fernando Aces and San Pedro Gophers came intact from their pre-war communities while other teams formed in camp. The ManzaKnights grew out of a young men's social club; older men formed their own league. Women's teams included the Dusty Chicks and Modernaires.

Thousands of fans gathered at Manzanar's main baseball field for epic match-ups between the Scorpions, Padres, Has-Beens, and other teams in the camp's 12 leagues.

"Baseball is just one of the many prominent interpretive stories we tell at Manzanar," said Maggie Wittenburg, Executive Director of the MHA. "We have a few baseball DVDs, a t-shirt, a kid's book, and our own baseballs, but no reading matter for adults. Now we have the biography of Kenichi Zenimura, Japanese American Baseball Pioneer, to add to the array."

The Zenimura biography received the the 2012 SABR Baseball Research Award, which honors outstanding research projects that have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball.

To learn more about the Manzanar Store and the Manzanar History Association, visit: http://manzanarstore.com.

Lightning Bolts jump on Subway Wolves early and coast to 14-0 win

CHANDLER, AZ (April 22, 2014) The Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts refused to relinquish the lead after grabbing it early against Subway Wolves, recording a 14-0 victory on Tuesday at Folley Park.

Eight runs in the first three innings allowed the Lightning Bolts to put the game away early.

A two-run single by Krystyna, a hit by pitch, an error, and a walk by Liberty during the first inning fueled the Lightning Bolts' offense early. The Bolts' Shannon was perfect at the dish, going 2-2.

Alison got the win for the Lightning Bolts thanks to 10 strikeouts. The Bolts' pitcher gave up just two hits over five shutout innings.

The Lightning Bolts built upon their lead with three runs in the third. Alison started the inning with a single, bringing home Kyndra. That was followed up by Shannon's triple, plating Alison.

The Lightning Bolts piled on five more runs in the top of the fourth. Jaila's triple got things going, bringing home Liberty. That was followed up by Sage's three-run blast, plating Tristin and Jaila.



"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved." 

Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts offense too much for the White Tigers in 20-3 rout

CHANDLER, AZ (April 19, 2014) The Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts jumped out to an early lead on the White Tigers and captured a 20-3 victory on Saturday at Folley Park.


The game was decided quickly as the Lightning Bolts exerted their will early with 20 runs in the first three innings.

An RBI single by Bella, a walk by Shannon, a walk by Leah, and a grand slam by Lily in the first inning put the Bolts up 8 to 3. A walk by Kyndra, a walk by Tristin and a home run by Krystyna during the second inning helped the Lightning Bolts extend the lead 13 to 3.

Lily racked up five RBIs on two hits for the Lightning Bolts.

The White Tigers had no answer for Alison, who kept runners off the base paths in her appearance. Alison held the White Tigers hitless over three innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out eight.

Tristin recorded the win for the Lightning Bolts. She allowed three runs over one inning. Tristin struck out three, walked one and gave up three hits.

The Lightning Bolts easily handled the White Tigers pitching as six hitters combined for eight hits, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

The pitchers couldn't get it done on the rubber for the White Tigers, with two hurlers walking eight and striking out none over four innings.

The top of the first saw the White Tigers take an early lead, 3-0 on a two-run home run and an RBI double.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved." Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.

Early lead gives the Lightning Bolts easy victory over the Orange Crush, 16-1

CHANDLER, AZ (April 17, 2014) The Lightning Bolts shut the door early on the Orange Crush, capturing a 16-1 victory on Thursday at Folley Park.



Six runs in the first three innings allowed the Lightning Bolts to put the game away early.

An RBI single by Alison, walks by Bella and Leah, a fielder's choice, and a walk by Tricia during the first inning and an RBI single by Alison in the second inning fueled the Lightning Bolts' offense early.
Kyndra racked up four RBIs on two hits for the Lightning Bolts. She singled in the second inning and homered in the fifth inning.

The Lightning Bolts got the win thanks in large part to Alison's dominant, 15-strikeout performance. Alison allowed no earned runs on three hits and no walks over five innings.

The Orange Crush starting pitcher lasted just two-thirds of an inning, walked seven, struck out one, and allowed five runs.

The Lightning Bolts got five-run rallies in the fourth inning and the fifth. In the fourth, the Lightning Bolts scored on an RBI double by Jaila, bringing home Tricia.

The Lightning Bolts built upon their lead with five runs in the fifth. A clutch error scored Lily to open the scoring in the frame. That was followed up by Kyndra's blast, scoring Tricia, Sage and Jaila.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved." Any reuse or republication of this story must include the preceding attribution.

Lightning Bolts Defeat Sports Authority 7-0 Behind Alison's Pitching and Krystyna's Bat

CHANDLER, AZ (April 12, 2014) Saturday was a great day for Alison as she tossed a shutout to carry the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts to a 7-0 victory over the Sports Authority Blue Lightning at Folley Park in five innings.

The Lightning Bolts got the win thanks in large part to Alison's dominant, 14-strikeout performance. The Lightning Bolts' right-hander tossed five innings of shutout ball and allowed only one hit. Offensively, Krystyna led the team in with three RBIs, thanks in part to a key home run.


The game remained scoreless until the third inning when the Lighting Bolts bats finally got hot. Sage and Tristin got things started with key walks, then Alison drove in the first RBI of the day with a single, scoring Sage.

With runners on first and third, Krystyna hit a timely three-run home run for the Lightning Bolts. Lily added the fifth run of the day with a solo home run in the fourth inning.

The Lightning Bolts tacked on another two runs in the fifth. Jaila got things started with a single. Kyndra followed with another single, scoring Jaila. Alison added the final RBI of the day with a single, bringing home Kyndra.

Krystyna led the team offensively on the day with two hits and three RBIs. She also leads the team with an impressive .846 on-base percentage for the season.

The victory gives the Lightning Bolts a 5-1 record for the spring season.

"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved." 

Big hitting performance carries the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts past Green Machine 26-0

CHANDLER, AZ (April 5, 2014) An exceptional effort by Lily lifted the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts to a 26-0 win in five innings over the Green Machine on Saturday at Folley Park.

Lily racked up 12 RBIs on three grand slams for the Lightning Bolts. She homered with bases loaded in the second, third, and fifth innings.

On the mound, Alison kept contact to a minimum, striking out 15 Green Machine batters. The Lightning Bolts' pitcher tossed five innings of shutout ball and allowed only one hit.

Fourteen runs in the first three innings helped the Lightning Bolts blow out the Green Machine. A groundout by Tristin and a two-run home run by Alison during the first inning and a home run by Lily in the second inning helped the Lightning Bolts put some runs on the board early.

The Lightning Bolts hammered Green Machine pitching as 10 hitters had a field day, combining for 17 hits, 24 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

The Green Machine starting pitcher allowed 19 runs in 2 2/3 innings, walked five and struck out four.

The Lightning Bolts scored seven runs in the third inning, and then followed it up with seven more in the fifth. In the third, the Lightning Bolts scored on an RBI single by Krystyna, plating Alison.

The Lightning Bolts added five more runs in the top of the fourth. Jaila's solo home run got things going. That was followed up by Alison's blast, scoring Bella, Kyndra and Jaila, who was pinch-running for Tristin.



"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved."

No-hitter leads the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts past Thunder 20-0

CHANDLER, AZ (April 3, 2014) Alison was great on Thursday night, throwing a no-hitter in the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts' 20-0 victory over the Thunder.

No Thunder batter was able to locate Alison's pitches during the game. She threw a no-hitter, striking out 10 batters and walking two while recording her momentous feat. She got Erin to ground out on a failed bunt attempt for the final out of the game.

The Lightning Bolts hammered the Thunder pitching as seven hitters had a field day, combining for nine hits, 12 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

Ten runs in the opening two innings allowed the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts to easily put away the Thunder. In the first inning a two-run single by Alison, a groundout by Shannon, an RBI single by Bella, and a walk by Tricia scored five runs. The bolts added five more runs in the second inning with a two-run home run by Kyndra, a walk by Shannon, Leah, Liberty and Tricia.

The Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts pushed across five runs in both the third inning and the fourth. In the third, the Zenimura.com Lightning Bolts scored on an RBI single by Tristin, scoring Lily.

The Lightning Bolts increased their lead with five runs in the fourth. Kyndra singled, scoring Tricia to start the inning. That was followed up by Tristin's double, plating Lily.

Overall, Kyndra went a perfect 3-3 at the plate for the Lightning Bolts, while Shannon led the team with three RBIs on the night.

The Lightning Bolts record improves to 3 wins and 1 loss on the season.


"Powered by Narrative Science and GameChanger Media. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved."