Latham, NY You gotta believe! Once again the Bandits ladies let the world know that they are a force to be reckoned with. After losing the first championship game to the Electric City Bombers, the Bandits played a phenomenal game led by the pitching of Courtney Johnson along with the hitting and intuitive defensive play of Elyssa LeBaron to earn the crown of ASA New York State Class A Softball 12u 2006 Champions.

Timely hitting, phenomenal pitching and solid defense, the Bandits played as a seasoned team winning the first 6 games 47-9 on its way to the finals. Included in this were 3 shutouts led by Maggie Harding with 2 and Quincy Lewis with 1. Harding pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings over 3 games including the 2 shutouts. Lewis walked only 2 and struck out 11 in 14 innings.
The Electric City Bombers avenged a 5-4 loss by bombing the Bandits in the first game of the championship game 16-6. With the loss, both teams had 1 loss apiece going into the final game. Having been mercied and team morale at a tournament low, the team needed a spark. Holding the Bombers to no one on base in the first inning, Taylor Chaffee delivered a full count single and LeBaron blasted a 1-1 pitch well beyond the leftfielders reach producing her 4th homerun of the season. Was this the ignition that the team needed? It was all that Johnson needed as she scattered 6 hits and 1 walk over the next 6 innings. A big 4th inning output 4 more runs as Harding connected for another double and Chaffee, LeBaron and Morgan Wheat singled. LeBaron was masterful in the field as the defense produced 2 double plays and played smart ball. Final: Bandits 6, Bombers 2
For most of the tournament, the Bandits were forced to play without its third basemen and leadoff hitter Chaylen Andolino who injured her knee and Taylor Drake who suffered from back spasms. Wheat did a solid job at third base in her first action of the year at that position. The rest of the team really picked up the slack as Chaffee led Bandit hitters batting .538 with no strikeouts, including 9 singles, 3 doubles and 2 triples. Danielle DePadua once again played an inspired defense with 20 chances and no errors, as well as Sammy Crane who owned CF. Cassandra Palumbo provided all of the speed as she scored 9 runs.
Primarily an under aged 12u team, the team has great aspirations of someday winning a national World Series title. With the Lady Bandits 14u team also winning the NYS ASA championship, the future looks bright for this organization!