Under beautifully sunny skies and 77-degree weather, final of four championship games played over the last 24 hours at the 2025 PGF Nationals was as one-sided at they get.

Following exciting 18U and 16U Platinum Games Friday evening and a thrilling 3-2 walk-off Saturday morning in the 16U Premier National Championship, the 18U game was effectively over by the top of the 3^rd inning.

That’s when the Arizona Rising 18U team coached by Steve Appel exploded for 13 runs against a strong Lady Dukes 18U – Lamar squad after going ahead initially in the top of the 2^nd inning putting up a three spot.

The Rising would up score a run in the top of the 4^th and two more in the 5^th to tally a final score of 19 runs to make the final score 19-2 in a shortened five inning game.

To highlight the game-breaking 3^rd inning, Peyton Valentine, a 2025 shortstop headed to Auburn, smacked a grand slam to give her four RBIs for the day as well as four runs scored herself thanks in part to two walks.

So dominating was the offensive onslaught by the Rising that 10 players would have at least one hit—first baseman Kealyn Moffitt (Boston College) and third baseman Taylor Hampton (Texas A&M) each had two hits.

Equally impressive was the fact that nine different players would drive in at least one run. Valentine had four with her grand slam while Payton Westra, an outfielder signed with Oklahoma, had a bases-clearing triple for her trio of runs knocked in.

As dominant as the offense was—and it was unstoppable to the point that one Rising fan joked that he was disappointed the team missed two extra points—the pitching was equally impressive as starter Goose Goodwin would start the game, pitch three innings and then come back into the fifth and final inning to close out the win.

The Northwestern-bound pitcher totaled four innings and only gave up two hits and one earned run while striking out five. Macee Jackson tossed the fourth inning and gave up one hit—the only highlight the Lady Dukes would have as infielder Alex Williams hit a solo home run in the 4^th for one of the two runs scored by the Lady Dukes, who had three hits in total.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

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Here is our Line Drive interviews after the 5-inning run-shortened game with Head Coach Steve Appel and standout pitcher Goose Goodwin and grand-slam hitting Peyton Valentine: