The nightcap of the two PGF National Championship games held on Saturday at DeAnna Manning Stadium in Bill Barber Park (Irvine, Calif.) featured the 10U Premier teams of Tennessee Mojo 2014, coached by Roger Edwards, and the Hype, led by Head Coach Elliott Scott based in Roseville, Calif.

The youngest of the five age divisions this week, the 10U players looked polished and made big play after big play on offense and defense.

As Garrett Hay, Vice President of PGF, said after the game when introducing the two teams down on the field to pick up their trophies:

“You players are the future of the game.”

The Mojo didn’t waste any time, putting up two on the board in the first inning, scoring both runs with two outs as Ansley Cantrell came around to score on a single by 4-hole hitter Priscilla Walker, who advanced to second on the throw home.

Walker would then score the Mojo’s second run on a Dilmarie Lopez single to right field.

The Mojo tacked on another run in the top of the 2^nd as Emery Koester singled to center and she would be run No. 3 when an error on the Hype shortstop allowed her to score.

The Hype threatened in the bottom of the 2^nd as runners reached 2^nd and 3^rd but the Mojo defense came to the rescue, including a second jaw-dropping play by Koester at third as she dived in foul ground to help prevent a Hype rally.

The Mojo offense added a 4^th run in the top of the 3^rd inning as Natalie Russell reached on a one-out error and went to second on a Walker singled to center. Shortstop Dil Lopez singled to right field scoring Russell.

The Mojo would add two more runs on a double to the centerfield wall by Ella Harris who plated Walker and Lopez.

The Mojo would continue the momentum by loading the bases before a comebacker to the pitcher got the runner at first but brought in Ella Harris to make the score 7-0.

In the top of the 4^th, the Mojo added another run on a walk to Cantrell, a steal of second and then scored on a single by Russell. Walker would then triple down the left field line to bring in Russell and, after a sac fly by Lopez and suddenly it was 10-0.

In the top of the 5^th, Morgan Davis scored the 11^th run and by holding the Hype to no runs in the 5^th, in invoked the 8-run-lead-after-5 innings rule and, just like that, the Mojo ended the week on another impressive high, scoring its eighth blowout win of the week including games where the team scored 19 runs in one blowout and 18 in another.

The National Champs did have some scares though, winning earlier on Saturday in a 1-0 nailbiter over Firecrackers-Moreno and earlier in the week also won a tight one 3-2 over USA Athletics – Navarro.

Coach Edwards said after the game that the close wins helped his team stay focused and he said what made this Mojo squad special was “grit.”

This Mojo team—comprised of players from five states—were led by Walker, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored, and Lopez, who went 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

The pitching was superb, led by Harris giving up three hits in three innings with no walks and three strikeouts while Davis would close the game with two innings pitched and no hits given up while striking out three.

Naturally, as the players came off the field and walked up the stairs they were serenaded by their parents and family members singing a rousing version of “Rocky Top,” and ended the week with a team trophy and individual ones to take home to Tennessee on Sunday.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball

Here’s our video highlights of the championship courtesy of Shannon Eads…