Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS) Is July 20-26 at Westfield/Kokomo, IN (All rankings are Line Drive’s Club National Rankings):

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In 14U games:

#21 Athletics Mercado 09-Christie/Zito picked up a 5-3 upset over #4 Corona Angels-Tyson to advance to the 14U Tier 1 Elite 8 of the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS) on Tuesday at Kokomo High in Indiana.

2029 MIF/OF Lila Silman and 2029 C Kayleigh Highfill had two RBIs each to lead Athletics Mercado. The entire offense was crucial all day with 2030 MIF/3B Coco Chapman, 2029 3B/UT McKenleigh Mathews and 2029 OF/UT Kendall Peel providing a combination of clutch hitting and consistency while Silman and 2029 C/3B Maddie Campos provided some power when needed.

The entire pitching staff was instrumental all day, having to come back this morning to complete the rained-out game from last night at 9 a.m., then win two back-to-back to secure the Elite 8. 2029 RHP Kinley Lara came in the 4th inning of the Corona Angels game and delivered another gutsy performance.

“This team is well-rounded, versatile, fundamental and most importantly, gritty,” Athletics Mercado coach Christie Chapman said. “I gave them shirts at the beginning of summer with ‘Gritty Over Pretty’ on them. Don’t get me wrong, they do plenty of pretty on that field, but none of it matters if the grits not there when it counts! And today was a great example of what this team is capable of and what we’re all about!” …

2029 3B Kennedy Carlson went 2 for 2 with two doubles and three RBIs to propel #2 Texas Bombers Gold-Malpass past Impact Gold National 2012, 6-1, to reach the Elite 8.

“Making the Elite Eight is a tremendous accomplishment and these girls should be proud of what they’ve earned,” Bombers coach Kristi Malpass said. “But for us, it’s another step in the journey—not the finish line. From Day 1, we’ve trained for moments like this. We built our season around a standard, not a result. The standard is the standard, regardless of the opponent, the stage or the pressure. These players have prepared for this through their work, discipline and commitment to each other.

“Now, it’s about continuing to trust that preparation. Stay locked in, play for each other and keep competing one pitch at a time. This is exactly what we’ve been working toward all season.” …

2029 C Chloe Laskie went 3 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs to help Epic National-Dawson/Smith beat #40 Firecrackers Brashear, 1108, and reach the Elite 8.

“I am so proud of these girls for the grit and resilience they’ve shown all week long,” Epic coach Mikayla Smith said. “We’ve been focused on putting the team first and winning as one, and they’ve fully bought into that mindset.

“These girls have trained so hard for moments like this, and we’re not done, yet. Before the tournament, I told them, ‘If you want it, go take it. Compete.’  Every step of the way, we’ve done it together—as one team. That’s what makes this group special. They compete for each other, they trust each other and they have fun doing it.” …

2029 LHP Natalie Weber pitched a two-hit shutout with two walks and eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings as Wisconsin Lightning 2029/30-Sturino beat Firecrackers National-Piconke, 1-0, to reach the Elite 8.

“I’m just so proud of this team competing against some of the best teams in the country,” Wisconsin Lightning coach Jason Sturino said. “Getting to the Tier 1 Elite 8 was a season-long goal for this team. We have a great group of athletes and families and a really special organization. We’re not done yet.” …

2030 C Charlotte Espich went 2 for 3 with three RBIs to help #32 Tampa Mustangs-Ohana beat Mission National-Burr/Gavin, 7-5, and advance. …

2031 RHP Journee Alpough pitched six innings of relief to lead Wow Factor National 2K12 to a 5-3 win over #26 TN Mojo 2011-Brown to advance.

“Today’s win was the definition of a total team effort,” Wow Factor coach Walter Broussard said. “Even when errors put us in tough situations and our big bats didn’t always come through, this team answered with clutch hits, timely outs, and relentless determination.” …

2029 1B Leighton Ross went 3 for 3 with three runs and three RBIs to lead #25 Impact Gold National 2029-Holmes past Fury Platinum X-Helton/Higdon, 12-2, in the loser’s bracket.

“Today was about resilience, belief and the willingness to keep fighting when the easy path was no longer an option,” Impact Gold coach Chad Holmes said. “Every time they were knocked down, they found a way to get back up. That kind of toughness is built through trust, preparation and a belief in one another. They proved that resilience is not just about how you start, but how you respond when things don’t go your way. Proud to be their coach and even more proud to watch them never give up on each other.” …

2030 C/IF/OF Avery Saari had two double and three RBIs, 2030 IF Zoey Novoa went 3 for 3 with an RBI and 2030 LHP Tenley Ragan pitched six solid innings to lift OC Batbusters-Black/Garcia 6, Texas Glory, 6-4, in the loser’s bracket.

“We had a tough loss today,” OC Batbusters coach Chris Garcia said, “but this team will compete and fight to the end.” …

2030 MIF Brinley Conrad went 2 for 3 with a triple and a two-run homer to pace Oklahoma Athletics Ones National-Madden in a 9-5 win over Impact Caymol National-Burch in the loser’s bracket.

“We are very grateful to be playing here against some very good teams and in front of some big college coaches,” Oklahoma Athletics coach Gage Williams said. “I love my team. They give everything each game and I am very thankful for them. We are looking forward to making a run to the end and can’t wait to play again.” …

2029 C/1B/3B/UT Myleen Castro hit a three-run home run as Texas Glory Gold defeated Firecrackers Premier RTY Red 2029, 12-10, in the loser’s bracket. …

2029 1B Jaylene Jimenez went 3 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI as OC Batbusters-Maroon/JS 7, Buzz Gold Futures, 7-4, in the loser’s bracket.

“I’m proud of the team for playing together and fighting for a win,” OC Batbusters coach Jerri Schlickenmayer said. “Lots of work left to win out. We still have not played our best game. So after tonight’s win, that should help spark their performance.” …

— Carlos Arias, Line Drive Media (Follow Carlos on Instagram @los_stuff)