The weekend is upon us and that means it’s August, and time to crown some 2026 PGF Nationals Champs.

Friday saw the Winner’s Brackets narrowed down the Winner’s Brackets and eliminated some otherwise excellent teams.

Heading into Saturday play, here’s how it’s shaping up in each age division—14U, 12U and 10U…

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Winner’s Bracket Games on Friday

Note: all times listed are Pacific Standard Time

14U PREMIER

Bracket A

Early Games

• Hotshots – Torres/Seneca 16, NW Vandals – Duval/Hollen 2
• Athletics Gold – Tamborra/Olson 12, Hustle Nation Fastpitch 7
• Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew 4, Beverly Bandits – Chow/Hardin 1
• Lady Magic – Allen6, Universal Bay Area – Tabro/Garcia 0

Late Games

• Hotshots – Torres/Seneca 8, Athletics Gold – Tamborra/Olson 0
• Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew 7, Lady Magic – Allen 1

Next Game (Semi-Final)

• Hotshots – Torres/Seneca vs Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew

— Saturday @ 10:15 am, HB – Field 3

Bracket B

Early Games

• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker 9, Athletics Mercado – Bryant 6
• USA Prime – Halstead 12, USA Athletics – Ramirez 6
• LTG Henderson – Buck 8, AZ Storm – Pomeroy 1
• NW Bullets – Herman 9, Warriors McDonald/O’Brien 0

Late Games

• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker 13, USA Prime National – Halstead 10
• LTG Henderson – Buck 5, NW Bullets – Herman 2

— Friday @ 7:15, HB – Field 2

Next Game (Semi-Final)

• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker vs LTG Henderson – Buck

— Saturday @ 10:15 am, HB – Field 4

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12U PREMIER

Bracket A

Early Games

• Birmingham Thunderbolts 2031 – Tennyson 8, Sorcerer – Ramos 7,
• Athletics Mercado – Greg 5, I-5 – Banbrook 3

Next Game (Semi-Final)

• Birmingham Thunderbolts 2031 – Tennyson vs Athletics Mercado – Greg

         — Saturday @ 8:00, HB – Field 5

Bracket B

Early Games

• Hana Pa’a Softball 12, Explosion – Kim/Okamoto 2
• Top Gun – Rocha 7, EC Bullets – Hunt 6

Next Game (Semi-Final)

• Hana Pa’a Softball vs Top Gun – Rocha

— Saturday @ 8:00, HB – Field 7

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10U PREMIER

Bracket A

Early Games

• Athletics Mercado – Godoy 12, LTG Lions – Mora/Sousa 4
• Hotshots – Villegas 4, Panthers Gold 3

Late Games

• Hotshots – Villegas 10, Athletics Mercado – Godoy 2

Next Game (Semi-Final)

• Hotshots – Villegas vs. winner of NTX Blaze/Sorcerer -Boyett 8 am game

Bracket B

Early Games

• Wildcats – Laukat 6, Hotshots 2033 – Draheim 3
• AL Sparks Elite 13, LTG – Palacious 3

Late Games

• AL Sparks Elite 11, Wildcats – Laukat 3.

Next Game(Semi-Final)

• AL Sparks Elite vs. winner of Wildcats – Laukat/Birmingham Thunderbolts – Crane 8 am game

          — Saturday @ 12:30 pm, Barber Park – Field 2

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Team Spotlight: Athletics Mercado – Greg

Greg Borzilleri has is a long-time fixture in the Southern California travel ball scene and has coached teams at various levels, having success at 16U previously as well as with his current standout 12U group that is one of the Final Four in the winner’s bracket of that age group.

After today’s game, we had a chance to hear from Greg and his outstanding team as we asked each player to share what she loves about this title-contending team…

Here’s what they had to say…

Finishing up with A’s Mercado – Greg, here’s a short, concise and clean cheer by today’s winners:

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LTG Continues to W-I-N

We’re getting down to the final few teams still left and one that continues to look strong is the LTG 14U team led by Joe Henderson.

The Calif-based team topped a strong NW Bullets squad 5-2 and here’s a short clip with the offensive stars for LTG–Tamiayh Ward (left) and Kinslee Buck—who helped their team advance in the 14U Winner’s Bracket with a 5-2 win over NW Bullets – Herman Friday evening:

For more fun, here’s another cheer by the ladies from Love The Game…

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Pitcher of the Day

We’ve already told you about Avery Dunlap, the outstanding 2029 pitcher for the Hotshots National Torre/Seneca 14U team who has had top Power 4 schools out to the Huntington Beach Sports Complex to watch her.

In a run-rule game earlier in the day, Avery went four innings (the team pulled her for the 5^th inning, the final one of the game) to rest her for further play.

Still, she was nearly perfect for the win as she struck a batter in the first inning but otherwise didn’t allow a baserunner and had 11 strikeouts with no hits allowed or walks.

In the late game, she pitched five innings and scattered five hits but once again didn’t give up a run with 11 strikeouts and just one walk.

So, totaling the two games together, here are her stats:

— 2-0 record, nine inning pitched, five hits allowed, 0 runs allowed, 22 strikeouts and just one walk.

Not a bad day at the office for Avery as she’s helped the Hotshots advance in the 14U Winner’s Bracket with a Saturday morning 10:15 game versus

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Hitter of the Day

In a score that looks more like a football game, than a softball contest, the Birmingham Thunderbolts 14U Whitaker 2029 team defeated a solid USA Prime National team 13-10 Friday night at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex.

This is becoming an interesting rivalry as the USA Prime team was previously Georgia Impact and the two powerhouse programs are only 2-3 hours drive time from each other (according to what one parent said.

And, reportedly, the two have played each other recently with the Prime team winning 9-0.

In tonight’s shootout, the star with the stick was Makayla Mann, the 2029 middle infielder from Madison, Alabama who went a blistering 4-for-5 with a grand slam and two RBI singles to account for six RBIs.

The round-tripper came in the third inning with her RBI singles coming in the 2^nd and 6^th innings and those runners knocked in came to be important as the Prime offense would score eight runs total in the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th innings.

In May, “Mak” was ranked No. 17 in the Line Drive Media 2029 HOT 100 player rankings.

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Unusual Play of the Day

Check out this weird carom on a ball hit by Adelle Prosser of Beverly Bandits 14U – Chow/Hardin which she turned into a triple.

It wouldn’t be enough, however, as their opponents, Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew, would win the game 4-1 behind a strong pitching performance by Madison Urbina (#98).

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Remember This Name… & This Team

We can’t exactly call Katharine Popovski, the 2029 pitcher for Lady Magic – Allen, a Rising Star because we had her ranked No. 4 in the 2029 HOT 100 Rankings that came out in May of this year.

The Lady Magic lost their first game in the 14U Winner’s Bracket Friday night to a strong Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew team, but even so this team is deep and talented from top to bottom.

Katharine is at the center of the attention but there’s more than a half-dozen 2029’s who are getting attention from major college programs.

Here’s a list of the top-caliber teams who have been to Lady Magic games this week (in no particular order):

UCLA, Florida, Ole Miss, Hawaii, Florida, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Loyola Marymount, South Carolina, etc.

To show why Katharine is so highly touted, you just have to go back to a big Thursday win which saw the Lady Magic extended to nine innings.

Though down 5-1 at one point, Katharine came in to dominate the last seven innings of the game and help her team pull off a tremendous 7-6 comeback win.

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Happy Birthday – Follow Up on Susie Clark

Yesterday, we wished Suzie Clark of the Birmingham Thunderbolts 2013 – Tennyson team a Happy Birthday… and, according to her father, Glen Clark, it was.

He shared with us about the team’s big win on Thursday:

“(Susie) laid down a beautiful sac bunt yesterday that allowed the runners to move into scoring position and then Dannie Matherson hit a two-RBI single. That’s the kind of teamwork the Bolts teach.”

The proud dad adds that Suzie and three others on her team will head to Oklahoma City on Monday to play I the USA All-American Games (the others are Hannah Tennyson, RJ and AK).

Congrats to the team and to Suzie for her happy birthday and big weekend and week ahead!

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media