It’s showtime.

After an exciting and competitive week in five age divisions—14U Premier, 14U Platinum, 12U Premier, 12U Platinum and 10U Premier—we found out today who two of the champions are… you can read those recaps below in the 12U Platinum and 10U Premier divisions.

The finalists for tomorrow’s final three title games were also set and will be decided according to this Sunday schedule with all games being help at Deanna Manning Stadium in Bill Barber Park, Irvine, Calif.:

14U Platinum Championship (9 am PST)

— Firecrackers Hawaii vs. Birmingham Thunderbolts – Wilkerson

12U Premier Championship (11:30 am PST)

          — Athletics – Mercado – Greg vs Lady Magic – Munoz

14U Premier Championship (2:30 pm PST)

— Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca vs. LTG Henderson/Buck

The two PGF National Championships of Week 2—Saturday’s 12U Platinum & 10U Premier title games—offered contrasts and not just in age divisions.

While both were held at Memorial Stadium in Bill Barber Park, Irvine, Calif., the early game feature two teams and organizations based in Southern California: the Orange County-centered Firecrackers and San Diego-based Power Surge squads.

The second of the night between the Hotshots and Alabama Sparks Elite matched the Texas-based Hotshots and the Sparks from Alabama.

Here’s an in-depth recap of both National Championships…

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12U PLATINUM CHAMPIONSHIP:

Firecrackers – MRG 8, Power Surge – BPA 1

 The Firecrackers trailed after a half inning but exploded for three in the first, two in the firth and three in the sixth to put the game out of reach in their 8-1 title win over the Power Surge.

The Power Surge scored first, when leadoff hitter Aubree Barriga slapping the second pitch of the game for an infield single off Firecrackers pitcher Sonya Gutierrez and then advanced to second on an error.

She moved to third on a soft single to centerfield by Maddison Green and came around to score on a flyout to put the Surge up 1-0.

But the Firecrackers answered quickly with three in their bottom of the inning and would never trail after the first inning..

Leadoff hitter Mackenzie McComas lined a shot to right field off Power Surge starting pitcher Chloe Preovolus that went under the glove of the defender and rolled to the wall allowing McComas to sprint to third .

Sofia Nicolas lined a single to left to plate McComas and even the score at 1-1. Daisy Quintero then lined a shot barely inside the right-field line for a double that moved Nicolas to third—all with  no outs.

Cleanup hitter Emily Beltran grounded to short and, on the throw to first base for the first out of the inning. Nicolas came around for the second run of the inning.

A ground out to short made it two outs but Vida Vigil doubled down the right field line to bring home Quintero to make it 3-1 Firecrackers at the end of one.

Firecrackers starting pitcher Sofia Gutierrez came out on fire in the top of the second inning and would never look back as she gave up only two hits in the Firecrackers national championships under Head Coach Tony Merida, who won a 10U title with this team three years ago.

Training 3-1 at this point, the Surge had an opportunity to narrow the gap when Olivia Sitko led off the top of the 4^th on an single to left field and Kalei Agbayani grounded to third, but the throw to second base was late and with no outs the Surge threatened with runners on first and second.

Rodriguez got a strikeout and with one out Peyton Ponugno-Ahue grounded back to the pitcher who went to third for the second out of the inning. The Firecrackers escaped without any damage on a flyout to second which left two runners on base.

The Firecrackers effectually put the game out of reach with two runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning, highlighted by a mammoth blast over the left-center wall by first baseman Sofia Nicholas that electrified the crowd with a no-doubt home run that cleared the left field fence so clearly that the Surge left fielder just turned and watched it push the score to 4-1.

Daisy Quintero waited on a change-up to single to right and was followed by Alinah Hattar who singled down the right field line to advance Quintero to third with one out (Abriella Lopez pinch ran for Hattar).

Lopez stole second unimpeded and a single by Vida Vigil brought home the second run of the inning to make the score 5-1, which is how the inning ended.

In the bottom of the 6^th, the Firecrackers extended the lead to 7-1 with a Sofia Nicolas RBI single and another from Emily Beltran before ending the inning with another run to make the score 8-1.

That provided Gutierrez, who pitched all seven innings, more than a comfortable lead to close out the PGF 12U Platinum National Championship with her fourth strikeouts.

The pitcher finished the win with just the one run allowed—the one in the top of the 1^st— and then pitched a shutout the rest of the way, allowing only two hits.

On offense, the Firecrackers had 12 hits and pooled them together in the 1^st inning (three runs), 5^th inning (two runs, including the Nicholas moon shot) and bottom of the 6^th (three more) to give Coach Medina a great going-away present.

That because the head coach has announced that he will retire from coaching after an accomplished 20-year career so he can spend more time with his family

Here’s Coach Medina and his home run-hitting star Sofia Nicholas…

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How They Got There: Power Surge – BPA vs Firecrackers – MRG

• Power Surge – BPA 11, Wildcats – JD 1
• Power Surge – BPA 10, Ariona Storm – Rodriguez 2
• Power Surge – BPA 8, Foothills Gold – Montoya
• Power Surge – BPA 6, Lil Rebels – RC/Ball 3
• Power Surge – BPA 6, NTX Blaze Gold – Amador 1
• Power Surge – BPA 8, BSC Bengals – Almaraz

How They Got There: Firecrackers – MRG

• Firecrackers – MRG 6, Suncats – Jimenez/Lopez 2
• Firecrackers – MRG 17, Explosion – Carillo 1
• Firecrackers – MRG 13, Extreme – GT 1
• Firecrackers – MRG 4, BSC Bengals – Almaraz 1
• Firecrackers – MRG 8, Maria Athletics – Bateman 0
• Firecrackers – MRG 12, LTG – Carda/Madrigal

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10U PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP:

Hotshots National – Villegas 11, AL Sparks Elite 1

The Hotshots had everything working Saturday in the youngest Premier age group and scored in every inning but one in the 5-inning rule championship victory while their standout pitcher Sonya Gutierrez only gave up two hits in the shortened game.

The Hotshots came out aggressive and had the Sparks on their heels immediately in the bottom of the 1^st inning.

Leadoff hitter Kynslie Shipman walked and then stole second base on the first pitch to the next hitter, Bailey Springfield, immediately putting the Hotshots with a runner in scoring position.

On a groundout to shortstop, Shipman sprinted to third while Springfield beat the throw to first, putting runners on first and third with no outs.  Springfield immediately took second without a throw.

Riley Barborak walked to load the bases, and the Sparks coaches decided to make a pitching change, but that didn’t stem the onslaught that was the Hotshots offense.

On the very first pitch from the new pitcher, Sophia Lucas grounded a clean single up the middle to score Shipman and Springfield and putting the Hotshots ahead 2-0.

In the bottom of the second, DP Tayelynn Schauteet walked to open the inning and then would come around to score on a hard-hit shot to left field by Brielee Mendez that went under the glove of the left fielder allowing the outfielder to spring around the bases to add another two runs and make the score 4-0.

Leadoff batter Kynslie Shipman reached on a walk and scored on a double by Springfield and, suddenly, in the bottom of the second inning the score was 5-0 Hotshots.

In the top of the third, the Hotshots flashed their gloves and defensive acumen. A hard-hit ground to Lucas in the circle deflected off her glove but rolled to Shipman at shortstop and she fired to first to get the out.

Then, after an Alabama Elite reached base, Lucas turned caught a hard-hit ball at shortstop and the momentum carried her to second which she stepped on to beat a runner to the bag and complete the double play.

In the bottom of the 3^rd, the Hotshots didn’t slow down, as Brook Zahirbniak came around to score on a double to right field by Evelyn Cervenka to make the score 6-0.

Taelynn Schauteet singled which allowed Cervenka to advance to third base with one out.

Brielee Mendez hit a hard ground to shortstop and beat the throw with Cervenka scoring run no. 7.  Lead off Kynslie Shipman singled to bring home Schauteet to make it 8-0 and the rout was on.

After the title game, the Hotshots out of Texas had a very special guest speak to them: Texas Tech Head Coach Gerry Glasco!

Bailey Springfield then tripled to drive in another two runs to make the score 10-0—five runs across in the inning with just one out.

A fielder’s choice to the pitcher got the second out but allowed Springfield to score run no. 11 before a pitching change led to the final two outs of the inning.

Meanwhile, Sophia Lucas was in a groove in the circle for the Firecrackers and got another 1-2-3 inning while having given up just one hit in the first four innings.

In the bottom the 4^th for the Hotshots Olivia Alvarez led off with an infield single and Keller Haines singled through the 6-hole but the threat was ended with a fly out to second baseman Scout Trussell of the Sparks Elite who stepped on second after the runner had run towards third with the contact.

The AL Spark Elite put its first run on the board in the top of the 5^th as Adalyn Slaughter hit a two-out double to bring home Daklyn Riddle.

But that was all they muster against Lucas, who allowed just two hits in five complete innings of work, and the Hotshots walked away with the 10U Premier National Championships.

Here’s an interview with the Head Coach Jon Erik Villegas and one of his very accomplished players, leadoff hitter and shortstop extraordinaire Kynslie Shipman:

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How They Got There: Hotshots National – Villegas

• * Hotshots National – Villegas 8, Athletics Mercado – Gomez 2
• * Hotshots National – Villegas 23, Clutch Up Softball Academy 1
• * Hotshots National – Villegas 4, Panthers Gold 3
• * Hotshots National – Villegas 10, Athletics Mercado – Godoy 2
• * Hotshots National – Villegas 11, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Crane 4

How They Got There: AL Sparks Elite

• * AL Sparks Elite 9, Breakers Labs – Castro 1
• * AL Sparks Elite 11, Explosion 0 Kim/Thomas 3
• * AL Sparks Elite 13, LTG – Palacios 3
• * AL Sparks Elite 11, Wildcats Premier – Laukat 3
• * AL Sparks Elite 11, Athletics Mercado – Godoy 3

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Winner’s Bracket Games on Saturday

Note: all times listed are Pacific Standard Time

14U PLATINUM

Bracket A

Key Games

• Explosion – Kim/Tavera 10, Arizona Rising – Rodgers 2 (8 am)
• Extreme 2030 11, Washington Angels – Benson/Benson 3 (8 am)
• Firecrackers Hawaii 5, Arizona Storm – Boone/Ramirez 1 (10:15 am)
• Extreme 2030 8, Explosion – Kim/Tavera 7
• Firecrackers Hawaii 4, FCB Bauer

Bracket B

Key Games

• Stars National – Coleman 5, Washington Ladyhawks – Gonzalez 2
• Arizona Storm – Beach/Day 10, Athletic Mercado – Cavazos 1
• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Wilkerson 9, FCB – Bauer 1
• Arizona Storm – Beach/Day 9, Stars National – Coleman 3

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on SUNDAY (9 AM PST)

Firecrackers Hawaii vs. Birmingham Thunderbolts – Wilkerson

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12U PREMIER

Bracket A

Key Games

• Athletics Mercado – Greg 11, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Tennyson 10
• Lady Magic – Munoz 10, Blaze United 0
• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Tennyson 3, Lady Magic – Munoz 1
• Athletics Mercado – Greg 3, Top Gun 3 – Rocha 2

Bracket B

Key Games

• Hana Pa-A Softball 7, Top Gun – Rocha 6
• BSC Bengals 5, EC Bullets – Hunt 2
• Top Gun – Rocha 11, BSC Bengals – Briggs 8
• Lady Magic – Munoz 8, Hana Pa’a Softball 2
• Lady Magic – Munoz 8, Hana Pa’a Softball 2

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on SUNDAY (2:30 PM PST)

Athletics – Mercado – Greg vs Lady Magic – Munoz

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14U PREMIER

Bracket A

Key Games

• Lady Magic – Allen 9, Athletics Mercado – Tidd 2
• Athletics Gold – Tamborra/Olson 3, Beverly Bandits – Chow/Hardin 1
• Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca 5, Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew
• Lady Magic – Allen 8, Athletics Gold – Tamborra/Olson 5
• Athletics – Mercado – Cook/Drew 6, Lady Magic – Allen 2
• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker 7, Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca 1
• Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca 11, 1

Bracket B

Key Games

• NW Bullets – Herman 7, Athletics – Mercado/Bryant 2
• Select Fastpitch – Jones/Carr, USA Prime – Halstead 2
• LTG – Henderson/Buck 8, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker 0
• Select Fastpitch – Jones/Carr, NW Bullets – Herman 10
• Birmingham Thunderbolts – Whitaker 5, Select Fastpitch 1
• Athletics Mercado – Cook/Drew 1, LTG – Henderson/Buck 0

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on SUNDAY (9 AM PST)

Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca vs. LTG Henderson/Buck

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Team Spotlight: Hana Pa’a Softball

Hana Pa’a Softball was a relatively unknown team from Hawaii coming into this past week, but that has changed after the 12U Premier team impressed all week long.

In its first bracket game, a 12-8 win over Hotshots Naudin – Carr, the squad showed its powerful offensive power and that continued in its subsequent wins:

• Hana Pa’a Softball 5, Cal Nuggets – Cortez 1
• Hana Pa’a Softball 12, Firecrackers Medina – R&B Orgeta 8
• Hana Pa’a Softball 12, Explosion – Kim /Okamoto 2,
• Hana Pa’a Softball 7, Top Gun 6

The latter game was a jaw-dropper in that the Hawaiian team fell behind by five runs after two innings, but powered its way to a win with three runs in the 5^th inning and four in the 6^th to take the win.

The Hawaiian team had to win one of two games against the Lady Magic – Munoz team, but feel short

Line Drive’s Brentt Eads caught with Head Coach Jamie Ludwig after that big win and here’s what she had to say about her sleeper team that really impressed in Week 2 of PGF Nationals:

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Hitter of the Day

One of the best games of the tournament—shoot, of the summer if you want to go that big—was the exciting 11-10 win by Athletics Mercado – Greg over the Birmingham Thunderbolts in the 12U division.

This was a nail-biter, a thriller, a cardiac killer… throw any cliché at it and it sticks.

The Bolts jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the 3^rd inning, but the Athletics jumped right back into it with three runs.

The Thunderbolts trailed 9-7 going into the last inning but put three on the board and looked to have a great chance to win with a 10-9 lead.

That wasn’t to be, however, as the A’s tied it up and then the Hitter of the Day, Brooklyn Moore stepped into the box and hit a walk-off home run for the exhausting 11-10 win.

That big blow would have been good enough to give Brooklyn the Hitter of the Day honor, but look at her stats overall and it’s stunning.

The leadoff hitter and star centerfielder went 3-for-5 with six—SIX!!!—RBIs and scored two runs in the win. She had seven total bases and a double in addition to her game-winning round-tripper.

We caught up with Coach Greg Borzilleri and Brooklyn after the big win…. here’s what they had to say:

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Pitcher of the Day

Here’s how you know Lauren Klomp, the standout lefty for  LTG – Henderson/Beck 14U is the real deal.

The father of a standout pitcher on another team commented on Lauren saying:

“That lefty on the LTG team is special. She’s one of the best pitchers we’ve faced all year.”

No less an expert than her father shared with us today what makes Lauren so effective in the circle and one of the best pitchers we’ve seen all summer.

“She uses her rise ball on two levels: low rise and high rise,” Lauren’s dad told Line Drive Media’s Brentt Eads today. “She has a curve to both sides of the plate along with a screw, drop and change up.”

“Lauren also has an off-speed curve and drop to both sides as well.”

“She looks for holes in batter swings and looks to expose it.  She likes to use all her pitches to keep hitters guessing and loves to go inside to right-handers to get them off the plate to set up her breaking pitches away and off speed.”

“For left-side hitters, she will attack with curves to either side and likes to use a curve/ rise change sequence, which tend to get weak contact and strikeouts.”

Today, she pitched in three games and helped her LTG team make it to the championship game but it wasn’t easy.

* In Game 1, Lauren pitched 5 innings with just one hit allowed, no walks and 7 K’s as the team blanked the Birmingham Thunders – Whitaker team 8-0

* In Game 2, she pitched 6 innings with three hits given up, one earned run, one walk and 7 K’s in the LTG 1-0 lose to Athletics Mercado – Cook Drew

* In Game 3, she came in to close the 4-1 win by tossing 2 innings and giving up no hits, one walk and 1 strikeout.

Add up the day’s work, and Lauren pitched 13 innings, with just four hits given up, only one run, two walks and 15 strikeouts.

Heading into the PGF 14U Premier Championship, the outstanding lefty had pitched 31.1 innings with just one earned run, two walks, six hits and 45 strikeouts.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media