Sunday was the conclusion of the 2026 PGF Nationals and the action and results of each of the three was outstanding.

We conclude our recaps of the National Championship games in our three-part series covering each of the title games that was played on Sunday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Bill Barber Park, Irvine, Calif. per this schedule (click on the links to read the previously posted game recaps):

* 14U Platinum Championship (9 am PST)

— Birmingham Thunderbolts – Wilkerson 6, Firecrackers Hawaii 1

* 12U Premier Championship (11:30 am PST)

          — Lady Magic – Munoz 5, Athletics – Mercado – Greg 3

* 14U Premier Championship (2:30 pm PST)

— LTG Henderson/Buck 6, Hotshots National – Torres/Seneca 0 

Today, we review the last championships of the 2026 PGF Nationals which featured a pair of elite pitchers you’ll be hearing about for years to come….

*****

14U PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP:

LTG – Henderson/Buck 6, Hotshots – Torres/Seneca 0

Not only was the finale of the three PGF National Championships held Sunday, the 14U Premier title game also was a showdown between two of the most elite of the 2029 pitchers in the country.

It was everything you’d want in a championship game and if you just popped in without knowing the age division, you wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told you this was the PGF 18U Premier championship—the caliber of talent was that impressive.

And if you just saw the final score of 6-0 with the championship won by the NorCal-based Love the Game (LTG) organization over the Hotshots from Texas without knowing much about the game and how it played out, you would have missed a nail-biter that went until the very last inning.

It may be an oversimplification to say that both team’s rode the backs of their workhorse pitchers, Avery Dunlap for the Hotshots and Lauren Klomp of LTG.

Both sides have excellent complementary pitchers too: Layla Permenter actually started for the Hotshots in the title game and went through the starting lineup of LTG without giving up a run.

On the LTG side, Head Coach Joe Henderson had the great luxury of rolling out another ace in Madelyn “Maddy” Benzler who mixed a fastball reaching speeds up to 68 mph with an outstanding rise ball, drop, and changeup.

Maddy posted a 0.824 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 17 innings of pitching in bracket play, leading Coach Henderson to say:

“Having two pitchers who could dominate in different ways gave us tremendous confidence throughout the tournament.”

And then there is Dunlap and Klomp.

One successful D1 head coach gushed about the Hotshots ace raving about hard she throws.

“We had her timed at one event in the low 70’s (mph) and as high as 74 mph in another,” the coach noted the night before the title game.

“She is a franchise kid, a once in a generation type of player.”

Here’s one example of Avery Dunlap throwing heat in the championship game:

Klomp, for her part, was nearly unbeatable.

In 38 innings in bracket play for Week 2 of PGF Nationals, the lefty tossed 38 innings with just one earned one—ONE only!—with 55 strikeouts, a 0.18f ERA, a .342 WHIP and a measly .079 batting average against.

“I also can’t say enough about our pitching staff,” Coach Henderson continued.

“Lauren was simply masterful throughout the tournament. She kept elite hitters off balance with outstanding command, changed speeds effectively, and featured great drop and rise balls, consistently putting us in position to win.”

“Very few hitters squared her up, and she competed with incredible poise every inning she pitched.”

Here’s a common scene in last weekend’s game–Lauren throwing a strike:

It’s not like LTG hadn’t been in this position before.

Two years ago, this same group played in the PGF 12U National Championship game and came up just short, finishing as runners-up.

“That experience added fuel to our fire,” the LTG head man recalls, “and made us even more determined to return and finish the job. What impressed me the most wasn’t just that we won—it was how we won.”

“Every facet of our game came together at exactly the right time. Our pitching was dominant, our defense was nearly flawless, and our offense made adjustment after adjustment against some of the best competition in the country.”

Permenter started for the Hotshots and, despite giving up a leadoff walk to LTG shortstop Reese Litherland, she was very effective in going 2 1/3^rd innings with just one hit along with two strikeouts.

Klomp, on the other hand, went the distance save for the final out—more on that later.

Her stat line would be 6.2 innings with four hits, one walk and an impressive 10 strikeouts.

The Hotshots made some noise in the bottom of the 2^nd when first baseman Nini Mayorga started the inning with a chopper down the first base line that bounced over the head of LTG first baseman Jackie Landrum for the home team’s first hit of the game.

Third baseman Paige Wardinsky followed up with a single to left and, suddenly, the Hotshots look primed to put the first runs on the game.

Klomp, though elevated her game and got two strikeouts swinging, but outfielder Riley Miller bunted for a single to load the bases.

First key showdown of the game went to Klomp as she got another strikeout swinging—all three outs in the inning by K’s—to quell the threat.

The highly-heralded Dunlap entered the game with one out in the top of the third and promptly get her first K of the game—she would have six total in 3.2 innings of work—and a groundout to end the top of the third.

The power-throwing pitcher looked strong heading into the final innings—she had two strikeouts in the top of the 6^th—and in the bottom of the inning, Wardinsky got her second hit of the game, but the Hotshots were unable to capitalize.

Then came the fateful top of the 7^th that will forever be treasured by the LTG organization and loathed by the Hotshots (which did win a PGF Nationals title on Saturday when the Hotshots National – Villegas team won the 10U Premier Championship).

Five-hole hitter Brea Hart led off the inning with a single and a fielder’s choice put her on second-one down.

Jackie Landrum then bunted for what looked to be a sacrifice but was able to reach base safely to load the bases.

The next play would be so critical to the outcome of the game.

Aubrey Davis also looked to sacrifice but the throw home was late and an error allowed two runs to score.

For the Hotshots, who had played so well all week, the miscues continued to mount up with a “defensive indifference” call, an error and a passed ball and suddenly what had been a very tight game became a 4-0 lead for LTG which still wasn’t done.

Tamiayh Ward would single to center to score another run, and she would come around to make it 6-0 on another error in the inning… four total and the cause for the great Hotshots team to fall short in this, the final game of the 2026 PGF Nationals.

In the bottom of the 7^th, it seemed all that needed to be done was for Klomp to finish out the game and she did get the first two outs before Coach Henderson did a classy thing: he took out Klomp—to a well-deserved round of appreciative applause by both sides—and brought in Benzler, the DP who had batted third in the lineup offensively during the game.

She recorded the final out via strikeout—the 11^th of the game for the NorCal-based team–and the title that escaped the LTG program just two years ago was finally theirs.

“I’m still in awe of what this group accomplished,” Henderson reflected.

“Winning a PGF National Championship isn’t something that just happens. It takes years of preparation, commitment, and players who are willing to trust one another and buy into a common goal.”

The well-liked head man of the Love The Game program said this championship was set up by the team prepping against elite competition.

“We intentionally built one of the toughest schedules in the nation because we believe that iron sharpens iron,” Coach Henderson continued.

“We competed in the Triple Crown Power Pool against a mix of PGF and Alliance teams, won the Triple Crown TV game, captured the National Power Pool Championship, and also won the Scenic City Top 25.”

“We consistently challenged ourselves against nationally ranked teams throughout the season.”

“Looking back now, every difficult game, every tough loss, and every moment of adversity prepared us for that championship run. By the time we reached PGF, our girls had been battle-tested and were ready for the biggest stage in youth softball.”

The head coach was particularly proud of the well-rounded effort his 14U Premier team made this week in all facets of the game.

“We outscored our opponents 43–6, which is a testament to our firepower at the plate,” Henderson added.

“People often say offense wins games, but defense wins championships, and our defense proved that throughout PGF. We made play after play behind our pitchers, stayed fundamentally sound under pressure, and played virtually error-free softball when it mattered most. Against the best teams in the country, every out matters, and our defense answered every challenge.

“More than anything, this championship represents years of hard work from an incredible group of young ladies. They believed in each other, competed for each other, and never backed down from any challenge.”

Henderson went in detail over the fateful 7^th inning and how every single player that went to the plate had a role to play in adding to the previous hitter’s success.

“Going into the seventh inning of a scoreless championship game, I knew we couldn’t simply wait for something to happen,” he began.

“We had to create pressure and force the other team to make plays. We had been facing one of the hardest-throwing pitchers we’d seen all year, and our hitters had spent the entire game making adjustments. We challenged our players to attack early in the count, and that’s exactly what they did. Brea Hart and Kinslee Buck both turned on first-pitch fastballs to get on base and immediately put pressure on the defense.”

“From there, everything our players had worked on throughout the season came to life. Jackie (Landrum), who hit .389 this week,  executed exactly what we had talked about—taking an aggressive swing early before laying down a perfectly placed bunt that loaded the bases with nobody out.”

A gutsy call as Landrum lays down a bunt to move the runners up a base:

“We have always emphasized being unpredictable and finding different ways to manufacture runs, and our players executed that philosophy flawlessly.”

“When Aubree Davis—who batted .611 in bracket player–came to the plate, she had the green light to drive in runs. After falling behind with two strikes, we trusted her instincts and our offensive philosophy. She laid down a tremendous bunt that caught everyone by surprise, creating just enough chaos for two runs to score.”

“That’s championship softball—finding ways to win when everyone in the stadium knows every run matters.”

“Our depth has been one of this team’s greatest strengths all season. Sophie Puentes came off the bench ready to contribute, put the ball in play, and allowed another run to score.”

“Then Tamiayh Ward – who led our team with seven RBIs this week – stepped into a pressure-packed moment and delivered another clutch hit on an inside pitch to extend our lead. Later, Madelyn Benzler drove the ball deep enough to create yet another scoring opportunity through aggressive baserunning. Every player who was called upon embraced the moment.”

Here’s a post-game interview with Tamiayh, the two-hole hitter and starting shortstop who had a big RBI single in the 7th inning:

It was truly a team effort and one that Joe Henderson says he’ll savor forever.

“Watching them become the first team in LTG history to win a PGF National Championship is something I’ll never forget. They earned every bit of it, and I couldn’t be prouder of this team, our coaching staff, and everyone who helped make this championship season possible.”

“What makes me the proudest is that our players completely trusted one another and trusted our coaching staff. They never played afraid. We teach our hitters to be aggressive, attack pitches, and force defenses to make plays. When the situation called for power, they were ready. When it called for small ball, they executed it to perfection. Their ability to adjust throughout the game is what separated this team.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media