Sunday ended the four days of travel ball play at the PGF Show Me the Money event in the Gainesville, Fla. area that saw 126 teams compete in 494 games with all but three games held at Champions Field in Newberry, Fla.

The three trio of games were held today at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the SEC school’s campus in Gainesville, Florida; the title games which saw the winner’s take home a $10,000 cash prize and the second-place finishers pocketing $2,500.

Line Drive Softball was live at the stadium covering the games on the field and from the impressive University of Florida press box.

• to see the ORDER of FINISH, Click HERE
• to see the BRACKET FINISHES, Click HERE

Here’s a recap of all three championship games…

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18U Headline: Complete Play Helps Bolts Start 2024 Summer with Title

Final Score – 18U: Georgia Impact – Taylor 11, Top Gun 16 National 1
Game Time: 1 pm EST
Recap:

The Birmingham Thunderbolts organization, led by Coach Rocky Thompson, is one of the top travel ball programs in the country… of that, there is no doubt.

And if the Bolts play a complete game in all elements of the game—pitching, hitting and defense—then the Alabama-based 18U program is very tough to beat and that was the case on a sunny afternoon in Gainesville, Fla. today as the Thunderbolts defeated a good Top Gun 18U National team 11-1 in a run-rule shortened four inning game.

Pitcher Katelynn “Red” Oxley gave up a first inning home run to Top Gun infielder Abbie Wilhelm, who went 2-for-3, but the Bolts hurler quickly closed the door after that, giving up just two hits the rest of the four-inning game.

Oxley, a 2024 pitcher headed to Florida, allowed just the one earned run while striking three in what she said was her first time pitching in Katie Seashole Pressley Stadium where the Gators softball team plays.

“I started off a little rough,” she conceded, referring to the early home run, “but I trusted my pitching, the defense was great and I was confident the offense would have my back and they did.”

Boy, did they.

After Oxley’s gave up the home run—on the second pitch of the game—Top Gun’s next two batters walked and looked to put more runs on the board before a double play started by 2026 shortstop Katie King quickly shut down the rally.

The pitcher ended the first inning with a strikeout and that essentially would be the game as the first seven hitters in the Bolts lineup all got one hit while 2024 second baseman Mari Hubbard, an Alabama signee, went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

By the end of the first inning—after the Bolts had collected two hits and benefitted from three Top Run errors—the score was 4-1 and the returning PGF National Champs put the game out of reach with two runs in the 2^nd inning and five more in the 3^rd to put into play shortening of the game to four innings and the final score of  11-1 Bolts.

It wasn’t “Red’s” best performance, in part because she had pitched Saturday night and in part because she was “a bit nervous pitching in her future college park,” but “my teammates had my back,” she expressed gratefully.

Next up for Coach Thompson’s deep and balanced team:

• Top Invitational in Kansas City (June 13-16)
• the Patriot Games in Windsor, Colo. (June 27-29)
• Triple Crown Sparkler in Denver (July 1-7)
• The Legacy Invitational in Atlanta (July 12-14)
• PGF Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif. (July 28-Aug. 4)

If the Bolts are firing on all cylinders, like they were Sunday in the finale of the PGF Show Me the Money event, future opposing teams in these five upcoming events should be very nervous indeed.

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16U Headline: A Football Game Breaks Out in Georgia Impact 16-8 Win

Final Score – 16U: Georgia Impact – Taylor 16, Top Gun 16 National 8
Game Time: 10:45 am EST
Recap:

The middle game of the trio of championship matches at the 2024 PGF Show Me the Money event – the 16U title game between the talented Georgia Impact – Taylor and Top Gun 16U National teams–couldn’t have been more unlike the 14U finale that proceeded it.

The earlier game went down to the final pitch—however, this 16U championship was essentially over by the end of the top of the 1st inning when the Impact scored eight runs, added two runs in the 2^nd and four more in the 3^rd to take a 14-1 lead.

It looked like the finale of the three title games would be a curtailed run-rule encounter but then things got interesting as Top Gun scored seven runs to make it 14-8 with three innings potentially to play.

However, the Impact added two more runs in the top of the 6^th to double up their opponents 16-8 and that was final score as the game concluded after six innings.

Four players on the winning Impact team, led by Head Coach Kip Taylor along with assistants Derek Rackley and Missy Hernandez and Player Development head Lincoln Martin, had multiple hits.

Leading the offensive charge was including centerfielder Shayla Bahr who went 2-for-5 with a double and home run while making the defensive play of the game, a full-sprint-towards-the-wall catch that could have been a spark for the always-dangerous Top Gun offense.

More on her home run—one of four on the day for the power-hitting Impact team—it was an inside the park grand slam (which you don’t see every day) in the top of the 1^st inning and put the impact up 8-0 before Top Gun had its first at-bat.

“Off the bat,” Bahr began, “I’m not even going to lie, I thought it was out so when I rounded first I slowed down a little bit. As I was waved around third, I was so energized and hyped—I knew I was scoring and had hit a grand slam. It was my first one ever.”

Shortstop Nina Carcone also had two hits—both home runs—as she drove in three and scored twice herself.

“The first one I knew was out,” she recalled after the game, “but the second one I thought was going to hit the wall. It was a team win and I’m so proud of this team.

Lead the way with the most hits was rightfielder Cece Springfield who went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

The box score for the victors shows the Impact had more runs scored (16) than hits (12) aided by three walks and five errors by the usually strong Top Gun defense.

Coach Taylor said the key was being selective at the plate.

“We had great pitch awareness and recognition today,” he said after celebrating the win, referring in part to the four home runs the team hit today.

Going the distance in the circle for the Georgia Impact was Braylee Spence, who gave up seven hits and six walks but also struck out seven of the 29 batters she faced.

She acknowledged that her job was made a lot easier by her team scoring 14 runs in the first three innings.

“I feel like our team carried the same energy through the whole tournament, it kicked us in the last game and helped us in this game too. If I didn’t have this team there wouldn’t be a way I could have pitched like that.”

As for the eight-run cushion before she even threw her first pitch, Spence admitted:

“That’s pretty nice, to have support like this team gives,” the 2027 grad from Lone Grove, Okla. laughed.

“You can’t really ask for anything more than that!”

*****

Final Score – 14U: Tampa Mustangs, Birmingham Bolts Thriller Comes Down to Final Pitch

Final Score: Tampa Mustangs 09 Pynes 4, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Alford 3
Game Time: 8:15 am EST
Recap:

In a game that came down to the last out with the bases loaded and the home team clinging to a one run lead in the top of the 7^th, Tampa Mustangs starting pitcher Madison Kokoszka wasn’t worried at all.

“I knew I had a good defense behind me and that my change-up was working well as was my change-up” the Class of 2027 right-hander told Line Drive Softball after the game.

It wasn’t easy, however, as Kokoszka led off the top of the 7^th inning by plunking Birmingham Thunderbolts infielder Jillian Wimmer who would steal second to put the potential game-tying run on second base with no outs.

Outstanding power hitter Kennedy Cuthbert was intentionally walked before pitcher/outfield Georgia Chancellor successfully laid down the sac bunt to put runners on second and third with just one out.

Kokoszka then hit the second batter of the frame, Josie Bohannon, to load the bases, again, all with only one out.

That’s when the Mustangs pitcher came up huge and struck out the last two batters, the final one on a 1-2 count, to preserve the victory. Kokoszka went five innings in her start for Coach Beth Pynes and gave up two hits but no runs while striking out three. Alivia Mullen effectively pitched well in relief to close out the win.

Kokoszka gave up five hits, five walks and two earned runs but came up big when it counted and Head Coach noted the pitcher’s coolness under pressure.

“Madison was clutch, “the Mustangs leader said and added: Our hitting was good and the defense was good. The Thunderbolts are an amazing team so we played to the last out and were fortunate to get the win.

Offensively, the Florida team was led by cleanup hitter and first baseman Sabrina Boyer who went 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.

Third baseman Kamryn Wallisa was also a key at the plate as she went 2-for-2 with a walk and drove in a run and scored on another. The 2027 grad was also impressive on defense and started a double play inning in the 5^th with no outs that prevented a Mustangs rally as the home team would put two more on after the DP.

For Coach Pyne, it was a team victory as she indicated in a post-game interview:

“We are just blessed, we’ve had an amazing season so far. The hitting defense and pitching have all been good and they (the players) are playing for each other—they love each other—this team amazing.”

“We knew it would be tough,” Pyne continued. “Last night we saw that we’d be playing the Thunderbolts again and it put a little bit more stress on us because they’re an amazing team, but somehow we played until that last out.”

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball