The Triple Crown Nationals are being held Tuesday-Thursday in Chino Hills, CA (All rankings are Line Drive Hot 50 Club National Rankings):

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18U: ATHLETIC MERCADO-SMITH 5, OC BATBUSTERS-STITH 4

Boise State-bound 1B Makenzie Butt has been a clutch performer for Athletics Mercado-Smith throughout her career and she came up big for the Athletics once again.

Butt led off the top of the 8th inning with a single to center field, driving in the go-ahead run and the #3 Athletics went on to a 5-4 victory over #1 OC Batbusters-Stith, the two-time defending Alliance national champions, in ITB in the 18U championship game of the Triple Crown Nationals on Thursday at Chino Hills Community Park.

“I was just looking for a pitch I can hit hard in a hole somewhere,” Butt said. “I wasn’t looking to hit the ball out. I wanted to help my team in any way possible and a simple ball up the middle did that.”

Arizona-bound IF Jenna Sniffen had an RBI single and Washington-committed 2025 IF Mila Reddy had an RBI double to give the Athletics a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning.

Oklahoma-bound C Corri Hicks, who went 2 for 4, hit a solo homer to center field in the bottom of the 2nd inning as the Batbusters cut the lead to 2-1.

Oklahoma-committed 2025 CF Kai Minor gave the Batbusters a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning with a two-run double.

Oregon State-bound IF Paige Barmbarger had a solo blast and Butt, who went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, had an RBI single as the Athletics regained a 4-3 advantage in the top of the 5th inning.

2026 OF Kale’a Tindal drove in uncommitted 2025 2B/OF Kyler Del Duca with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6h inning as the Batbusters knotted the score 4-4.

That set the stage for Butt’s ITB heroics in the top of the 8th inning.

“It definitely felt really good to win,” Butt said. “I think these last few wins gave us really good momentum and confidence going into PGF because they were top teams.”

OC Batbusters-Stith defeated OC Batbusters-Stith/Black, 13-1, and #10 Corona Angels-Tyson, 6-4, to reach the final. Riley Hilliard hit a three-run homer and Tessa Cowsill hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 5th inning to help Batbusters-Stith overcome a 3-2 deficit and beat the Corona Angels.

Athletics Mercado-Smith beat L#29 TG-Henderson, 8-1, and #18 NW Bullets-Camos, 4-2, to reach the final.

“(It was a) great team win,” Athletics coach Mark Smith said. “Seniors did what we expect of them, underclassmen stepped up all week.”

16U: TEXAS GLORY-SHELTON 16, BSC BENGALS-GURULE 0

Texas Glory-Shelton pounded out 13 hits, including five for extra bases, to overwhelm BSC Bengals-Gurule, 16-0, in five innings via the mercy rule in the 16U championship game of Triple Crown Nationals on Thursday at Chino Hills Community Park.

2027 MIF/OF/UT Finlee Williams went 4 for 4 with four runs and two RBIs, 2026 RHP/OF Avery Howerton went 3 for 3 with three runs and seven RBIs and 2026 C/UT Presley Kilgore went 3 for 4 with a run and three RBIs to power Texas Glory.

Howerton, 2026 RHP Hayden Mowery and 2026 RHP Madelyn Doty combined on a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts for Texas Glory.

Texas Glory-Shelton defeated Louisville Lady Sluggers-VanBoxmerr, 9-0, in the quarterfinals and Universal Fastpitch-Macias, 9-1, in the semifinals to reach the championship game.

BSC Bengals-Gurule beat San Jose Sting-Jensen, 7-4, in the quarterfinals and Suncats Jimenez-Gutierrez, 4-2, in the semifinals to reach the final.

14U: OC BATBUSTERS-STITH/GARCIA 15, CORONA ANGELS-TYSON 12

#11 OC Batbusters-Stith/Garcia rallied from a 10-4 deficit to beat #6 Corona Angels-Tyson, 15-12, in the 14U championship game of the Triple Crown Nationals on Thursday at BLD Riverside Durham.

“This was definitely a team win,” Batbusters coach Chris Garcia sad. “They’re starting to come together at the right time. Our offense is our strength. The team has learned to not panic when we get down and just keep chipping away. Overall, a good week.”

Dailynn Battee hit a two-run homer to help Corona Angels-Tyson build a 10-4 lead in the first four innings.

The Batbusters rallied for six runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, including a three-run homer by 2029 C Siena Bobadilla, to tie it 10-10.

2027 RHP Arrianna Romero’s two-run homer in the top of the 6th helped Corona Angels-Tyson regain a 12-10 lead.

2028 IF Hailey Ramirez had a two-run double, 2028 IF/C Melia Munoz had an RBI single and 2028 IF/OF Maddie Gonzales had a two-run single as OC Batbusters-Stith/Garcia built a 15-12 lead.

Munoz went 3 for 5 with three runs and four RBIs, 2028 P/IF Tulutuleilei Salue went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, 2029 OF Devaeh Crawford went 2 for 5 with two runs, 2028 IF Jaylene Jimenez went 2 for 5 with three runs and an RBI, Gonzales went 3 for 5 with a run and two RBIs and Bobadilla went 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs to lead OC Batbusters-Stith/Garcia.

2027 SS Samantha Nichols, Battee, 2028 C/1B Annabel Raftery, 2027 C Emma Anderson, 2027 OF/C Alanah Cole and Romero all had multi-hit games for Corona Angels-Tyson.

OC Batbusters-Stith/Garcia beat #9 Breakers Labs 09-Keusch, 15-9, in the quarterfinals and came back from a 6-1 deficit to beat #38 Warrior Academy-McDonald, 10-9, in the semifinals to reach the championship game.

Corona Angels-Tyson defeated #20 Athletics Mercado-Tidd/Iwai, 6-4, and Arizona Storm-Leathers, 11-0, to reach the final.

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