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Event Recap: Top Gun, Tennessee Mojo & Birmingham Thunderbolts Claim Championships at Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July (July 7, 2024)

By Carlos Arias

July 7, 2024

Event Recap: Top Gun, Tennessee Mojo & Birmingham Thunderbolts Claim Championships at Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July (July 7, 2024)

Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July (Fireworks/Sparkler) was held all week in the Denver Metro Area (All rankings are Line Drive Hot 50 Club National Rankings):

18U: TOP GUN NATIONAL 18, UNITY-JOHNSON/RICKS 12

#33 Top Gun National-Turner outslugged #14 Unity-Johnson/Ricks, 18-12, in the 18U National Power Pool championship game at Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July on Sunday at Aurora Sports Park.

North Florida-bound GOF/2B/3B Grace Shaw-Rockey hit a three-run home run to right field as Top Gun jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning.

Top Gun added seven more runs in the top of the of the 2nd inning on a two-run double by Southern Miss-bound OF Carrie Green, an RBI single by Stanford-bound SS Sydney Boulaphinh, an unearned run and a three-run homer by UNC Wilmington-bound 1B/C/OF Sierra Persinger to make it 10-0.

Top Gun pushed its lead to 12-0.

Persinger, Boulaphinh and Shaw-Rockey all homered for Top Gun. Boulaphinh went 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs, Green went 4 for 6 with with four runs and two RBIs and Shaw-Rockey went 3 for 3 with three runs and four RBIs.

Florida-committed 2025 Makenna Bellaire went 3 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs, Tennessee-bound 3B/SS Amayah Doyle went 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBIs and Boston College-committed 2025 C/IF Emma Knight went 3 for 3 with three runs and two RBIs to lead the Unity.

Top Gun defeated #9 Texas Glory-Shelton, 10-3, Sparks Elite-Ross/Stewart, 12-5, and Unity-Johnson/Ricks in the championship bracket on the final day.

“An event in which we had to run through Texas Glory, Sparks Elite-Ross/Stewart, and Unity-Johnson/Ricks, it took a tremendous amount of selflessness from every player,” Top Gun coach Bob Turner said. “They 100 percent bought into one another, they don’t care who gets the credit and they absolutely love playing for one another.  It is truly a special group of kids and I’m extremely proud of every single one of them!  
 
“Our pitching held opponents to 4.6 RPG (great work in Colorado), our offense averaged 11 runs a game and we absolutely delivered in every clutch situation we needed to.  
 
“(I’m) proud of these kids and their commitment to each other and Top Gun Fastpitch!”

Unity-Johnson/Ricks beat Bombers Gold-Jacoby, 10-4, #25 Athletics National 2024-Madden/Clemmer, 4-3, before losing to Top Gun in the championship bracket on the final day.

****

Tennessee Mojo 2025-Gregory captured the 16U National Power Pool championship at the 2024 Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July. Photo provided by Tennessee Mojo 2025-Gregory’s Favebook.

16U: TENNESSEE MOJO 2025-GREGORY 8, TEXAS GLORY-SHELTON 7

Tennessee Mojo 2025-Gregory gave up a four-run lead, but rallied to beat #20 Texas Glory-Shelton, 8-7, in ITB in the 16U National Power Pool championship game on Sunday at Aurora Sports Park.

Trailing 7-6 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, the Mojo loaded the bases and 2026 P/UT Carly Potts got down a squeeze. An E-3 allowed Ada Little and Missouri-committed 2025 MIF Avery Adcock to score, giving the Mojo the walk-off victory.

2026 1B/3B/UT Kennedy “KB” Bradley hit a solo homer in the top of the 1st inning to give Texas Glory a 1-0 lead.

Bradley added an RBI single in the top of the 3rd inning as Texas Glory improved to 2-0.

Adcock belted a two-run homer and North Carolina State-committed 2025 MIF/UT Lily Livingston added an RBI double to give the Mojo a 3-2 advantage in the bottom of the 3rd inning.

Central Arkansas-bound 3B/SS Jade Carnahan made it 5-2 with a two-run blast to center field in the bottom of the 4th inning.

Georgia-committed 2025 OF/P/UT Natalie Donaldson doubled to lead off the bottom of the 5th inning and scored on 2026 P/1B Bailee Shelton’s double to give the Mojo a 6-2 lead.

Texas Glory scored four runs in the top of the 6th inning to tie it, 6-6. They got one run on a fielder’s choice, then 2026 RHP/SS Madelyn Doty had a two-run double and 2027 MIF/OF/UT Finlee Williams had an RBI single.

2027 C/UT Kinley Patten delivered an RBI single in the top of the 8th inning to give Texas Glory a 7-6 edge.

Then came Mojo’s dramatics.

****

Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027-Alford/Rocky captured the 2024 Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July. Photo provided by @jillianwimmer04 on Twitter.

14U: BIRMINGHAM THUNDERBOLTS-ALFORD/ROCKY 11, LTG LIONS 2027-BUCK 4

Coach Fredrick Alford has guided Birmingham Thunderbolts’ teams to a PGF 14U Platinum national runner-up in 2023 and a PGF 12U Premier national runner-up in 2022, but this time his team won a big one.

#8 Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2027-Alford/Rocky scored four runs in the 4th and 5th innings to pull away from #23 LTG Lions 2027-Buck en route to an 11-4 victory in the 14U National Power Pool championship game of the Triple Crown Colorado 4th of July on Sunday at Aurora Sports Park.

“It meant a lot to our girls to “break that curse,” Alford said, “especially the ones that have been with us during all of those tournaments. Our last trip to Colorado wasn’t a good showing, so this is even more special to them. As for as myself, it’s always great for our team and organization to win a tournament of this caliber with the best of the best competing. Each game was taken one game at a time and we had great team wins with every player playing a huge role whether it be drawing a walk, making plays, timely hits or throwing their best strikes. It took the whole team.” 

2027 UT Jillian Wimmer went 3 for 4 with a run, 2027 UT/C Ellie Mitchell went 3 for 4 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI and 2028 3B/1B Kennedy “KC” Cuthbert went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs to provide the offense for the Bolts.

2027 3B Brooklyn Nicholls, who went 3 for 3 with a homer and four RBIs, had a big day for LTG.

Birmingham Thunderbolts beat #3 Impact Gold 2K9 National, 5-1, Fury Platinum X-Pickett, 8-3, #46 Texas Glory Gold, 9-1, and LTG Lions in the championship bracket on the final day.

LTG Lions defeated Unity 2027-TJ, 13-3, #10 Arizona National-Kobasew, 7-0, and #1 Athletics Mercado 09-Tidd, 8-6, in the championship bracket to reach the final.

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

 

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