As the sun set beautifully on the Huntington Beach Sports Complex, eight teams were competing in the four 14U Premier bracket games matching undefeated teams.
To show how outstanding these teams are, halfway through each of quartet of games Friday evening, they all were tied—two at 2-2, one at 1-1 and the other 0-0.
Ultimately, the four outcomes would determine who moves on to play in the Saturday games:
The pair of 10:15 am games matching these winning teams are:
Of course, the eventual winners of these games will face the champs of the Loser’s Brackets who will have to win two games.
Below are highlights of each of the four 14U Premier games:
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The A’s outlasted the Lady Magic after jumping out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a two-run RBI single by Addison Brown.
The Lady Magic would tie it in the top of the 5th on a two-RBI hit by Caelyn Campo, but in the bottom of the inning the A’s would push ahead the eventual winning run on Eva Bustamante’s single.
Daniella Boccanfuso went 5 1/3rd innings allowing two earned runs and Ava Phillips came in to close out the win and had three strikeouts in the last 1 2/3rds inning.
Athletics Head Coach Brian Tidd with Saturday night’s standout reliever Ava Phillips.
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The Breakers scored runs in each of the first two innings and then blew the game open with four runs in the 4th inning in a game that was called with the “six runs lead in the 6th inning rule.”
Breakers pitcher Kassidy King gave up just one hit over five innings with six K’s and two walks while Allison Keusch came in and closed out the victory with a 1-2-3 6th inning.
Keusch was also the offensive star of the game as she went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, both coming on a two-out single in the 4th inning.
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Maybe the most exciting game of the day, the only score came in the top of the 7th inning when Bryli Seifert hit an RBI single.
The story of the game was the pitching tandem of starter Addison Davis, who gave up just two hits in 6 and 1/3rd inning with five strikeouts versus just one walk, and last night’s star, Molly Munson, who came in to get the final two outs of the game but it wouldn’t be easy.
The Wildcats had the bases loaded with just one out but Munson got a grounder to third baseman Krystyna Meyer, who got the force out at home, and then a huge strikeout to close out the win.
Check out this video clip featuring both of the Top Gun pitchers:
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The game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 4th when the Unity would push ahead the eventual winning run and then score three in the 5th inning and two more in the 6th inning for insurance.
The 4th inning run came via an error allowing catcher Lilly Sifrit to put the third run on the board.
Sifrit had a big night as she went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, both coming in the 5th inning thanks to a two-out double that pushed the lead to 6-2 at the time. Infielder Sophie Strugar went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
KK Barber and Hadley Johnson were the pitchers who guided Unity to a win as Barber pitched four innings giving up just three hits and an earned run and Johnson went two innings allowing two hits and no earned runs.
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Saturday will see champions crowned at the 10U Premier and 14U Platinum age divisions.
The others—14U Premier and both the 12U Premier and Platinum levels—will take place on Sunday.
The teams still in action at 10U are Hustle National 2K13, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Tennyson and, via the Loser’s Bracket, Power Surge 2013.
At 14U Platinum, the teams competing are the Mafia Athletics – Bateman, Lady Magic – Asia and AM – Tidd/Iwai 2010 teams.
— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball
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