What a great time to be a Birmingham Thunderbolt.

For the third time in a span of eight days, the Alabama-based travel ball organization won a PGF National Championship after capturing the 18U title last Saturday and taking home two more title trophies on Saturday—in the 10U and 14U Platinum age division.

Add this to another amazing statistic about the Richard Shea-owned and Rocky Thompson-led organization:

… over the last three PGF Nationals, the Bolts have won at least one National Championship each of the two weeks for each event so three years times two weeks equals six-plus natties.

Here’s a look at the first day of championship play for Week 2 of PGF Nationals and how it had a very distinctive blue look as well as how the two finalists for Sunday’s 14U Premier title game advanced.

We’ll have detailed coverage of the three title games in Irvine, Calif. to close out the 2024 PGF Nationals: 12U Platinum (9 am PST), 12U Premier (11:30 am PST) and 14U Premier. (2:30 pm PST)

*****

PGF 10U Premier National Championship

Birmingham Thunderbolts – Tennyson 13, Athletics Mercado HR 0

The first National Championship of the five to be held over the weekend was all but over after the top of the first as the explosive Bolts team coached by Adam Tennyson scored four runs of what would be 13 in total over five innings.

That would invoke the “eight (run lead) over five (innings) to give the Thunderbolts organization its second PGF 10U Premier title in two years but the offense only needed to score one run thanks to the tremendous pitching of Ivionne (“Ivy”) Adams.

Adams would only give up two hits in the game while striking out 10, a clean average of two per inning, and would never trail thanks to an offense that saw nine Bolts batters get at least one hit—and four of those would get multiple hits led by second baseman Avery Thompson’s perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate to go with a walk and three RBIs.

In the top of the first, after leadoff batter Hannah Tennyson singled to start the game, Thompson would triple and score on an error by the A’s and, before many fans had even found their seats, the score was 2-0 Thunderbolts.

The Bolts scored six runs in the top of the 5^th inning on six hits including a pair of two-RBI singles from Thompson and Sophia Oinos to shorten the game to five innings.

Third baseman Lilli Franks, batting third in the order, would also get three hits and drive in two of the Bolts runs.

Check out this video of the 10U champs doing team-building and sportsmanship cheers post-game…

*****

PGF 14U Platinum National Championship

Birmingham Thunderbolts – Brashears 3, Athletics Mercado Tidd/Iwai

The Birmingham Thunderbolts made it two in a row in the nightcap, but the ending was all but easy and a sure thing in the PGF 14U Platinum title contest.

What had been a comfortable 3-0 lead in the top of the 7^th with one out became a nail-biter as 3-hole hitter Nia Talataina of Athletics – Tidd/Iwai tripled followed by a Destinee Herrera run scoring-triple and an error.

Suddenly, the game was 3-2 with the tying run at first base; however pitcher Dakota McDaniel would lock in to get back-to-back strikeouts ending the game.

She had gotten out an earlier jam when, in the first inning, her defense committed a pair of errors to help load the bases before the pitcher induced a pop out to herself to close the initial stanza.

The Bolts offense put the first runs of the game on the board in the bottom of the 1^st inning as Kelsey Burden walked with one out, KK Jordan would single and both would come home on a one-out two-RBI double by cleanup hitter Macie Brashears.

The third and ultimately winning run for the Bolts came in the bottom of the third when Brashears would lead off the inning with a walk and an RBI single by Elyn Simpkins.

Here are post-game interviews with winning head coach Jacob Brashears and clutch hurler Dakota McDaniel.

*****

PGF 14U Premier Championships Teams Set

Title Game to Feature Athletics – Mercado/Tidd vs. Breakers – Lab/Keusch

With the 14U Premier and the 12U Premier and Platinum trophies to be awarded on Sunday, the teams for the final game of Week 2 in the 2024 PGF Nationals were decided.

Athletics coach Brian Tidd, who was a driving force in leading the two teams that played earlier Saturday in the two PGF National Championships and finished second, spearheaded his 14U Premier Team to be one of two undefeated teams in the Winner’s Bracket of 14U Premier to be played Sunday.

The A’s won two games on Saturday to advance to Sunday’s championship, beating Unity – Amsler/Johnson 2-0 and then Hotshots National – Nelson 4-2 behind the pitching of a trio of superb arms in Daniella Beccanfuso, Gianna Torres and Ava Phillips

You don’t have to look very far to discover what’s been key for the A’s to make the finale: over the team’s last six games – played Thursday, Friday and Saturday – the 14U Premier A’s have outscored opponents 20-4 with three of them being shutouts.

The Athletics will face the “feel good” story of the PGF Nationals: the Breakers – Labs 14U Premier team coached by Kurt Keusch and based in the San Diego area.

The Breakers beat Top Gun National 3-1 earlier in the day and then, facing the Unity – Amsler/Johnson team from the Loser’s Bracket, lost the first game 7-1 but took the “If” game by a score of 3-1 thanks to the complete game pitching of Kassidy King who gave up just the one earned run while striking out five.

Coach Keusch describes his organization, run by Bobby Labs, as a “boutique” club program that thrives because of a “family atmosphere” in which “the players have the final say about who joins a team… talent is a must, but a positive attitude and being a good fit is a priority.”

While some travel teams have players from all over the country, the Breakers 14U Premier team is comprised of all players but 10 being from a small area of San Diego and seven of the current players competed together on a rec ball all-star team from Vista, Calif. in 2020

Check out the interviews with Coach Keusch and star catcher Kaimana Coleman after the first win of the day…

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Softball