Brentt Eads blog: the PGF 14U National Championship
Brentt Eads blog: the PGF 14U National Championship
The 2015 Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Nationals wrap up a long summer that has seen me attend the National Championships at all three of the major governin
Aug 9, 2015 by Brentt Eads
The 2015 Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) Nationals wrap up a long summer that has seen me attend the National Championships at all three of the major governing bodies: Triple Crown (TC/USA Nationals in Reno and Tahoe, Nev.), the USA Softball JO Cup (Chino Hills) and the PGF Nationals in Irvine, Calif.
The OC Batbusters Campbell team with its hard-earned hardware.The PGF 18U/12U/ and 10U took place a week ago Friday and today’s 16U and 14U Premier games were two of the best games of the year and puts a great exclamation point on the 2015 summer club season!
Here are my thoughts—not always about the action on the field—as I sat in the front row of Bill Barber Stadium and took written notes as well as shot photos and videos.
In this blog, I cover the 14U game matching the local OC Batbusters-Campbell team facing the impressive Georgia Impact-Lewis team in the first game of the day, a 11 am PST start…
***
*** Interesting that the song I hear at 10:40 am walking into Bill Barber Stadium is “Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain.” Rain is the furthest thing from anyone’s mind as it’s sunny with no clouds and temps in the 80’s for a perfect day of softball.
You have to hand it to PGF: they always schedule perfect weather. Although, as someone who lives about 20 minutes away from Irvine, I can attest that it can get chilly at night. But rain… we could only wish for it (on a non-softball day, of course).
Three hours before its game, the Tamp Mustangs pose at Bill Barber Stadium.
*** As I walk up to the stadium the Tampa Mustangs 16U are posing for a team photo. Their championship game versus the Beverly Bandits DeMarini from Ohio is more than three hours away and the Florida team looks relaxed and confident.
I talk to Head Coach TJ Goelz who says, “It sounds cliché but I told our team before we got here that the journey is more important than the destination. That’s how it’s been, we’ve had fun and now, no matter what happens today, we can say we made it to the championship through amazing obstacles—losing our first game and playing 11 games in the Loser’s Bracket—and still we’ve had fun.”
*** I realize that I left my program at home but the day is saved when Bret Denio, who runs the stats for the PGF championships, hands me the rosters for the 14U came starting in 15 minutes. Thank you Bret…
*** I catch up with Carlos Arias who is keeping the game blog for FloSoftball and he is always prepared: he brings a canopy to sit in the shade. Carlos is great at game stories—me, I look more for big moments that are going to be key to the game so I can shoot photos and/or video.
As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and it’s a fun challenge to try and capture a big game-changing moment that will decide a game.
*** I settle in on the front row just behind the screen slightly to the right of the plate as you’re looking down on the field. I have a small Canon Sureshot that has a 32X zoom but most importantly allows me to shoot between the wire of the backstop.
*** The view is perfect but I know that I’m probably going to be right in the camera view from centerfield so I have to make sure to not do anything stupid!
*** The Batbusters are local so they naturally have more fans than the Georgia Impact, but the fans from the Peach State make up for it in volume. I get to say hello to Will Tomasello and the other leads from the Impact and they’re great folks.
People like them and their players are a main reason I like spending a Saturday afternoon in the sun, watching great softball and great athletes!
*** The energy is high as the game gets underway. People always ask for a team—my answer is always the same: I root for people I know and like and there are a ton of both sides so I’m happy (and sad) that there will be a winner and loser.
Colleen Sullivan, the first 2018 to commit to UCLA, came up big and had a two-run double on this swing in the 6th inning.
On the Batbusters’ side, I really like and admire Mark Campbell, who is a great coach and very skilled with catchers. One of those is Colleen Sullivan, the UCLA commit, and I’ve done stories on her before and really liked her and her family. She’s batting in the 4 hole so I expect something big from her this game!
On the Impact side, I watched the 16U team play this week and did video interviews with Kassidy Krupit (the Impact 4 hole hitter), Maddison Koepke, the 2019 commit to Auburn, and pitcher Logan Caymol, a Tennessee commit, who’s had a big week.
The journalist in me is thinking I need to shoot video footage of them to go with the head shots I shot earlier; the softball fan in me is excited to see how the game will play out.
*** I get a pleasant surprise as Danny Lorenz, the father of Louisville Slugger Hit Club member Amanda Lorenz, comes to say hi and sits by me for a couple innings. He’s eating a blue snowcone and I’m already so thirsty I’m thinking of making an in-between inning run to get my own.
Danny and Amanda are at the game because she has hit a lot with many of the Batbuster 16U players and her 18U coach, Mike Stith, is one of the assistants on the team. Nice to see Amanda come out to root for friends…
*** The action on the field is calm until things get interesting in the bottom of the 3rd as Mo Pisia for the Batbusters singles, the second hit of the game, and then Jackie Jones gets hit on the shoulder.
Two runs score on Haley Kela’s double in the 2nd inning.
With two outs, pitcher Caymol goes full count before Haley Kela hits a ball deep to center that centerfielder Maddy Libby dives for but just comes up short.
Two runs score and Kela ends up on second with a two-run double. Lari Cesena, the lead-off hitter is next up and singles to right driving in Kela and suddenly the score is 3-0 Batbusters.
*** But the Impact answers right back as Katie Goldberg starts the top of the 3rd off with a single over short and Maddie Libby follows with a flair to the exact same spot and, with no outs, the Impact look to be getting back into the game.
Arielle Oda bunts and the ball stops right on the chalk and she gets to first on a one-foot single! Skylar Wallace hits a flair that lands right in no-mans land between the pitcher and short and Wallace beats it out and the first run scores. It’s 3-1 and the bases are still loaded.
Batbuster pitcher Vanessa Foreman gets two outs and it looks like she may escape without too much damage, but she hits the next batter, Kassidy Kruppit, and that’s enough for Mark Campbell who makes a pitching change to Farrah Steffany.
On the first pitch Maddie Billings hit a single in the 5-6 hole and two runs score and the Impact takes the lead 4-3 but on the play the runner is caught off second to end the inning.
Heading into the last of the 3rd inning it’s 4-3 for the Impact after the visitors from Georgia get five hits to take the lead.
*** The Batbusters load the bases in the bottom of the third but with two outs Caymol gets a flyout and the threat is averted. Still, the local team seems to be knocking on the door and you get the feeling the scoring isn’t over on their side…
Vanessa Foreman would start the game, leave, and then return to clinch the win.
*** The Batbusters threaten again in the bottom of the 4th when what initially looks like a routine deep ball to right field keeps drifting and the outfielders converge but can’t make the play. Hitter Ari Quinones motors around the bases for a triple and the home team has another great chance to tie the game or take the lead.
Caymol gets another strikeout and then faces Colleen Sullivan, a dangerous power hitter, but gets her to fly out to right and the might Batbusters’ bats are held at bay again.
Caymol keeps putting out scoring threats and the question is, can she keep it up for three more innings? It’d help with her offense could add a few more runs to pad her lead…
*** Great teams find a way to make it happen and the Batbusters didn’t win the Winner’s Bracket on luck. The well-coached offense keeps knocking on the door and this time cracks it open.
In the bottom of the 5th, Val Pero hits a double to deep left center with one out and after Caymol gets a big strikeout it looks like she may avert danger once again, but Jackie Jones hits a rainbow to left that finds its way among two outfielders and Wallace at short to allow Pero to walk home to tie it up at 4-4.
Haley Kela flies out to end the inning and that leaves another baserunner on, making it eight in five innings. If the Batbusters lose, they’ll look back at the missed opportunities with baserunners, but now that it’s tied, they seem like they’re on the verge of breaking through for more.
Games often have a “feel” to this one and right now the momentum seems to be with the Batbusters who seem like they have more offensive firepower working for them.
*** Top 6 and it’s anyone’s game. Vanessa Foreman comes back in and it’s like we’re rebooting back to the start of the game. The rest did her well as she pitches a 1-2-3 inning.
*** Bottom 6 and Ari Quinones lines a two-strike pitch past the pitcher into right field for her third hit of the day (two singles and a triple). She promptly steals second and the Batbusters have another baserunner in scoring position. Taylor Okada gets on and power bat Colleen Sullivan comes up…
… and breaks the game open with a two-run double and you get the felling that’s the deciding blog.
The Batbusters tack on another run behind Valerie Pero’s RBI single and that makes it 7-4, which is what the score ends up being.
The win means the OC Batbuster organization has won three of the five PGF Premier age groups: 18U (coached by Mike Stith and Gary Haning), 14U here today and 12U (Toni Mascarenas).
Quite the amazing run by what has to be the No. 1 organization in club softball.
I get down on the field with the parents after the trophies are awarded and get to talk to Coach Campbell and, along with Carlos, interview Colleen Sullivan also. Great kid as well as player, she should be a star at UCLA.
It’s great to see such happiness and joy after the rewarding of a year’s worth of work—or, more accurately, a lifetime’s worth of work—to get to this point.
Congrats to the Batbusters and to the Impact too as they have a lot of young talent. Both teams should be back in contention next year. The Impact, by the way, finished 5th in 14U and will play shortly for the 16U title
And with that Game 1 was done and it was time to get ready for the 16U title game coming up less than an hour later…
