The 18-Under and 16-Under ASA/USA Softball National Champions were decided on Saturday in Salem and Hillsboro, Ore.

At the 18U level, the Beverly Bandits-DeMarini team from Ohio defeated the Marucci Patriots 3-2 in a tight affair that saw the Bandits jump out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth before the Patriots tied the game in the bottom of the sixth.

The hero of the game ended up being Haley Dominique who hit a sacrifice fly to left in the top of the seventh to score 2016 first baseman Caitlyn Robinson, a Ball State commit, for the go-ahead run.

2016 Oregon-bound pitcher Miranda Elish closed off the win with a strikeout in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Bandits the 18 GOLD National Championship.

Dominigue went 3-for-4 in the game with a double and a pair singles with two RBIs to lead the offense. The 2016 outfielder, who is committed to Ball State, ended up batting .536 for the week.

Elish gave up nine hits over 6 2/3rds innings, but struck out eight and only gave up one earned run in the win.

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In the 16 GOLD title game, the Nebraska Gold Mizuno-Heard team blanked the Originals-Self 3-0 behind a three-hit shutout from Olivia Ferrell, a 2017 pitcher/first baseman headed to the Univ. of Nebraska.

She walked three batters but also struck out four in the complete game victory.

Nebraska Gold scored single runs in each of the first three innings to put the game out of reach.

In the bottom of the first, Bobbi Singleton, a 2016 catcher committed to Missouri-Kansas City, doubled to right field to score Courtney Wallace—a 2018 pitcher/infielder headed to Nebraska.

The and tacked on additional runs via a sac fly by 2016 infielder Hailey Bartz, who has verballed to Nebraska-Omaha, in the second and an infield error by the Originals in the third.

The Originals came from the Loser’s Bracket to make it to the finals. The Louisiana Voodoo entered Saturday’s action in the Winner’s Bracket but lost to Nebraska Gold 2-0 and then the Originals actually beat Nebraska Gold 10-6 in a 3 pm game before falling in the IF game.

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On a tragic note, the 18 GOLD tournament and the Virginia softball community was shocked when Jeff Standish, coach for the Virginia Legacy Elite 18U GOLD, drowned on Tuesday while white water rafting with his team between games.

A 20-year club coach from Hampton Roads, Va., Standish had coached over 1,700 games with the Legacy. In his honor, the the Jeff Standish Memorial Softball Tournament will be held October 17 and 18 at Princess Anne Athletic Park in Virginia Beach.

Every field at the 16U and 18U GOLD tournaments participated Thursday in a moment of silence before the first game of the day.