The first day of 18U Pool Play at the Louisville Slugger Independence Day tournament is in the books and here’s a look at who’s doing well so far:

 

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BOULDER POOL PLAY RESULTS

— The East Cobb Bullets, led by outstanding pitcher Kelly Barnhill, won both games in Pool A yesterday, beating the Indiana Magic gold and Batbusters-MS by identical 6-0 scores.

Also in Pool A, the So Cal A’s went 3-0 and their pitching was equally stellar as Bruce Richardson’s team only allowed one run in 21 innings.

— In Pool B, the California Cruisers-Mel squad won both of its games on Wednesday, beating the LA Voodoo 8-3 and the Michigan Finesse 12-2. Looks like Coach Mel Sievers team has some offensive punch this summer…

— Two of the eight games in Pool C ended in ties on Wednesday and no team really stood out in what were mostly high scoring affairs: half of the games had a combined 14 runs or more.

The Originals Gold were one of three teams that went 1-1 on the day, but the team allowed only three runs all day in a 5-1 over the So Cal Diamonds and a 2-2 tie with Georgia Impact.

— The Beverly Bandits were the only unbeaten in Pool D as Bill Conroy’s team beat the Washington Ladyhawks 6-3 and a 5-0 blanking of the always dangerous Corona Angels thanks to stellar pitching by Taran Alvelo and Miranda Elish.

— Pool E is being led by a pair of 2-0 teams and two of the best teams in the country: the OC Batbusters-Haning team which right now is the odds-on favorite to win PGF Nationals and Explosion which beat the Wichita Mustangs and Nebraska Gold thanks to eight home runs including four by Angie Vasquez.

The Batbusters have been so dominant recently they won the Team NJ Classic last week, looked to be the top team at the So Cal Athletics Invitational two weeks and won both games Wednesday by identical 10-0 scores.

— Another Cruisers team, Cruisers-Lyn, is looking good in Pool F. The So Cal tam went 3-0 by squeaking out a one run win over Houston Power and then allowing only one run in the last two games.

— In Pool G, the USA Athletics and Chaos (Pa.) both won a pair of games, although Chaos tied the Corona Angels-Kim 5-5. Will the real NC Lady Lightning please stand up? John Corn’s team, one of the top teams at PGF Nationals last year, won it’s first game 11-0 and then got beat 12-5. Expect them to tighten it up come bracket play…

— Pool H saw both the So Cal Choppers, with Stanford-bound pitcher Haley Snyder, and the Carolina Elite, which came in second at last week’s prestigious Team NJ Classic, go 2-0.

— In Pool J, Mizuno Impulse has a strong infield led by Oregon-bound Shannon Rhodes and Texas A&M commit Kaitlyn Alderink, both of who were 1^st Team All-Americans and they helped the Texas team go 2-0. The pitching was strong, allowing only two runs.

Also going 2-0 was the hometown favorite Colorado Stars Gold which beat the Oklahoma Athletics Gold and Strike Zone (Calif.).

— The beast in Pool K is Sorcerer Gold from Northern California, which won its Wednesday games 9-0 and 7-0. The California Player of the Year, pitcher Johanna Grauer, is the force in the circle and Kylee Perez, the Calif. Medium Schools Player of the Year anchors the defense.

Watch out for Sorcerer… they could make it all the way to the finals.

 

LOUISVILLE POOL PLAY RESULTS

In the 32 team tournament there are only four pools; here’s a look at each:

— Pool M is shaping up to be a two-team race because of pitching: Desert Thunder out of Ariz. put up 14 runs in its two wins while only allowing one run; the So Cal A’s – Joey team beat the NW Batbusters 6-0 and Newtown Rock (Pa.) 6-3.

— Pool N had only one undefeated team on Wednesday as the Minnesota Sting blanked Team Kansas 5-0 and outlasted the California Thunder 6-5.

— The Las Vegas Rage look pitching strong too as the Nevada team gave up only four runs in its three victories in Pool P. The Batbusters-Dave team (Calif.) also went 3-0.

— In Pool R, the East Coast Elite outscored opponents 17-1 and along with the Polar Crush are the only undefeated teams.