So Cal Athletics InvitationalJun 19, 2016 by FloSoftball Staff
So Cal Athletics Invite: No. 10 Explosion Eliminated in Bracket Play
So Cal Athletics Invite: No. 10 Explosion Eliminated in Bracket Play
It was win or go home time at the So Cal A's Invitational, a PGF sanctioned event, by Saturday night at Harvard Park in Irvine, Calif.After every team had c
It was win or go home time at the So Cal A's Invitational, a PGF sanctioned event, by Saturday night at Harvard Park in Irvine, Calif.
After every team had completed its fourth pool play game, it was time for single-elimination bracket play and Explosion-Denio/Wilson was the first team to get stung as the Irvine Sting pulled off a 5-0 upset over Explosion, which came into the tournament ranked No. 10 in the nation by FloSoftball.
"I think we all just had the heart that we wanted to win," said Allie Holbrook, who tossed a six-hit shutout with no walks and one strikeout to record the shutout. "We all push each other like if one got down we were like, 'Hey, you got this.' And so we worked as a team tonight and our hitting showed up."
Irvine Sting went 0-3-1 in its pool play games before pulling off the stunner against Explosion.
"I think playing the big teams (on Friday) helped show us that these are the best teams in the nation and we really have to push ourselves," Holbrook said, "and we did tonight."
Holbrook, who is an uncommitted 2017 right-hander, and UConn-bound Carli Cutler were locked in a scoreless pitching duel through four innings when Explosion decided to bring in Arizona State-bound Alyssa Loza in relief. Loza gave up a leadoff walk, then a sacrifice before getting a strikeout. Then things started to unravel for Explosion. Loza gave up a two-out walk and an RBI single to Brie Dallas before Trina Hoang connected on a two-run double to make it 3-0. Explosion brought Cutler back in to finish the inning without further damage.
Georgetown-bound Delaney Darden and Davenport-bound Emilie King added RBI singles for Irvine Sting in the top of the sixth to make it 5-0.
Explosion's pitching had been exceptional throughout pool play, but the offense was lacking, which proved to be its problem against Irvine Sting. Arizona State-bound Aly Tatnall was a bright spot for Explosion, going 2 for 2 and finishing with six hits on the day. But Holbrook was able to prevent Explosion from stringing enough hits together to forge a rally.
"I had to make sure my spins were working and keep it low, not at the thigh where they could hit big," Holbrook said.
Irvine Sting plays the Corona Angels-Tyson vs. PA Chaos winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 10 a.m. on Field 7.
No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 4, No. 15 Georgia Impact Premier 2: The Firecrackers came back from a 2-0 deficit with a four-run rally in the fifth that was capped by a Washington-bound Kaija Gibson's two-run single for the lead to eliminate Impact. The Firecrackers will play the DeMarini Aces-So Cal Choppers winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 12 p.m. on Field 3.
No. 2 So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 0: Utah State-commit Mackenzie Bolin's RBI single in the fourth broke a scoreless tie and Ole Miss-bound Alyssa Gonzales added a two-run double in the fifth to help the So Cal A's knock out Intensity. The So Cal A's play the AASA vs. Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 12 p.m. on Field 5.
No. 2 So Cal Athletics 4, No. 1 OC Batbusters-Stith 2: In the most anticipated pool play game of the tournament, the So Cal A's rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the two-time PGF national champion Batbusters.
Tennessee-commit Mikayla Allee had an RBI single and Long Beach State-commit Naomi Hernandez added a two-run single during a three-run rally in the top of the sixth to give the So Cal A's the lead.
Arkansas-bound Autumn Storms, who allowed no earned runs, three hits, one walk and struck out three to get the complete game win, retired the Batbusters in order in the bottom of the sixth, the time limit expired and the So Cal A's had the big win.
No. 15 Georia Impact Premier 2, No. 1 OC Batbusters-Stith 0: Georgia Tech-bound Brooke Barfield and Tennessee-commit Gabby Sprang combined on a one-hitter and Syracuse-commit Gabby Teran went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles as Georgia Impact upset the Batbusters.
No. 10 Explosion-Denio/Wilson 2, No. 48 DeMarini Aces 2: Tatnall had two mores hits to help Explosion finish with a tie against DeMarini Aces.
No. 6 Corona Angels-Tyson 1, No. 21 So Cal Choppers 1: UCLA-bound Aaliyah Jordan drove in the tying run with a grounder to second to help the Angels get a draw with the Choppers.
No. 10 Explosion-Denio/Wilson 2, No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 0: UConn-bound Carli Cutler and Arizona State-bound Alyssa Loza combined on a two-hitter and Ole Miss-commit Amar Martinez and ASU-commit Ali Tatnall had two hits apiece to lift Explosion over the Firecrackers.
No. 6 Corona Angels-Tyson 2, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 0: Oklahoma-commit Lynnsie Elam belted a two-run homer and UCLA-commit Megan Faraimo recorded the shutout to lead the Angels past Jersey Intensity/
No. 15 Georgia Impact Premier 6, Irvine Sting 1: South Carolina-commit Rachel Vaughn, Sprang and Barfield combined on a no-hitter and South Carolina-commit Karly Heath had a two-run double during a four-run rally in the first inning as Georgia Impact took care of Irvine Sting.
No. 21 So Cal Choppers 2, No. 7 All American Sports Academy 1: Uncommitted first baseman Gianna Marquecho drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second and she walked with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth to lead the Choppers to victory. UC Davis-commit Brooke Yanez pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, three walks and striking out two to nail down the win for the Choppers.
No. 3 Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy 6, No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 0: Notre Dame-commit Alexis Holloway allowed two hits and struck out five in five innings to get the win and she doubled off the fence in center field to drive in a run in the bottom of the third to lead the Bandits past the Firecrackers.
No. 2 So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, No. 8 PA Chaos 2: Utah State-commit Mackenzie Bolin singled, doubled and scored two runs and sparked both So Cal A's rallies in the victory over Chaos. Stanford-commit Maddy Dwyer went the distance to get the win for So Cal A's. Oregon-bound Maggie Balint, the three-time Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year, played in the Pennsylvania AAAA state championship game on Friday before hopping on a plane, so she could pitch for Chaos against the So Cal A's. She went the distance and took the loss.
No. 4 Birmingham Thunderbolts 3, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 2: Boston College-commit Jenna Ergle drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to help the Bolts defeat Intensity.
No. 11 Sorcerer 2, No. 3 Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy 2: The Bandits rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the third and Holloway pitched three perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts to preserve the tie for the Bandits. Ohio State-bound Amy Balich got on after a dropped third strike and eventually scored from third on a passed ball for the Bandits first run and Pittsburgh-bound Alexee Haynes drove in the tying run with a single. UCLA-commit Brianna Perez doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Oregon-commit Rachel Cid in the top of the first to give Sorcerer a 1-0 lead and Oregon-commit Deijah Pangilinan doubled, got sacrificed to third by Georgetown-commit Savannah Jones and scored on Chelsea Mari's fielder's choice to make it 2-0.
No. 4 Birmingham Thunderbolts 2, No. 7 AASA 1: Ergle went 2 for 3 with two RBI and Stanford-bound Teaghan Cowles went 2 for 3 as the Bolts took care of AASA.
BRACKET PLAY SCHEDULE
Birmingham Thunderbolts bye
Sorcerer vs. OC Batbusters-Stith on Sunday at Field 5, 8 a.m.
Firecrackers-Rico 4, Georgia Impact Premier 2
AASA vs. Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy on Sunday at Field 3, 8 a.m.
So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, Jersey Intensity-KOD 0
DeMarini Aces vs. So Cal Choppers on Sunday at Field 3, 10 a.m.
Irvine Sting 5, Explosion-Denio/Wilson 0
PA Chaos vs. Corona Angels-Tyson on Sunday at Field 7, 8 a.m.
QUARTERFINALS
TBA at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
SEMIFNALS
TBA at 2 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
TBA at 4 p.m.
Written by Carlos Arias
After every team had completed its fourth pool play game, it was time for single-elimination bracket play and Explosion-Denio/Wilson was the first team to get stung as the Irvine Sting pulled off a 5-0 upset over Explosion, which came into the tournament ranked No. 10 in the nation by FloSoftball.
"I think we all just had the heart that we wanted to win," said Allie Holbrook, who tossed a six-hit shutout with no walks and one strikeout to record the shutout. "We all push each other like if one got down we were like, 'Hey, you got this.' And so we worked as a team tonight and our hitting showed up."
Irvine Sting went 0-3-1 in its pool play games before pulling off the stunner against Explosion.
"I think playing the big teams (on Friday) helped show us that these are the best teams in the nation and we really have to push ourselves," Holbrook said, "and we did tonight."
Holbrook, who is an uncommitted 2017 right-hander, and UConn-bound Carli Cutler were locked in a scoreless pitching duel through four innings when Explosion decided to bring in Arizona State-bound Alyssa Loza in relief. Loza gave up a leadoff walk, then a sacrifice before getting a strikeout. Then things started to unravel for Explosion. Loza gave up a two-out walk and an RBI single to Brie Dallas before Trina Hoang connected on a two-run double to make it 3-0. Explosion brought Cutler back in to finish the inning without further damage.
Georgetown-bound Delaney Darden and Davenport-bound Emilie King added RBI singles for Irvine Sting in the top of the sixth to make it 5-0.
Explosion's pitching had been exceptional throughout pool play, but the offense was lacking, which proved to be its problem against Irvine Sting. Arizona State-bound Aly Tatnall was a bright spot for Explosion, going 2 for 2 and finishing with six hits on the day. But Holbrook was able to prevent Explosion from stringing enough hits together to forge a rally.
"I had to make sure my spins were working and keep it low, not at the thigh where they could hit big," Holbrook said.
Irvine Sting plays the Corona Angels-Tyson vs. PA Chaos winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 10 a.m. on Field 7.
In other So Cal A's Invitational bracket play games:
No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 4, No. 15 Georgia Impact Premier 2: The Firecrackers came back from a 2-0 deficit with a four-run rally in the fifth that was capped by a Washington-bound Kaija Gibson's two-run single for the lead to eliminate Impact. The Firecrackers will play the DeMarini Aces-So Cal Choppers winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 12 p.m. on Field 3.
No. 2 So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 0: Utah State-commit Mackenzie Bolin's RBI single in the fourth broke a scoreless tie and Ole Miss-bound Alyssa Gonzales added a two-run double in the fifth to help the So Cal A's knock out Intensity. The So Cal A's play the AASA vs. Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy winner in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 12 p.m. on Field 5.
In So Cal A's Invitational pool play games:
No. 2 So Cal Athletics 4, No. 1 OC Batbusters-Stith 2: In the most anticipated pool play game of the tournament, the So Cal A's rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the two-time PGF national champion Batbusters.
Tennessee-commit Mikayla Allee had an RBI single and Long Beach State-commit Naomi Hernandez added a two-run single during a three-run rally in the top of the sixth to give the So Cal A's the lead.
Arkansas-bound Autumn Storms, who allowed no earned runs, three hits, one walk and struck out three to get the complete game win, retired the Batbusters in order in the bottom of the sixth, the time limit expired and the So Cal A's had the big win.
No. 15 Georia Impact Premier 2, No. 1 OC Batbusters-Stith 0: Georgia Tech-bound Brooke Barfield and Tennessee-commit Gabby Sprang combined on a one-hitter and Syracuse-commit Gabby Teran went 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles as Georgia Impact upset the Batbusters.
No. 10 Explosion-Denio/Wilson 2, No. 48 DeMarini Aces 2: Tatnall had two mores hits to help Explosion finish with a tie against DeMarini Aces.
No. 6 Corona Angels-Tyson 1, No. 21 So Cal Choppers 1: UCLA-bound Aaliyah Jordan drove in the tying run with a grounder to second to help the Angels get a draw with the Choppers.
No. 10 Explosion-Denio/Wilson 2, No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 0: UConn-bound Carli Cutler and Arizona State-bound Alyssa Loza combined on a two-hitter and Ole Miss-commit Amar Martinez and ASU-commit Ali Tatnall had two hits apiece to lift Explosion over the Firecrackers.
No. 6 Corona Angels-Tyson 2, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 0: Oklahoma-commit Lynnsie Elam belted a two-run homer and UCLA-commit Megan Faraimo recorded the shutout to lead the Angels past Jersey Intensity/
No. 15 Georgia Impact Premier 6, Irvine Sting 1: South Carolina-commit Rachel Vaughn, Sprang and Barfield combined on a no-hitter and South Carolina-commit Karly Heath had a two-run double during a four-run rally in the first inning as Georgia Impact took care of Irvine Sting.
No. 21 So Cal Choppers 2, No. 7 All American Sports Academy 1: Uncommitted first baseman Gianna Marquecho drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second and she walked with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fourth to lead the Choppers to victory. UC Davis-commit Brooke Yanez pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit, three walks and striking out two to nail down the win for the Choppers.
No. 3 Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy 6, No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico 0: Notre Dame-commit Alexis Holloway allowed two hits and struck out five in five innings to get the win and she doubled off the fence in center field to drive in a run in the bottom of the third to lead the Bandits past the Firecrackers.
No. 2 So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, No. 8 PA Chaos 2: Utah State-commit Mackenzie Bolin singled, doubled and scored two runs and sparked both So Cal A's rallies in the victory over Chaos. Stanford-commit Maddy Dwyer went the distance to get the win for So Cal A's. Oregon-bound Maggie Balint, the three-time Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year, played in the Pennsylvania AAAA state championship game on Friday before hopping on a plane, so she could pitch for Chaos against the So Cal A's. She went the distance and took the loss.
No. 4 Birmingham Thunderbolts 3, No. 27 Jersey Intensity-KOD 2: Boston College-commit Jenna Ergle drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth to help the Bolts defeat Intensity.
No. 11 Sorcerer 2, No. 3 Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy 2: The Bandits rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the third and Holloway pitched three perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts to preserve the tie for the Bandits. Ohio State-bound Amy Balich got on after a dropped third strike and eventually scored from third on a passed ball for the Bandits first run and Pittsburgh-bound Alexee Haynes drove in the tying run with a single. UCLA-commit Brianna Perez doubled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Oregon-commit Rachel Cid in the top of the first to give Sorcerer a 1-0 lead and Oregon-commit Deijah Pangilinan doubled, got sacrificed to third by Georgetown-commit Savannah Jones and scored on Chelsea Mari's fielder's choice to make it 2-0.
No. 4 Birmingham Thunderbolts 2, No. 7 AASA 1: Ergle went 2 for 3 with two RBI and Stanford-bound Teaghan Cowles went 2 for 3 as the Bolts took care of AASA.
SO CAL A'S INVITATONAL AT HARVARD PARK, IRVINE, CALIF.
BRACKET PLAY SCHEDULE
Birmingham Thunderbolts bye
Sorcerer vs. OC Batbusters-Stith on Sunday at Field 5, 8 a.m.
Firecrackers-Rico 4, Georgia Impact Premier 2
AASA vs. Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy on Sunday at Field 3, 8 a.m.
So Cal Athletics-Richardson 3, Jersey Intensity-KOD 0
DeMarini Aces vs. So Cal Choppers on Sunday at Field 3, 10 a.m.
Irvine Sting 5, Explosion-Denio/Wilson 0
PA Chaos vs. Corona Angels-Tyson on Sunday at Field 7, 8 a.m.
QUARTERFINALS
TBA at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
SEMIFNALS
TBA at 2 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
TBA at 4 p.m.
Written by Carlos Arias