By Carlos Arias 

See below for a recap of all the 2016 PGF Nationals 18U action that went down during the last few days in Huntington Beach, California!

SO CAL A's NEAR UPSET

The Oklahoma Athletics were almost the Cinderella story of PGF Nationals. No. 2 So Cal Athletics-Richardson pulled out a 6-5 victory in 11 innings in the second round of the 18U Premier Division on Tuesday night at Huntington Beach Sports Complex.

Top-ranked OC Batbusters-Stith got knocked into the Loser's Bracket after a first-round loss to So Cal Choppers on Monday and needed to win 12 consecutive games to win a third straight PGF national championship in the double-elimination tournament.

The So Cal A's avoided a similar scenario when Sierra Marshall drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th to force the winning run against the Oklahoma A's.

The So Cal A's built a 4-0 lead, but an uncharacteristic three-error inning allowed the Oklahoma A's to tie it. The Oklahoma A's took the lead on a dropped third-strike passed ball that allowed a runner to score from third for a 5-4 advantage in the top of the eighth. Arizona-commit Hannah "Peanut" Martinez came through with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to tie it for the So Cal A's.

Both teams combined for three double plays in the final three innings, including two initiated by the stellar defense of the So Cal A's shortstop, Mackenzie Boesel.

"Autumn (Storms) pitched great and kept us in the game and our defense stepped up in ITB," said Boesel, a South Carolina commit. "That win was really important because we want to stay in the winner's bracket as long as possible to play less games and be able to rest our pitchers."

Arkansas-bound right-hander Autumn Storms turned in a fantastic performance for the So Cal A's by striking out seven of the first nine batters she faced. She went the distance, allowing six hits, no earned runs and striking out 12 to earn the victory for the So Cal A's, who won PGF national titles from 2010-13.

"I'm tired after this game as anyone would be, but at the same time it wasn't all me out there," Storms said.

My team knows how important it is to stay in the winners bracket and we will do anything to keep it that way. The heart this team has is incredible and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

Louisiana State-committed Ciara Briggs went 3 for 3 with four RBI, South carolina-commit Alyssa Kumiyama drove in two runs, and Stanford-commit Maddy Dwyer tossed a one-hitter with three strikeouts as the So Cal A's beat the Dirt Dogs, 8-0, in five innngs via the mercy rule earlier in the day.

SO CAL CHOPPERS COMEBACK

After hitting two home runs in the Choppers' upset over top-ranked OC Batbusters-Stith on Monday, Arizona-bound Jessica Harper delivered in the clutch once again. Harper connected on a walk-off three-run homer as the Choppers rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the KC Peppers, 6-5, in the second round.

"(It was an) all around team win," Harper said. "We needed to gain the runs back. Coach wanted two runs each inning to make our way back. Came down to the end and my teammates were able to get on base. I was just trying to get the next batter up, but I was able to connect with a ball to end the game. The pitcher for the Peppers threw a great game."

San Diego State-bound Megan Smith went 2 for 2 with a run and an RBI. Mizzou-bound Cayla Kessinger went 2 for 4 with a run. Notre Dame-commit Abby Sweet doubled and scored a run. Fresno State-bound Schuylar Broussard went 2 for 3 with a double, a run and two RBI to lead the Choppers.

UC Davis-commit Brooke Yanez allowed five hits, two earned runs and struck out 11 in seven innings to get the win for the Choppers the victory.

CORONA ANGELS KNOCKED INTO LOSER'S BRACKET

UConn-bound Olivia Sappington hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, setting the tone for Lady Lightning Gold-Corn in a 9-3 run-rule victory over No. 6 Corona Angels-Tyson in a second-round game.

Mississippi State-bound Mia Davidson had two doubles, Alabama-bound Kloyee Anderson had three hits and drove in a run and North Carolina State-commit Sydney Nester threw six solid innings to pick up the win for Lady Lightning Gold.

"It's always a big win when you beat one of the high-caliber teams from Southern California, but we've played them three of the last four years here and beaten them twice," Lady Lightning Gold coach John Corn said. "We look at them as a regular team."

PGF NATIONALS NOTES

OC Batbusters Oklahoma-bound Mariah Lopez tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 4-0 win over Worth Cobras-Green in the Loser's Bracket. That's one down and 11 to go for the two-time defending PGF national champs.

Texas A&M-commit Abby Smith had two hits and four RBI, including a three-run bomb in the top of the eighth. Texas Glory held on for an 8-7 second round win despite a three-run rally by No. 11 Sorcerer in the bottom of the eighth to pull out the second-round win. 

Oregon-bound Miranda Elish, the three-time Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, allowed five hits, no earned runs and struck out eight for the game win and she went 1 for 2 with an RBI and LSU-bound Michal Cunningham and and James Madson-bound Cambry Arnold had two hits a piece in No. 3 Beverly Bandits-Tyrrell/Conroy's 2-1 first round win over Ohana Tigers Gold. Notre Dame-commit Alexis Holloway allowed two hits and K'd nine and she went 2 for 2 with two runs and an RBI and Southern Illinois-bound Susie Baranski went 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI in the Beverly Bandits 10-0 second round victory over Washington Ladyhawks Blue. 

Ole Miss-bound Gabby Alvarez gave No. 10 Explosion-Denio an early 3-0 lead with a three-run blast in the top of the first, but Nebraska-bound Lexey Kneib had an RBI double and Madison Otte had a two-run single during a four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth as the DeMarini Aces came from behind for a 6-3 second-round win.

Chicago Cheetahs took down No. 8 PA Chaos Gold, 3-1, in a first round game before falling to NW Bullets-Campos in the second round.

No. 4 Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier, No. 5 Firecrackers-Rico, No. 7 All American Sports Academy, No. 12 NW Bullets-Campos and No. 14 Texas Blaze Gold all advanced to the third round of the Winner's Bracket.

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED 18U PREMIER A BRACKET 

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED 18U PREMIER B BRACKET 

PGF NATIONALS SCOREBOARD

18U PREMIER DIVISION

FIRST ROUND

BRACKET A
WA Ladyhawks Gold 4, Fury Premier 0
Firecrackers AZ 4, Birmingham Thunderbolts-98 0
Sorcerer 1, Texas Elite 0
TN Fury Platinum 4, Jersey Inferno 2

BRACKET B
So Cal Athletics-Richardson 8, Dirt Dogs 0
WA Ladyhawks Blue 7, Texas Glory-Adkins 3
Chicago Cheetahs 3, PA Chaos Gold 1
Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 6, So Cal Breakers 2
AZ Hotshots 6, Georgia Impact-Bass 4
Lakewood Firecrackers 8, Impact Gold-Jackson 0
Cal Cruisers 6, Aces 2
Vienna Stars 2, PA Newtown Rock 1
Lady Lightning-Corn 9, Corona Angels-Tyson 3
Texas Blaze 2, Atlanta Vipers 0
Nor Cal Firecrackers-Baisdon 5, Cal Raiders 4

WINNER'S BRACKET

SECOND ROUND

BRACKET A
So Cal Choppers 6, KC Peppers 5
WA Ladyhawks Gold 5, Ohana Tigers Gold 0
OC Batbusters-Perez 4, Firecrackers AZ 3
DeMarini Aces 6, Explosion-Denio/Wilson 3
Firecrackers-Rico 5, Nor Cal Batbusters 2
Texas Glory-Shelton 8, Sorcerer 7
So Cal Pumas Black 2, TN Fury Platinum 1
AASA 8, Corona Angels-Howard 0

BRACKET B 
So Cal Athletics-Richardson 6, Oklahoma Athletics 5 (11 innings)
Beverly Bandits 10, WA Ladyhawks Blue 0
NW Bullets 4, Chicago Cheetahs 0
Nebraska Gold 1, Jersey Intensity-KOD 0
Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 7, AZ Hotshots 0
Cal Cruisers 7, Lakewood Firecrackers 3
Lady Lightning Gold-Corn 6, Vienna Stars 4
Texas Blaze 1, Nor Cal Firecrackers-Baisdon 0