It's a beautiful day for softball here in Salinas, California as we'll have softball from sun up to sun down. The morning and afternoon will see pool play continue and in the evening it gets serious as single elimination bracket games begin.

We'll have a running update of news and notes so check in frequently to get tidbits of game reports, top performances and recruiting news!

Be sure to log in/sign up to watch top talent today!

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UPDATE 8:30 PM PST

The first round of the single-elimination bracket play is over and here's who advanced to play another game and here's who's out in the 18U division:

Beverly Bandits 3, Salinas Storm-Heen 1
Lauren Rice (Missouri) and Meghan Beaubien (Michigan) combined to allow just five hits while striking out five in the win.

So Cal Choppers 2, Explosion 0
Shea O'Leary (Texas) pitched most of the game before Brook Yanez (UC Davis) shut the door to send the Choppers to the next game.

Sorcerer Gold 6, Grapettes 3
The Sorcerers jumped out to a lead before the Grapettes tied it at 3-3, but the Sorcerer Gold scored three unanswered runs to win going away.

Birmingham Thunderbolts 3, California Grapettes 1
The Bolts used outstanding pitching to make it two out-of-state teams to advance to Sunday play.

One 16U highlight:

California Nuggets 3, California Grapettes 0
Lauren Innerst recorded 12 strikeouts and walked five to shutout another California team.

UPDATE 6:30 PM PST

*** Pool play is over and the bracket play is becoming more clear as to where things stand.  The top seeds in each A, B and C divisions get byes and will play Sunday morning:

14U Bracket Play
•    San Jose Sting vs. AASA-Garcia at 6 pm on Field 6
•    Cal Nuggets vs. LTG Lions at 8 pm on Field 6
•    Sorcerer vs. CA Grapettes-Guevara at 6 pm on Field 1
•    So Cal Choppers-Fausett vs. So Cal A's at 8 pm on Field 1
•    CA Breeze vs. Sting/AASA winner at 8 am Sunday on Field 1
•    CA Suncats vs. Nuggets/Lions winner at 10 am Sunday on Field 6
•    Universal Fastpitch vs. Sorcerer/Grapettes winner 10 am Sunday on Field 1
•    OC Batbusters-Campbell vs. Choppers/A's winner at 8 am Sunday on Field 6

16U Bracket Play
•    So Cal Choppers vs. CA Suncats at 8 pm tonight on Field 5
•    AASA vs. CA Breeze-Warren at 8 pm on Field 4
•    Firecrackers vs. Salinas Storn at 9 pm on Field 2
•    CA Grapettes-Cat vs. Cal Nuggets at 8 pm on Field 3
•    Sorcerers vs. Choppers/Suncats winner at 8 am on Field 2
•    LTG Lions vs. AASA/Breeze winner at 10 am Sunday on Field 5
•    Explosion-Greg vs. Firecrackers vs. Salinas Storm at 10 am Sunday on Field 2
•    SJ Sing-Perales vs. Grapettes vs. Nuggets winner at 8 am on Sunday on Field 5

18U Bracket Play
•    NW Bullets vs. NC Firecracker-Braisdon at 6 pm tonight on Field 5
•    Birmingham Thunderbolts vs. CA Grapettes-Kapp 6 pm on Field 4
•    Beverly Bandits vs. Salinsa Strom-Heen at 6 pm on Field 2
•    So Cal Choppers-Fausett vs. Explosion-Denio at 6 pm on Field 3
•    So Cal A's-Richardson vs. Bullets/Firecrackers winner at 8 am Sunday on Field 3
•    AASA vs. Bolts/Grapettes winner at 8 am Sunday on Field 4
•    OC Batbausters-Stith vs. Bandits/Storm winner at 10 am Sunday on Field 3
•    Sorcerer Gold vs. Choppers/Explosion winner at 10 am Sunday on Field 4

Game 5 scores (on fields FloSoftball is streaming):
--- Field 1: Universal Fastpitch 4, So Cal A's-Briggs 1
--- Field 2: LTG Lions 16U 5, Salinas Storm 2
--- Field 3: Grapettes 16U 1, So Cal Choppers-Ziese 0
--- Field 4: San Jose Sting-Perales 6, NorCal Firecrackers 0 (in progress)

UPDATE 3:30 PM PST

*** We are in the middle of the second-to-last pool play games, but the picture is getting more clear as to seeds--at least in the 18U division.

In the A1 bracket, the So Cal A's-Richardson team is the No. 1 seed
In the B1 bracket, the All American Sports Academy is the No. 1 seed
In the C1 bracket, the OC Batbusters-Stith team is the top seed, even after tying the Explosion-Denio/Wilson team 1-1.  That's because the Batbusters had the better "runs allowed" margin.

So the Explosion in effect ties for the top spot in it's division and the reward? A 6 pm game against one of the top 18U teams here, the So Cal Choppers team coached by Dean Fausett.  Too bad that one of these elite teams will see the weekend end tonight… ouch.

The 16's and 14's are still to be determined.

*** We caught up with Cray Allen, the head coach of the Beverly Bandits 18U team here today and asked why come out West to compete.

"It's a matter of trying to play the best competition," he said.  "There is a high quality of teams here and not only does it help us prepare for PGF Nationals next year, it also gets our girls ready for college."

"Bill (Conroy, head of the Bandits organization) is always thinking ahead and we want the girls to be as ready for college play as possible and you best do that by playing against elite teams."

The Bandits-Allen team has picked up four new players: pitcher Meghan Beaubien (2017, Michigan... pictured) who is ranked as the No. 5 player in the FloSoftball Hot 100 for her class; infielder Maddi Banks (2018, Washington) who is No. 18 in the 2018 Hot 100; middle infielder Rachel Lewis (2018, Northwestern) and pitcher Lauren Rice (2018, Missouri).

The team is 1-2 and will play at 6 pm tonight and Coach Allen sees a positive in that.

"We're searching for rhythm and timing," he continued, "and it will be good for us to play tonight.  If we win, we'll have momentum and hopefully be ready for a championship run tomorrow."

*** We're impressed with a quartet of So Cal Choppers 18U players who moved up from the 14U team to the 18U squad--not an easy jump, but each has been impressive:

--- 1B Emily Tinkham (2019, Ohio State) has played great defense and is hitting the cover off the ball.
--- IF Sophia Medellin (2019, uncommitted)
--- SS Kendall Jennings (2019, Oklahoma State)
--- OF Isabella Dayton (2019, Ole Miss)

Game 4 scores (on fields FloSoftball is streaming):
--- Field 1: So Cal Choppers-Fausett 14U 8, San Jose Sting 0
--- Field 2: Explosion-Denio/Wilson 18U 0, OC Batbusters-Stith 0 (tie)
--- Field 3: Birmingham Thunderbolts 2, NorCal Firecrackers-Baisdon 18U 1
--- Field 4: Sorcerer 18U 4, Beverly Bandits 1

UPDATE: 1:30 pm PST

*** The afternoon games at the PGF Ultimate Challenge today are finalizing how the seeding will go later today when the single-elimination games pick-up at 6 pm PST.

There's a big advantage in finishing No. 1 in your pool: you don't have to play tonight, but instead start tomorrow trying to make a title run.

One of the top games of the day is underway now as the Explosion-Denio and OC Batbatbuster-Stith teams are playing for the No. 1 seed in the 18U age division.

The Explosion beat one of the top teams earlier today as Jessica Ross (Ohio State) pitched a strong game and infielder Ashleigh Inae (East Carolina) hit a bases-clearing triple to spark the offense.

*** But don't assume that if a team isn't No. 1 seeded, it can't make a run for the crown.

Case in point is the NW Bullets out of Oregon. Tony Campos's team is 1-2 but has the talent to turn it on and go all the way.

Pitchers Pat Moore (2017, DePaul) and Morgan Hornback (2018, Oregon) have looked like a solid one-two punch for the Bullets this weekend despite the two losses.

Moore has impressive spins and pitches the ball so it moves simultaneously on two planes. She's also hitting 62-64 mph. Hornback is throwing an effective dropball with a change and rise.

The Bullets have five new 2019's who are talented but inexperienced so the team is starting to gel and history shows that Coach Campos knows how to get the team to play well: it finished the last two years 13th at PGF Nationals and 17th in Colorado while coming in the Top 10 last fall at the PGF Shootout.

One of those is another standout pitcher, Brooke Nelson, who is being recruited by Washington Baylor, Oregon State and Pacific. She played for Team Seattle this summer and is now looking good for the Bullets.

And it's not just pitching that's impressive: the bats are solid and the defensive is top notch; in fact, the defensive play of the tournament may have been made earlier today when Ashton Phillips made a diving catch that carried over the temporary fence in center, but she hung on after tumbling over to record the out against the AASA team in a 2-0 loss.

Game 3 scores (on fields FloSoftball is streaming):
--- Field 1: California Suncats 14U 4, So Cal Choppers-Fausett
--- Field 2: OC Batbusters-Stith 18U 7, NorCal Firecrackers-Baisdon 0
--- Field 3: Explosion-Denio 7, Birmingham Thunderbolts 4
--- Field 4: Beverly Bandits 2, California Grapettes 0

UPDATE: 12:30 pm PST

*** More coaches on scene: Stanford, Cal, Fresno State, UC Santa Barbara, CSU East Bay, Academy of Art.

*** Surprise result of the day: California Breeze knocks off the OC Batbusters -- Campbell team 5-2.

The Batbusters are loaded, loaded, loaded with talent and they'll be fine… it's likely they will end up in the championship game tomorrow.

But what makes the Breeze win surprising is how young the team is. All of the players are 2021's and even 2022's,

It's not like they're not talented, either--as a 12U team Jennifer Birch's squad won Zoom Into June this summer beating a strong Power Surge team and finished 17th at PGF.

Earlier today the Breeze beat the Sorcerer 14U team and 2021 Cal pitcher commit Gabby Tobey 7-5 after a big 12-0 win last night.

Pictured: Coaches Brett Rath, Jennifer Birch and Larry Asia.

There are five new players on the team, but the core is strong and Jennie Birch and staff know their stuff. If her name sounds familiar, she pitched at Oklahoma from 1991-96.

Here are some players to watch over the next several years for the Breeze:
--- Sydney Peterson (2021, SS): makes plays, smart, great player perhaps the top recruit on the team
--- Caroline Evans (2021, P/1B): pitched four innings in the win over the Batbusters, has a dropball and hits her spots well while also batting in the 4-hole. Dedicated too as she drives over two hours one-way to make practices
--- Jenna Birch (2022, P/3B): coach's daughter who battles on the field and as a pitcher hits her spots.
--- Jayda Rath (2021, 2B/OF): "MVP yesterday," according to Coach Birch in that she played well offensively and defensively
--- Logan Asia (2021, 1B/3B): "MVP in the Batbusters win," says the coach as she hit a two-run homer after tripling last night. "Logan's having a great tournament and is the fiercest hitter I've ever faced when I pitch (batting practice) to her."
--- Lauren Asia (2022, C/OF): Logan's younger sister, just a 7th grader but filled with great potential.

Game 2 scores:
--- Field 1: California Breeze 14U 5, OC Batbusters-Campbell 2
--- Field 2: AASA 18U 2, NW Bullets 0
--- Field 3: So Cal Choppers 18U 11, Salinas Storm 1
--- Field 4: Cal Nuggets -- Woods 5, AASA 16U 5

UPDATE: 10:30 am PST

*** College roll call (some we've seen at the Salinas Complex this weekend)… at least we THINK they're coaches as parents can proudly wear their player's future school colors and pass as coaches!!!: Arizona State, Arkansas, North Carolina State, UC Davis, Pacific, Purdue…

If you know of others, email brentt.eads@flosports.tv and we'll add to the list!

*** Several colleges are hosting softball players this weekend so many, if not most, teams here are short on players.

Auburn, for example, has 3 players from the Birmingham Thunderbolts while another two are missing from Mike Stith's OC Batbusters team, including the No. 1 player in the Hot 100, Taylon Snow, as well as San Diego speedster Livy Schiele.

Another of Stith's players, Ivy Davis, is at Arizona.

So it's not like the teams are complete, but that just gives other players a chance to play.

*** We're deep into the second round of games today as pool play will go up to 3:30 pm PST. Then there will be a break as the seeding takes place and then single-elimination will start.

That's when the fun will start.

Til then we're seeing a showcase feel as players are rotated in and out but you're still seeing some high quality play.

For example:

--- 2020 lefty hitter Jessica Acosta of the OC Batbusters-Campbell 14U went 2-for-2 with a walk in the first game of the day, a 6-1 win. The Batbusters are playing California Breeze and then will be off til tomorrow morning for their start in bracket play.

--- the host Salinas Storm did well in their first two games, losing 6-5 to a strong AASA team and then beating a very good NW Bullets team 5-2 (although they lost 11-1 to the So Cal Choppers in their second game today).

A pair of 2019's look good for the Curtis Heen coached team: pitcher Vivian Valencia has a good rise and screw and according to coaches is just started to get recruited. Corner infielder Sarah Starks hit a home run in the Choppers game is being looked at by Pacific, Hawaii and Howard.

--- Pitcher Brooke Yanez, headed to UC Davis, has been a workhorse for the Choppers, pitching a lot so far this weekend (Shea O'Leary pitched the first game today). She's looked good today...

UPDATE: 9:30 PST

*** The Explosion 16U team looks very strong in the few games played so far and it starts with the pitching.

Last night, Arkansas commit Jenna Bloom--a 2019 standout who throws a knuckleball, change, rise and screw--pitched 6 1/3rd innings in a 0-0 tie.

Today, 6-foot-1 Lexi Berg (pictured) looked good with her off speed curve and screw. She's a 2019 also and recently took a trip to Washington.

Throw in Kentucky-bound Miranda Stoddard, another 2019, and you have one of the best pitching staffs at the 16U level.

And they have one of the top catchers working with the trio in Val Pero, who is ranked No. 9 in the 2019 Hot 100.

She has interest from SEC schools including Mississippi State and Pac-12 schools like Utah after her among others.

*** First ga,e final scores:
--- Field 1: OC Batbusters-Campbell 14U 6, LTG Lions 1
--- Field 2: AASA 18U 4, So Cal Choppers 2
--- Field 3: Salinas Storm 5, NW Bullets 2
--- Field 4: Cal Suncats 11, Cal Nuggets-Woods 1

UPDATE: 8:15 am PST

*** Big recruiting update: slugger Jocelyn Alo, ranked in the top 10 of the 2017 Hot 100, has switched her verbal from Cal to Oklahoma.

She is from Hawaii and a few years ago was the state wrestling champ! But now she's using her strength to hit tape-measure shots.

*** We've kicked off the first round of games and there are some good ones.

At the 18U level, Texas-bound pitcher Shea O'Leary is throwing for the So Cal Choppers against a strong AASA team that is loaded with talent. More on them later.

O'Leary shined last year here playing for Jim Ziese's Choppers team and is facing a tough line-up; Cal commit Sabrina Nunez showed her speed for AASA and beat out a single in the first inning and in the third inning Oregon-State commit Hope Brandner hit a home run. Every player on Bryan Merrida's team is committed except one: Nicole Hammoude and she should get picked up in the near future.

Her sister, Frankie, is the monster hitter who clubbed the shot that went into the football stadium last night.

*** The OC Batbusters-Campbell 14U team looks very, very strong and are playing in the first game this morning against Jim Carda's LTG Lions.

There's a player on the team with a last name you may recognize: Madi Elish. Yes, she's Miranda Elish's younger sister and looked good pitching last night.

Madi has a good change-up and is from Crown Point, Indiana like Miranda, who was a multi-year Gatorade State Player of the Year and the No. 1 player in the 2016 Hot 100. She's now at Oregon.