HS & Club Softball

18U Bracket Recap Day 2: USA Softball Junior Olympics Cup

Friday was the last day of the double-elimination bracket play for the 18U USA Junior Olympics Cup. Saturday morning will determine the ultimate winner of the 18U(A) and 18U(B) brackets. From 18U(B), the Ohio Hawks remained undefeated have secured their spot in the championship round. However, their opponent is unknown since Texas Glory Adkins forced their “if” game against St. Louis Chaos for the 18U(A) bracket. This “if” game is to be played Saturday morning at 10:00 am, and the winner will go to the single-elimination championship game against the Ohio Hawks.

Gold Coast Hurricanes vs St. Louis Chaos

The St. Louis Chaos made a comeback in Friday’s 18U winner’s bracket play after trailing until the third inning. Makayla Hurst was responsible for the St. Louis Chaos first run with her RBI double in the third to make it 1-1. At the plate in the next inning, C Pena started off with a lead-off double to put herself in scoring position. C Sanders then mimics her teammate with another double to left to score Pena. With two down, E Nichols receives an RBI single to take a 3-2 lead. Hitting back-to-back doubles once again in the fifth, M Schorman and Pena work together to score the team’s fourth run. Adding one more in the sixth, the Chaos got the best of the Gold Coast Hurricanes to send them home. Not only was the team aggressive on offense, but they also committed no errors in the field. Meghan Schorman spun all seven for the St. Louis Chaos, allowing eight hits but striking out four and walking none.

The Gold Coast Hurricanes played a hard-fought game but couldn’t seem to get the ball to hit the gaps when they needed it the most. Starting in the circle was Brianna Enter, she allowed two runs in her three innings, but struck out two along the way. Emily Winburn and Jannay Jones split the last half of the game in the circle. Paige Pfent got it started for the Gold Coast Hurricanes in the first inning with her RBI single after her teammate, Harper, bunted for a base hit in the lead-off spot. With a total of eight hits for the day, the Gold Coast Hurricanes came up just short.

Texas Glory Adkins vs. Gold Coast Hurricanes

With only two innings of runs scored, Texas Glory Adkins finds a way to rally in the sixth to come out on top 6-5 over the Gold Coast Hurricanes.

In this exciting elimination game to determine who would go on to compete in the 18U(A) bracket championship, The Glory took the lead scoring two in the first off Billie McFadyen’s RBI single. After singles by Ashleigh Sgambelluri, Billie McFadyen, and Mikayla Kowalik, Riley Cantrell and Abigail Stuart each knocked in runs giving the Glory the lead. Sophie Hannabas took the win and fought all seven innings on the rubber for the Glory. Hannabas gave up seven hits and struck out one in 93 pitches.

The Gold Coast Hurricanes run came to an end at the Junior Olympic Cup after the tough loss. Though they never gave up and showed great determination, they fell one run short of a chance to win their bracket. Jannay Jones pitched the first five innings allowing four runs but struck out one and walked two. Payton Elzey and Brianna Enter both came in for relief for the Hurricanes. Both pitched 12 balls each Elzey gave up three hits while Enter gave up none. Lindsey Garcia went 2-2 on the day with a stolen base. Marley Felder also stood out at the plate going 2-4 in her at bats with two RBI. Despite their hard efforts, the Gold Coast Hurricanes received their second loss of the day and were sent home Friday evening.

St. Louis Chaos vs. Texas Glory Adkins

With the only runs scored in the second and the top of the seventh, this was indeed a pitching battle between the Glory and the Chaos. The Glory took an early lead and ended with a 3-1 victory. They successfully held the undefeated St. Louis Chaos to just one run and forced the “if” game to determine the winner in their 18U(A) bracket. Megan Lesko led the Glory with an RBI double in the second inning to put the first run up on the board. A second run was scored off an error with two outs, allowing Lesko to cross the plate to make it 2-0. It wasn’t until the seventh when Abigail Stuart doubled, and another error was committed with two outs by the Chaos to score Stuart from second base to give them their third run for the final score of 3-1. Reagan Chism pitched 5.2 innings for the Glory. In 89 pitches Chism kept her team’s opponent to three hits and one run while striking out three. Sophie Hannabas came in for relief for the last 1.1 innings, allowing one walk and only one hit to end the game. The Glory showed heart and came back from the loser’s bracket to prove they deserve to be in that championship game.

The St. Louis Chaos received their first loss on Friday night. C Sanders started off in the second inning with a single to right to get a baserunner on. Then her teammate, E Nichols, smacks a double to right and Sanders uses her wheels to score from first. After that one scoring play in the second, the St. Louis Chaos couldn’t seem to get the luck they were looking for the rest of the game. Meghan Schorman hit triple digits in her seven innings in the circle totaling 100 pitches. Schorman struck out four, walked only one, and allowed five hits. Both the St. Louis Chaos and the Texas Glory Adkins will play Saturday morning again.

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