Top Five Players and Recap Saturday: 2018 16U Premier PGF National Championship
Shelby Lowe (2020)
Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett (Auburn)
Pitching her team to a 2018 PGF National Championship was Shelby Lowe. Throwing a two-hitter in the Championship game, Lowe also racked up seven strikeouts in her appearance in the circle. She lasted all seven innings for the Thunderbolts to come out with a 4-1 win.
Madisyn Kennedy (2019)
Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett (Mississippi State)
Leading her team in hits, Madisyn Kennedy aka “Mad Dog” came in clutch for the TBolts in their 16U Championship game. Going 2-3 with three RBI’s, Kennedy locked down on which pitches she wanted to hit and made a huge impact when it mattered most. Kennedy tallied a two-RBI single to start the first, an RBI double in the third, and getting herself on first in the fifth.
Landyn Bruce (2020)
Athletics Mercado 16U (Ole Miss)
Coming in, in relief for the Athletics in just the third inning was Landyn Bruce. She used the whole strike zone, displaying her confidence in her nasty changeup to keep batters off balance and questioning their decision to swing. Bruce allowed two runs and struck out two in just over three innings of work.
Shannyn Bustamante (2020)
Athletics Mercado 16U (Loyola Marymount)
Starting in the circle, Shannyn Bustamante lasted just over two innings for the Athletics. She kept her pitches low and outside which allowed her defense to make some nice plays on the ball. Though Bustamante did not receive a win, she had a nice change of speed. Unfortunately, the Birmingham Thunderbolts had her figured out in Saturday’s match-up.
Carlee McCondichie (2019)
Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett (Auburn)
Carlee McDondichie holds the leadoff spot well as she had two lead-off hits for the Thunderbolts in the championship game. In the first inning, she lead-off with a double and later scored and put her team in the lead. Then again in the sixth, she ripped a hit up the middle for a single.
Championship Recap
Throughout the week, the best teams from all over the country have fought for a place in the PGF National Championship. The two teams that survived for the 16U Premier were the Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett and the Athletics Mercado 16U. Scoring first and keeping composure throughout the game. The Thunderbolts came out as the 16U Premier Champions with a 4-1 win.
Shelby Lowe, an Auburn commit, started and ended all seven innings in the circle for the Thunderbolts, throwing hard and keeping her batters off balance. Lasting the duration of the game with her mixture of pitches, the Athletics Mercado couldn’t seem to get her timed up. Shannyn Bustamante (Loyola Marymount) and Landyn Burce (Ole Miss) split time in the circle for the Athletics, they collectively gave up four runs.
The Thunderbolts started the scoring off in the first inning with a lead-off double by Carlee McCondichie (Auburn) and scored her with an RBI single for Madisyn Kennedy, a Mississippi State commit.
It wasn’t until the third inning that the excitement picked up again. The Athletics lead the top of the fifth with a single to the left side by Makayla Jordan (San Diego State). She scored their first and only run after Allison Beecher sent a base hit through the infield to advance her to third. Then Jessica Acosta, Ole Miss commit, capitalizes on a defensive error to add an RBI and score her team’s only run of the game.
The bottom of the third inning was answered when Caroline Hudson took advantage of an error to score her teammate and extend the Bolts lead to 3-1. Directly after this, the Athletics changed pitchers and called on Landyn Bruce to finish the game for them. The Bolts adjusted quickly as Florida commit, Emma Clair “EC” Taylor, hit a hard ground ball up the middle for a single. Coming in clutch, with another RBI, was Kennedy. She tallied her third of the night and brought in the fourth and final run for the Thunderbolts.
Both teams played an amazing tournament and championship game, leaving it all out on the field.
