RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The Alliance Nationals are being held this week in Oklahoma City and the USA Softball Hall of Fame complex featured top 18U and 16U teams battling for the chance to win the championship trophies on Friday.
Here are highlights from Thursday play including how each of the combatants in the championship game got there.
One teaser: three of the teams are from one state while the other is considered by many the top 18U team in the nation.
A serious note before we get into the Alliance report:
Mia Williams, the outstanding shortstop for Georgia Impact – Lewis 18U ranked as the #1 overall player in the 2023 Extra Elite 100 and a Florida commit, suffered a serious leg injury Thursday night in action at PGF Nationals.
We wish Mia and her family all our best wishes and heartfelt prayers from all of us at Extra Inning Softball…
*****
18U Finalists Set for Alliance Fastpitch National Championship
Texas Bombers Gold – Smith
The Texas Bombers Gold – Smith team is on a roll and the power of the 18U team’s accomplishments was surprising event to Head Coach Scott Smith.
After getting past California powerhouse programs like the California Angels, Firecrackers – Rico, and OC Batbusters, even Smith had to take a second to appreciate the significance of what he has done in leading his top-seeded Bombers to the championship game.
Here’s what he said in a press conference after the win over the Batbusters to put him in the finale (with him are players Raelin Chaffin and Demi Elder):
The Bombers run-ruled the California Angels 8-0 to make it to the finals which will be on Friday. Chaffin, a 2021 grad who is headed to LSU, pitched the entire game giving up just three hits and the shutout.
Everything is clicking for the Bombers as Coach Smith explained right after the game:
It was a special day in more ways than one for Chaffin; her home economics teach from Airline (Bossier City, Louisiana) High, Shawn Evans, moved to Oklahoma from the athlete’s home in Texas—a total of six hours away—but when the instructor heard that her student was going to be pitching in OKC, the teacher drove one and a half hours to support her former pupil.
Here’s a pic of the two hugging after the big win:
*****
Athletics – Mercado/Smith
On the other side of the 18U bracket, Dave Mercado’s team is loaded with talent and pulled off an exciting IF game win over the Firecrackers – Brashear team.
In the deciding game of the three, the Athletics had a 3-0 lead in the top of the 5th but the Firecrackers wouldn’t go away, scoring two in the bottom of the 5th and two more in the bottom of the 6th inning to even the store at 4-4.
The Athletics, however, exploded for three in the top of the 7th to put the game away.
Emily Leavitt, the outstanding 2021 pitcher headed to Minnesota, pitched the entire game and when we asked Coach Mercado who impressed today, he said without hesitation”
“Emily, without a doubt. She has really elevated her game over the last two weeks and been huge for us.”
Here’s Emily making the final out of the game:
One player, no matter which side you’re on, is one that we ALL can root for is Quincee “Q” Lilio, the talented Top 10-ranked 2021 infielder for the A’s who is headed to Oklahoma but has had to deal this summer with the passing of her father.
Here she talks about feeling his presence on the field:
Much continued success and healing for the great young athlete…
Here’s video of “Q” signing the big scoreboard showing that her A’s team made the championship game:
Advancing the bracket…
Athletics Mercado is headed to the 18U Tier I National Championship
Athletics Mercado vs Texas Bombers#earnit #AFCS pic.twitter.com/IljPtSiSGC
— The Alliance Fastpitch (@thealliancefp) July 30, 2021
Kudos to the Firecrackers who took the A’s to the final inning of the third game before it was decided.
The Firecrackers team led by Coach Brashear team, just off winning the Championship of the Loser’s Bracket (see below), pushed the Athletics – Mercado team to the very last inning of the second game—just as the College World Series is a best 2-of-3.
Brashear’s team won the first best of three by a 5-1 score to push it to the third game thanks to a three-run home run by outfielder Payton Kelly.
* One other note: in the Championship of one of the 18U Loser’s Bracket, the Firecrackers 18U – Brashear team broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth inning to jump ahead of OC Batbusters – Stith with a five-run two-out rally on their way to the win.
Third baseman Karmyna Becerra (2021, Central Baptist) knocked in two and outfielder Brooklyn Carter (Washington) singled in a run in the big five run 6th inning to put the game away and help Sean Brashear’s team advance to A’s Mercado.
Pitcher Morgan McConnell (2021, North Dakota) went the full seven innings and had five strikeouts, two walk, scattered seven hits, two runs only one earned.
A key play was in the bottom of the sixth when the Batbusters put two on with no outs, but third baseman Amari Harper (2022, Texas A&M) fielded a sharply hit one-hopper, stepped on third and threw to first for a double play to effectively shut down the Batbusters rally.
*****
16U Finalists Set for Alliance Fastpitch National Championship
West Bay Warriors
An interesting finals note at 16U as the Ray McDonald’s excellent team for Northern California knocked the other finalist, Corona Angels – Slye, into the Loser’s Bracket.
The Warriors are looked impressive in all areas, their hitting, pitching and defense and are well-coached with several standout players including two Top 25 players in the 2022 Extra Elite 100 in catcher Olivia Dinardo, an Arizona commit, and shortstop Megan Grant, who is headed to UCLA.
They, along with Coach Ray, talked about how they approach playing in the National Championship game on Friday:
*****
Corona Angels – Slye
The Nor Cal team will be facing a So Cal squad that has a LOT of energy in Dena Slye’s Corona Angels squad that knocked off the Firecrackers 16U – Brashear team to make it to the finals.
The Angels knocked off Kevin Maguire’s Lady Lightning Gold team (if you follow our site, you read that Coach Maguire announced today that he will be taking an assistant job at South Carolina).
In the final game of the day, the Angels got RBI singles from Samantha Bland and Kaitlyn Wynia and great defensive play from Jaelin Haynes to back up pitcher Kayla Bousquette, a Biola commit, who went the distance in the 3-1 win.
Here’s the final out of the game that pushed the Angels into Friday’s 16U National Championship finale:
*****
That’s how the four finalists made it to Championship Friday… here are the times for each team to play—notice it’s a Best 2-of-3 like is played in the Women’s College World Series:
18U Tier 1 Championship Series – July 30, 2021
All games at Hall of Fame Stadium
- Game 1: 9 am
- Game 2: 1 pm
- Game 3 (IF): 5 pm
16U Tier 1 Championship Series – July 30, 2021
All games at Hall of Fame Stadium
- Game 1: 11 am
- Game 2: 3 pm
- Game 3 (IF): 7 pp