The California air was brisk, opening games were rocking and rolling, and the defense was at the top of its game on Day 1 of the PGF Ultimate Challenge in Salinas on Friday.
Thirty-six teams in total are in Salinas this weekend, with twelve teams each in 14U, 16U, and 18U divisions. Every team played on Friday as pool play opened to begin the tournament.
Nine games were decided by two or fewer runs on Friday, while one 16U matchup closed in a time-limited tie. Across the board, one of the themes of the day was impressive defense.
In one 16U game, a foul ball that crossed into a separate field was no problem for AASA Nelson/Mortimer 2024 catcher Jessica Delatorre. She tracked the tailing fly ball perfectly and caught it in midair from her spot behind the plate in her own game. Her team lost the game, but I was present at the right time to see the uncommitted Delatorre’s reflexes and instincts in action.
During 18U play, Cal Nuggets Woods dropped a game to Wildcats Weil, but there was a nifty relay play that caught my attention. On a base hit to the outfield, after one run had already scored, the stellar relay throw came in a few steps ahead of the runner. Catcher Hailey Bacon did a nice job of holding the tag and finishing the inning with an out at the dish.
The best defense that I saw on Friday also happened to coincide with some stellar offense; the 18U nightcap between AASA Merrida and NW Bullets-Campos provided a good bit of both, albeit with the latter a bit one-sided. AASA 2023 center fielder Grace Carpenter put her body on the line more than once in the game; in the second inning, Carpenter tracked a ball perfectly and dove over the fence for a long fly. She caught the ball, but it came out when her glove hit the grounds milliseconds later, leaving the only possible ruling as a home run.
Later in the game, Carpenter’s acrobatics came into play again on another diving grab that again sent her on top of and over the outfield fence. This time, the ground did not cause a fumble and Carpenter came away with a highlight-reel catch. The Saint Mary’s commit looked really solid on the defensive side of the ball.
In that same nightcap, the NW Bullets-Campos squad came up with some impressive offense. The 2-run home run was off the bat of Addisen Fisher, the top-ranked player in the class of 2024. Fisher started the game in the circle and threw three shutout innings – and looked pretty sharp in the process – and also contributed with her bat, adding a single and some solid contact as well as the dinger. Catcher Karen Spadafora – a 2023 Seattle commit – also added a long 3-run home run later in the game that really left no doubt about its destination off the bat.
Final scores from Friday:
LTG Lions Henderson 1, Universal Garcia/Quiles 0 (18U)
Lady Magic Boykin 7, CA Storm Troy 1 (18U)
Wildcats Weil 6, Cal Nuggets Woods 0 (18U)
Sorcerer Gables/Rodriguez 3, So Cal A’s Richardson 2 (18U)
SC Choppers Fausett 3, CA Grapettes McNair 2 (18U)
NW Bullets-Campos 5, AASA Merrida 0 (18U)
Cal Nuggets Woods 2, Firecrackers Wallace 2 (16U)
Lady Magic Walling 4, Universal Macias 0 (16U)
Wildcats Holcomb/Knight/Kingery 3, CA Grapettes Kapp 2 (16U)
NW Bullets Muir 2, AASA Nelson/Mortimer 1 (16U)
LTG Lions Henderson 6, Dirtdogs Vasquez 1 (16U)
SC Choppers Fausett 5, CA Storm Jeff 3 (16U)
CA Storm Guzman/Machuca 5, Lady Magic Munoz 3 (14U)
AASA Camarena 5, LTG Lions Buck 3 (14U)
SC Choppers Fausett 3, Cal Nuggets Woods 0 (14U)
Sorcerer Davis/Ricks 4, CA Grapettes Ward 1 (14U)
So Cal A’s Kim/Adame 10, Firecrackers Wallace 0 (14U)
Universal 2027 2, Wildcats Weil/Jordan/Tessier 0 (14U)
