Event News: Pool Play Continues and Bracket Play Begins at So Cal A’s Invitational (June 18, 2022)

Some of the top 18U teams from around the country met up for the So Cal A’s Invitational Friday-Sunday at Harvard Park in Irvine, CA. Here are some highlights from Saturday’s games (All rankings are Extra Elite Eighty Club Rankings):

In Bracket Play games:

AASA-Merrida met #18 So Cal Athletics-Richardson in a classic NorCal vs. SoCal matchup in the opening round of bracket play at the So Cal A’s Invitational and AASA came away with a 4-1 victory over the host team in the single-elimination tournament on Saturday night at Harvard Park in Irvine, CA.

2023 IF Morgan Sweet delivered a pinch-hit single to give AASA the lead in the bottom of the fifth. 2023 C Olivia Rivera broke it open with a two-run double to end the scoring and take a 4-1 lead. Rivera had a day at the plate, going 3 for 3.

“The whole team put this together as. We used runners and pinch hitting to shift the game in our favor,” AASA coach Bryan Merrida,.”Could not be prouder of these ladies fight tonight!”

In play-in games:

#62 Cal Cruisers-Sievers eliminated #16 Breakers Labs-Bobby, 8-0. …

#38 Jersey Intensity-KOD defeated Irvine Sting, 4-2. …

In pool play games:

UC Santa Barbara-committed 2023 P Ainsley Waddell went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, Duke-committed 2023 3B Linh Le hit a solo homer and 2024 C Deca Martinez went 1 for 2 with two RBIs to help #44 Cal Nuggets-Woods defeat #18 So Cal Athletics-Richardson, 6-4, in pool play. …

Georgia Tech-committed 2023 3B/SS/2B Gracyn Tucker hit an inside-the-park homer and 2025 P/1B Presley Harrison pitched three scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts to lift #10 Bombers Gold-Lewis to a 3-1 victory over #18 So Cal Athletics-Richardson. …

UCLA-bound P Taylor Tinsley had 12 strikeouts, Florida-committed 2023 IF Mia Williams had two doubles and Tucker had a sacrifice fly to lead #10 Bombers Gold-Lewis to a 4-2 win over Sorcerer-Gabales/Rodriguez. …

Uncommitted 2023 P Ellie Bostedt pitched a four-hitter to outduel ASU-committed 2023 P Meika Lauppe to help #28 Explosion-Denio/Hagberg beat AASA-Merrida, 2-1. …

Princeton-bound P/1B Brielle Wright threw a seven-hitter to lead LTG-Henderson past #28 Explosion-Denio/Hagberg, 3-0. Uncommitted 2023 SS/OF/3B/2B Salen Hawkins and 2024 OF Alex Chavarin both went 3 for 3 for Explosion. …

2024 3B/SS Alexis DeBoer and Nevada-bound 1B/C Maya Larsen had RBI singles and 2023 UT/OF/SS Ka’Liyah Gipson had two hits, two stolen bases and two runs for Sorcerer-Gabales/Rodriguez in a 4-2 loss to Bombers Gold-Lewis. …

Boise State-bound SS Taci Haase, 2023 OF/SS/3B Lauren Osheroff and Michigan-committed 2023 P/OF/1B Jenissa Conway hit consecutive doubles to account for two runs and Cal State Northridge-bound P/1B Riley Wickum and UC Davis-bound 1B/P Caroline Grimes combined to pitch a four-hitter as Sorcerer-Gabales/Rodriguez tied #62 Cal Cruisers-Sievers. …

Cal-bound 3B/SS Tianna Bell went 3 for 3 with a grand slam to lead #11 Lady Magic-Munoz past #50 BSC Bengals-Briggs, 9-0. UConn-bound P/1B Hope Jenkins and Rutgers-bound P Raimy Gamsby combined on a no-hitter and Jenkins also hit a home run for Lady Magic. …

UC Santa Barbara-bound P/1B Malaya Johnson allowed three hits in four scoreless innings of work, Bell went 2 for 3 with a triple, San Jose State-bound C/SS Reina Zermeno went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and Oregon State-bound SS Shaylen McDowell went 1 for 2 with a double and an RBI for #11 Lady Magic-Munoz in an 8-0 win over #16 Breakers Labs-Bobby. …

Stanford-bound C/UT Allison Morikawa went 1 for 2 with a double, a run and three RBIs and UC Riverside-bound 1B/P Brooke Perez allowed three hits, one run and struck out five in five innings to lead #50 BSC Bengals-Briggs past #37 So Cal Choppers-Fausett, 4-1. …

LSU-committed 2023 MIF Sierra Daniel, 2024 3B/OF Lauen Putz and Arizona State-bound C/3B Riley Valentine doubles and Northwestern-bound C/3B Bridget Donahey and 2023 3B/IF/OF Sienna Solis tripled and Alabama-committed 2023 P/1B Jocelyn Briski and Harvard-bound P/OF Riley Flynn combined for 11 strikeouts on a no-hitter to lead #12 Arizona Storm National-Mathis past #38 Jersey Intensity-KOD, 8-0. …

Texas-bound SS/OF Viviana Martinez went 2 for 2 with two runs and a home run and Donahey went 1 for 2 with a double and a home run as #12 Arizona Storm National-Mathis knocked off Firecrackers-TJ, 4-3. …

*****

SO CAL A’S INVITATIONAL

AT HARVARD PARK IN IRVINE, CA

(Friday, June 18, Results)

BRACKET PLAY

PLAY-IN

• Cal Cruisers-Sievers 8, Breakers Labs-Bobby 0
• Jersey Intensity-KOD 4, Irvine Sting 2

FIRST ROUND

• AASA-Merrida 4, So Cal Athletics-Richardson 1

POOL PLAY

POOL A

• Bombers Gold-Lewis 3, So Cal Athletics-Richardson 1
• Bombers Gold-Lewis 4, Sorcerer-Gabales/Rodriguez 2
• Cal Nuggets-Woods 6, So Cal Athletics-Richardson 4
• Sorcerer-Gabales/Rodriguez 3, Cal Cruisers-Sievers 3
• Cal Nuggets-Woods 4, Wildcats-Weil 3
• Wildcats-Weil 6, Cal Cruisers-Sievers 4

POOL B

• Jersey Intensity-KOD 3, AASA-Merrida 1
• Explosion-Denio/Hagberg 2, AASA-Merrida 1
• Arizona Storm National-Mathis 8, Jersey Intensity-KOD 0
• LTG-Henderson 3, Explosion-Denio/Hagberg 0
• Arizona Storm National-Mathis 4, Firecrackers-TJ 3
• LTG-Henderson 6, Firecrackers-TJ 4

POOL C

• BSC Bengals-Briggs 4, So Cal Choppers-Fausett 1
• So Cal Choppers-Fausett 4, Oro Valley Suncats-Judge 3
• Lady Magic-Munoz 8, BSC Bengals-Briggs 0
• Oro Valley Suncats-Judge 14, Irvine Sting 1
• Lady Magic-Munoz 8, Breakers Labs-Bobby 0
• Breakers Labs-Bobby 8, Irvine Sting 1

— Carlos Arias, Extra Inning Softball (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff)