After an impressive week of competition at the 2021 Triple Crown Nationals, it all came down to three games on Friday, July 16, 2021 as top players and teams took the field at the Rosetta Canyon Sports Park in Lake Elsinore, California.
The three age divisions—18U, 16U and 14U—featured teams from across the nation including many of the most prestigious travel ball organizations in the West with names like Firecrackers, Athletics Mercado, OC Batbusters and Arizona Storm making it to the title contests.
Here’s a recap of the championship games along with the scores from Friday of the preceding playoff games (thanks to Triple Crown Sports which provided the text and photos used in this recap)…
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Firecrackers Rico 18’s Flip the Mood, Fly Onward to Earn TC Nationals championship
When the Firecrackers Rico 18u team made enough mistakes to deepen the hole they were in Friday, the only proper response was to fill up the box score and establish better footing.
After some careless errors allowed Athletics Mercado/Smith to post a 4-1 lead at Rosetta Canyon Sports Park in the top of the fifth inning, the Firecrackers saw their first five batters who came up in the bottom of the frame reach base safely. They all scored as well, fueling the comeback that eventually read as a 6-5 victory in the 18u championship game of the TC Nationals tournament. It’s the third title for Firecrackers Rico in the event’s 10-year history.
With the Athletics riding high after a comeback win over the Corona Angels in the semifinals, they took an early lead on a two-run homer from Keila Kamoku (who is committed to play at Ole Miss for college) in the second and an RBI double by McKenna Gibson (Tennessee) in the third. And in the fifth, a poor outfield throw and a couple other iffy decisions brought in another run as Quincee Lilio (Oklahoma) crossed home plate.
Rather than complain, the Firecrackers were uncontained as Sophia Nugent (Oklahoma) worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-2. Jazz Santos followed with a two-run single, and the squad added two more runs on a squeeze bunt from Emma Sellers (South Carolina) and a single by Addison Mettler.
“We try to focus on how we play the game. We always want to recognize when we make a mistake, but we aren’t lost in outcomes,” said Firecrackers head coach Tony Rico. “You do that, you start to press and stress too much, and the anxiety takes over. What happens next? That’s what we’re trying to do at this level, develop them for college. We were one play better than Mercado today, that’s all it was. They are one of the best teams in the country.”
“Tony focuses on keeping us calm in these situations, and a thing we try to do is slow the game down,” said Santos, who also singled in the first inning. “I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous there in the fifth, but I was taking deep breaths and just being myself. Do what I usually do, and drive that ball to the right side. In a seven-inning game, there is a lot of time.”
Micaela Kastor was tasked with throwing every inning for the Firecrackers, and even as the temperature escalated she stayed composed. The Athletics got a one-out triple from Lilio in the top of the seventh, and she came around to score on a two-out single from Jordan Woolery (UCLA) to draw within 6-5. Kastor wrapped it up with a grounder to second base, closing with no walks, one hit batter and four strikeouts, and the celebration was on.
“We are such a solid organization, and we know how to pick ourselves up and keep the energy going in the dugout,” Kastor said. “It was such a special moment, knowing that pitching my heart out and going back in the dugout just knowing my offense is going to come through. We just play for each other … you keep going because you know it will pay off in the end and be worth it. We had that trophy in mind all day.”
“She is a unique player and person,” Rico added. “She has an extreme amount of confidence and is learning to adapt to the stress at this level. She’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Rico finished his comments with another dose of praise for Athletics Mercado, and then returned to the pleasure of seeing his roster come up with the correct answers during the strain and drain of a championship showdown.
“We had a rough last three or four years,” he said. “I would be lying if I said emotionally you’re not for these kids, but you can’t play the game that way. If we win but don’t make good decisions, we’re really not developing. It feels good when we made the right decisions and the plays went our way.”
— Kyle Koso
Friday 18U Bracket Play Results:
| Time | Team | Score | Team | Score |
| 8:00 AM | Batbusters Stith | 13 | Firecrackers Brashear | 3 |
| 8:00 AM | Athletics-Mercado/Smith | 9 | Cal Nuggets – Woods | 1 |
| 8:00 AM | Oro Valley Suncats 18U Gold – Judge | 6 | Firecrackers Rico | 7 |
| 8:00 AM | Corona Angels Tyson | 9 | Lady Magic – Munoz | 5 |
| 10:30 AM | Batbusters Stith | 2 | Firecrackers Rico | 7 |
| 10:30 AM | Athletics-Mercado/Smith | 6 | Corona Angels Tyson | 5 |
| 1:00 PM | Firecrackers Rico | 6 | Athletics-Mercado/Smith | 5 |
*****
Comeback Fever Fuels 16u Athletics Mercado Greg-Tidd to TC Nationals Crown
Getting in trouble on the scoreboard turns out to never be a reason to scold the Athletics Mercado Greg-Tidd 16u squad.
Facing comeback situations throughout the week, the Athletics continually found ways to finish off games, enough to reach the finals of the championship bracket at the TC Nationals tournament.
The team worked past one last moment of danger, scoring eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to top the AZ Storm Mathis team, 12-6, at Rosetta Canyon Sports Park.
“This group has done it time and time again. Last week in Colorado (at the Boulder IDT) we had three walk-off wins against the best teams in the country, and we were down four or five runs today in every game, fifth inning or later,” said Athletics head coach Greg Borzilleri. “When we swing the bats the way we do and get the performances in the circle we absolutely have to have … I can’t say enough about the heart this group has showed all summer.”
Trailing 6-4 after six innings, the Athletics showed immediate life on an opposite field home run by Mya Perez to lead off the frame. The next three batters reached, but Storm pitcher Jocelyn Briski struck out two straight to heap on the drama and put her team on the doorstep of winning.
Next up for the Athletics was Kanisha Anderson, who had homered way back in the second inning in what then looked like the most consequential at-bat for her on the day. She fell behind 0-2 in the seventh, took a ball, fouled off two pitches and then dropped in a single to left to tie the game.
“That at-bat was probably one of the scariest I’ve ever done. I know I have a RBF, but I was panicked,” Anderson said. “I shortened up my swing, kind of half-swinging, which I usually don’t do. We just don’t get down. It’s irritating to (fall behind), but it is what it is.”
“It’s hard when you see the other team ready to storm the field, down to your last strike, But we’ve been here so many times, it’s weird how calm I was,” Borzilleri said. “I’m not surprised, but it’s hard not to have a heart attack out here.”
With the game tied, the Athletics could at least breathe again, but Kaylynn Jones followed with a firm double in the right field gap to drive in two more runs. The moment was then capped by a home run from Priscilla Llamas, who had three hits on the day.
Making all of this relevant was the pitching effort of Rylee Wyman, who was essentially tasked with gutting out a multi-hour effort in the hot sun and keeping her team in range. She didn’t get out of the second inning in her previous start, but the grit and grind required in a title game was there in every fashion on Friday.
“Having a team this good support me as a pitcher is amazing. I love being out there and helping them, and being around them,” Wyman said. “The end of the game definitely brought my energy up; as a pitcher I have to keep pushing through no matter what happens, so I just try my best. These girls have just pulled us out of trouble so many times, so many tournaments, that I just have that trust we’ll come back.”
“I just try to get things started off, get the team going and know they can be confident,” added Jones, who at the leadoff spot had four hits. “It was stressful at first (before hitting her double); the game was on the line, and I knew I had to get my job done. It was very exciting. Rylee did great, I was so proud of her. She hasn’t been with us very long, but to see her adapt to this team has been great to watch. It’s been great, but this team has so much more it can bring out.”
Alexa Rosales homered for the Athletics in the second inning and also doubled, and Perez closed with four hits. For the Storm, Kaitlyn Terry had three hits, three runs and three RBI; Allie Hayes pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.
— Kyle Koso
Friday 16U Bracket Play Results:
| Time | Team | Score | Team | Score |
| 8:00 AM | Athletics Mercado Greg/Tidd 16U | 6 | Firecrackers Leles – GOLD | 5 |
| 10:30 AM | 16U Corona Angels Howard | 2 | Arizona Storm Mathis 2023 | 11 |
| 10:30 AM | So Cal Choppers Fausett 16u | 2 | Firecrackers Brashear | 7 |
| 10:30 AM | So Cal Athletics Briggs 16u | 8 | FC Brashear/Smith RB | 0 |
| 1:00 PM | Athletics Mercado Greg/Tidd 16U | 10 | Firecrackers Brashear | 5 |
| 1:00 PM | Arizona Storm Mathis 2023 | 5 | So Cal Athletics Briggs 16u | 2 |
| 3:30 PM | Athletics Mercado Greg/Tidd 16U | 12 | Arizona Storm Mathis 2023 | 6 |
*****
14U TC Nationals Championship a Dream Come True for Firecrackers Weil
Brianne Weiss had dreamed of this moment, of a chance to pitch her team to a national championship, of an opportunity to compete against the best and make good on her team’s lofty ambitions. So when a nagging back injury flared up — one that had forced her out of her last game — the left-handed pitcher did what she had to do to stay in the circle, helping to pitch the Firecrackers Weil to a 5-2 win over the Orange County Batbusters Stith in the 14U championship game at the Triple Crown Sports USA Nationals fastpitch tournament on Friday afternoon.
“(I felt) extremely stiff,” said Weiss, who threw 3.2 scoreless innings before fellow lefty Zoe Prystajko took over in the bottom of the fourth. “Being out there with a lot of obstacles to go through, it was a really good experience…I didn’t want to give up out there.”
Weiss, a 2024 high school graduate who attends Orange Lutheran, racked up four strikeouts alongside just a single walk, then Prystajko, a 2024 graduate from Huntington Beach High School, closed the game out with 3.1 strong innings of her own, fanning three Batbusters hitters before she secured the final out.
“Bri was gutty,” Firecrackers head coach Rob Weil said after the game. “She gutted it out for three or four innings, then Zoe came in and closed the door and hit spots…they both were pretty spectacular all week for us.”
A scoreless game until the contest neared its midpoint, the Firecrackers got things started in the top of the third by playing a bit of small ball.
Outfielder Lily Knox singled, then Angelina Apodaca added a single of her own. Designated hitter Bella Rodriguez then laid down a bunt and reached on a defensive miscue by the Batbusters, allowing Knox to sprint home and give the Firecrackers an early 1-0 advantage. They added on via a walk by Amanda Urbina and a pair of RBI singles to left field from Faith Hernandez and Marley Cortez, and by the end of the third the Firecrackers were out to a 3-0 lead.
“I just thought that we stayed with the plan,” Weil said of his team’s pivotal third inning rally. “We used the entire field, we hit the ball where it was pitched, we didn’t try to overdo anything, we just stayed real simple…and it produced some runs.”
Ava Morales helped add some valuable insurance a frame later, blasting a towering solo home run over the left field fence in the top of the fourth before the Firecrackers added another run in the fifth after a Batbusters error.
“(I didn’t know it was gone) off the bat, but when I rounded first and I was looking at it, it was gone,” Morales said of her round-tripper, which put her team ahead by five. “It meant a lot because we had all been working hard, and our pitchers were all burnt out, so we wanted to score runs for our pitchers.”
Both late-game runs would prove to be important as the Batbusters rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Saydrie Meono began the last-chance effort with a double, then Taylor Schumaker hammered a home run to left field, pulling the “home” team to within three as they were down to their last out. But in the end, it would be the Firecrackers who would prevail as Prystajko bounced back to shut the door and secure her team the 5-2 victory.
“It’s a positive,” Prystajko said of winning the 14U title. “Since we didn’t do as well in past tournaments, it was good for our team to get this win.”
As Weiss surveyed the action on one of the major league-styled fields at Big League Dreams Riverside after the last out, minutes after her team received medals and hoisted a large wooden trophy adorned with a golden softball glove, the pitcher reflected.
“It means everything,” said Weiss. “Pretty much all of us have dreamed of winning a national championship…this is very big for our team, and I just love how happy they are right now.”
Asked if it was fitting to achieve her team’s softball aspirations at a field with such an appropriate name, Weiss paused, and then laughed.
“Definitely.”
Big League Dreams come true, indeed.
— Anderson Haigler
Friday 14U Bracket Play Results:
| Time | Team | Score | Team | Score |
| 8:00 AM | OC Batbusters Stith | 8 | So Cal Choppers Fausett 14u | 1 |
| 8:00 AM | Corona Angels 14U Perez/Tyson | 4 | Firecrackers Brashear/TDR | 0 |
| 8:00 AM | So Cal Athletics Siofele / Mulipola 14U | 1 | SoCal Choppers Gurule | 3 |
| 8:00 AM | Firecrackers Brashear Brunetti 2024 | 2 | FC Weil | 5 |
| 10:30 AM | OC Batbusters Stith | 8 | SoCal Choppers Gurule | 0 |
| 10:30 AM | Corona Angels 14U Perez/Tyson | 1 | FC Weil | 7 |
| 1:00 PM | OC Batbusters Stith | 2 | FC Weil | 5 |
