Event Recaps: 2022 PGF Platinum Championships Awarded Friday at 18U & 16U

Week 1 of the 2022 PGF Nationals saw the first of the championship trophies awarded as the 16U Platinum title game was held at 4 pm PST and the 18U Platinum followed at 7 pm in Irvine, Calif. at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, Calif.

Here’s a recap of the two championship games…

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PGF Platinum 16U Championship: Breakers Labs Carter 9, Ohio Hawks-Joseforsky 0

The first championship of the 2022 PGF Nationals had an interesting sub-plot: the Breakers had beaten the Hawks 3-2 in the first bracket game but the Hawks had won 11 straight to make it to the title game for a rematch against the Breakers.

Would their 18^th game in six days—including five pool games and 13 in bracket play—find them able to get revenge against Breakers, who had gone a perfect 7-0 to make it to the title game?

The answer would come quickly, as the Breakers would score two in the top of the 1^st inning, two more in the top of the 2^nd and blow the game open with five in the top of the 5^th inning on their way to a 9-0 run-rule win in six innings.

Pitcher Abby Huhn for the Breakers was masterful, giving up just two hits in her complete game six inning victory; meanwhile, giving credence to the theory that the Hawks were exhaused, they committed more errors—three—than they had hits.

Leilani Williams, a 2023 corner infielder and the cleanup hitter, got the So Cal-based Breakers on the scoreboard when she stroked a two-run double in the first inning. In the bottom of the 2^nd, the Hawks quickly got two outs, but DP Emma Thomas reached first on an infield hit and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Leadoff hitter Elise Nishimura would then triple to make the score 3-0 and Mallory Axeline would plate another run when she would single over shortstop, making the score 4-0 after just two innings.

The score would remain at 4-0 until the Breakers would blow the game open with five runs in the top of the 6^th as eight players would come to the plate highlighted by an RBI double by Emma Umemura, an RBI single by Williams and a two-run single by Axeline, her third RBI of the night.

“We told the kids when they finished high school ball,” Head Coach Jordan Carter of the Breakers commented as his team lined up for the team photo, “that they’d have to come back and work doubly hard. They did, their work ethic was great, and they put in what it took to win a championship.”

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PGF Platinum 18U Championship: Rock Gold 8, MN Renegades 4

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 2^nd inning when Rock Gold right fielder Ella Coiner, a 2022 signee Eckerd College (Fla.), opened the inning with a double down the left-field line and moved to third on an infield out.

Incoming junior catcher Jay Sharkey would bring Coiner home for the first run of the game as she singled to right-field. With two outs and Sharkey on third after stealing second and moving over on a fielder’s choice, she would come in to score after coming down the baseline towards home and the catcher’s throw down the line would hit her in the leg and roll away, allowing the 2024 grad to scoot home to make the score 2-0 after two.

The Renegades would even the score in the top of the 3^rd as Alabama signee Abby Duchscherer, a 2022 shortstop, blasted a mammoth two-run shot over the left field fence to make it 2-2. The Renegades added another pair of hits but with runners on second and third and two outs, pitcher Reese Gill induced a groundout to second to keep the score tied at 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, however, leadoff hitter and centerfielder Levi Difeito would single past the outstretched glove of Duchscherer at shortstop and Kylie Shaw would reach first on an error when her bunt was bobbled by the third baseman.

With two outs, Coiner hit a soft flare into right field that could drive home another run and then a deep drive by Faith Wharton was gloved by dropped by the right-fielder to bring home another pair of runs and after three full innings the score was 5-2 in favor of Rock Gold.

The Renegades pushed a run across in the top of the 5^th to draw within two and could have potentially tied the game or gone ahead as they had runners on second and third with no outs but Gill was able to get two strikeouts and a great defensive play up the middle to keep the lead at two.

The Rock Gold answered that run with a walk, hit batter and a passed ball to double the lead at 6-3 heading into the 6^th inning and then scored a 7^th run in the top of the inning on a strange play when Sharkey would hit a sky high pop-up in the infield but no one on defense for the Renegades stepped up to make the catch and it ended up being a double.

Sharkey would be driven home to make the score 7-3 and ultimately it would be 8-4 in the last inning before a strange play took place that you don’t see every day: Julia Knowler, a 2023 commit to Clemson, was pitching and, with one out and two on, a ball was hit to the third baseman who stepped on third and fired to first for the apparent game-ending double play. The Rock team spilled onto the field and the celebration began.

Except for one problem: the home ump immediately called the grounder that appeared to be caught over the third base line as foul. No win, no celebration, just a re-do.

However, the two outs were ultimately made and the true celebration ultimately did take place.

Rock Gold 18U team, based out of Florida, was a unique squad that was 8-0 in the 18U Platinum division and, according to Head Coach Jonny Manetta, had something like 60 steals in the tourney but only one home run.

Asked to describe the character of his team, he succinctly answered in one word summations.

“Scrappy. Enthusiastic. (Causing) Chaos. That’s what we are and what led to our success. That’s why this team was special.”

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball