Allison Benning from Lake Elmo, Minnesota, plays for the Top Gun 18U National team and was right in the thick of this weekend’s Bolts 5-Star Exposure Showcase as her team went 2-2-1.
Allison, who signed with the University of Oregon, is a tall and dominating pitcher who was ranked as a Top 15 overall selection in the 2021 Extra Elite 100 and was one of four in the Top 30 for the Ducks.
She also was named as the 2020 Minnesota Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and made the Extra Inning Softball 2020 All-Summer Team.
A talented writer as well as standout softball player, the Midwest senior wants to major in Journalism at Oregon. Be sure to check out her Inside Pitch from earlier in November titled Softball in the Midwest is On the Rise!
Here’s her look back over this weekend’s Bolts 5-Star event…
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The Bolts 5-Star showcase has been one of the biggest fall showcases in the country, and going into the tournament’s 6th year, the tournament’s reputation has only improved. The tournament, run by Jay Roberson of the Birmingham Thunderbolts organization, fielded many elite teams from all over the country in each age division.
Each team gets five 80-minute games against top competition. The showcase had many different parks serving as sites—my team, Top Gun 18U National, and I were at the beautiful Alabaster Veteran’s Memorial Park, among some of the best 18U teams in the nation.
Many people had positive comments regarding the tournament.
Here are some insights from some players and coaches:
*** “I love that we get to play teams from all over the place,” 2021 Stevie Hansen (Oregon) of Athletics Mercado – Smith added. “Usually, we’re playing either the Corona Angels, Batbusters or Choppers, pretty much the same old, same old. We haven’t played many Georgia Impact or other teams that are here.”
*** “The complex is really great,” Casey Skeens, the head coach of the Beverly Bandits 18U Premier mentioned. “We’ve had really good umpiring crews, and the competition obviously is top-notch.”
*** “The complex is great. It’s really open and has a lot of space, which I like,” 2021 Sarah Currie (Jacksonville State) from Atlanta Premier – Locke said.
*** 2022 P Luna Curran of Fury Platinum – Silver added: “The tournament’s dynamics are really good.”
I was very fortunate to be able to meet Luna last weekend, as she guest played with us, pitching in the Atlanta Premier Invitational. She is a great pitcher who generates a lot of swings-and-misses. She spins the heck out of the ball and is very good at locating her spin pitches with pinpoint accuracy.
*** “My favorite part of this tournament is the caliber of teams that are here,” 2021 Jordyn Bahl (Oklahoma) of the Beverly Bandits 18U Premier said. “There isn’t a team out here that you can count out.”
*** “There are a lot of different teams that have come out here, normally it’s more local teams, 2021 Kyndall Bailey (Purdue) of the Atlanta Vipers said. “I like being able to watch different teams play, normally I don’t get to do that.”
Personally, I liked the tournament as well for pretty much the same reasons. I love being able to go toe-to-toe with the best of the best and loved my experience in Birmingham. I had a lot of fun with my team and got to play some great softball.
I also met one of my future teammates, Stevie Hansen, at the tournament, which was awesome! It was awesome to watch and meet a great player that I will be lucky to be able to call my teammate next year!
I got to see her rise ball in action and all I can say is Wow. I’m glad we will be on the same side!
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So how did Allison and her Top Gun team do against what she accurately described as “elite competition?”
Here’s a game-by-game look at the results of her team’s five-game schedule over the weekend:
Top Gun 4, Lady Dukes Lamar 2
This was a great matchup with two high-quality teams, with Top Gun being able to heat up their bats very quickly. The scoring began early with a two RBI single by 2022 Logan Turner (Florida International) in the bottom of the first inning. The Lady Dukes answered quickly with a solo shot by 2022 Cassidy Curd (Duke) that cleared the 225-foot fence easily. Top Gun responded with an RBI single by 2022 3B Annabelle Winter. 2022 Elle Smith (Indiana) also got in the fun with another RBI. The Dukes scored on a passed ball in the last inning, but that was the only other run they had. Allison Benning (Oregon) had 6 Ks with an earned run in 3.2 IP, and 2022 RHP Kathryn McChristy closed the game with a strikeout. 2022 Jadyn Sheffield (Central Missouri) had three great plays at shortstop as well.
Top Gun 3, Fury Platinum 3
Another strong matchup that resulted in a 3-3 tie. The Fury scored two runs in the first two innings before Top Gun responded with RBIs from Smith and 2022 1B Samantha Wood. Benning had a solo home run to give the lead back to Top Gun. However, the Fury capitalized the next inning, scoring on an error and tying the game at 3. Top Gun could not score the next inning, so the game ended in a tie. McChristy had 2 Ks and 1 ER in 3.1 IP, and 2021 Makaela Carr (Florida International) allowed no hits and no runs in 0.2 IP.
EC Bullets – Scarborough 7, Top Gun 0
The game under the lights proved to be very much in the favor of the EC Bullets. Several miscues in the field, combined with some big hits, including two home runs, led to the EC Bullets being able to put up a big number. Said Allison: “We weren’t able to string together enough good at-bats to make a comeback.”
Top Gun 1, Firecrackers – Wallace 0
The first game of Sunday for Top Gun was a pitcher’s duel. Both teams played great defense as well: Top Gun was able to convert a huge double play to end the second inning, while the Firecrackers had solid defense across the field throughout the entire game. Top Gun was able to come through near the end of the contest with the game-winning hit coming from Winter, scoring Smith from second base. Benning had 2 K’s, and only allowed 2 hits in 3.2 IP. McChristy was able to slam the door, ending the game with a strikeout. She allowed no hits in 0.2 IP to secure the save.
Atlanta Premier Gold – Locke 4, Top Gun 3,
Atlanta Premier scored first, putting up a run in the top of the first inning. Top Gun answered in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI from 2021 Kaycee Hayes (North Dakota) and a 2RBI single from 2022 OF Brittany Affolter. However, a couple of errors in the field and clutch hits allowed Atlanta Premier to be able to take the lead back, changing the score to 4-3. 2021 C Hannah Jansen (Florida International) picked off two runners and was impressive behind the plate.
More in-depth stats from the team’s games can be found on Top Gun National’s twitter page: @TGA_Turner, and the games can be watched on the Top Gun Facebook page: @tgaturner.fastpitchsoftball.
