RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The first game of the day featured two 10U teams competing for the 10U Premier Championship and looked to keep the score because of outstanding pitching coming into Sunday’s final.
The Bolts pitching had given up 11 runs in five wins while the offense had scored 58; the Firebyrds had scored 54 runs while going 5-0 but the pitching staff had given up just one run.
So a 0-0 no-hitter game going into ITB? Not quite, although one side had a pitcher who dominated as expected and not just while in the circle. More on that in a minute…
The game started as expected as pitchers Taylor Goodwin of the Firebyrds and Aaliya Hayes of the Bolts got 1-2-3 innings.
But by the bottom of the 2nd, that changed.
The Bolts cleanup hitter Rylei Rogers walked and moved to second with a sac bunt by outfielder Rosie Wilson. Pitcher Aaliya Hayes then singled to right field for the game’s first run as the home team took the 1-0 lead.
The Firebyrds threatened in the top of the 3rd as shortstop Alyssa Juliana singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt but Thunderbird pitcher Hayes got the last two outs to stop the threat.
The game remained close until the Bolts exploded for five runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning.
Cather Braelynn Vaughn started off the inning with a walk followed by leadoff hitter Margaret Taylor laying down a bunt single and, with one out, first baseman Rylei Rogers being hit by a pitch to force home a run with the bases still loaded to make the score 2-0 Bolts
A grounder to second baseman Kiena Sucich was thrown home to force the out and the Byrds looked like they might escape with one run and saying within distance trailing 2-0 as they had two outs and were one play away from minimizing the damage.
That is, until Aaliyah Hayes came to the plate and made the play of the day.
With the bases till full, two outs and the count in her favor at 2-0, Hayes got a pitch to hit which she smacked to right center to clear the bases and plate three runs which all but put the game out of reach.
Bolts third baseman Khayla Glover followed up with a single to right field scoring Hayes and pushing the lead to 6-0.
In the top of the 4th, the Firebyrds looked to put their first run on the board as catcher Jordan Phan singled to right and third baseman Laci McNamara walked but the threat was extinguished as Hayes would get a strikeout to end the inning.
The Bolts pitcher would get a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 5th and then the Bolts closed out the game by getting two runs to make the score 8-0 and invoke the run rule of an eight-run lead after five innings so… game over.
The final two runs came via a Rylei Rogers walk, a sac bunt by Rosie Wilson and—following a change of a pitcher to Maddie Collins for the Byrds—the player of the hour, Aaliya Hayes stepped to the plate and hit a towering fly ball to centerfield which was dropped for an error allowing Rogers to score making it 7-0 and allowing Hayes to run all the way to third.
The next batter, Khayla Glover bunted with one out allowing Hayes to score making it the 8-0 lead that was the final tally.
Aaliya Hayes got it done on both sides of the ball, allowing only two hits and pitching the shutout while going 2-for-3 with a single and double but, just as impressively, driving in four of her team’s eight runs.
It was an impressive display by the Thunderbolts which, after the game had given the organization today a first place finish after a second place finish in 14U Platinum yesterday and the chance to win another title in the closing game of the day—the 14U Premier matchup between the Birmingham Thunderbolts – Thompson team versus Atlanta Vipers – Tamborra.
You also have to be impressed with the SoCal Firebyrds because—last year at this time, the team was a rec ball team and had been together at that level for several years.
But today was the Bolts day to flex its muscles and bring home the trophy.
EIS caught up with pitcher/hitter Alliyah Hayes after the game… here’s what she had to say…
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball