PGF 14U & 12U Platinum National Championships… They Can’t Get Much Tighter Than Saturday’s 3-2 and 2-1 Finals

Saturday was the first pair of PGF National championships of what will be five total over the weekend with all being played at Deanna Manning Stadium in Bill Barber Parker, Irvine, Calif.

The 14U and 12U Platinum titles were decided on Saturday and the 14U, 12U and 10U trophies will be awarded on Sunday.

Extra Inning Softball was at the Saturday games and you won’t get much better played contests than these pair of one-run games and the latter of the two went ITB.

Here’s a closer look at each game…

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PGF 14U National Championship: Tampa Mustangs – Pynes 3, Birmingham Thunderbolts – Alford 2

 The first championship of Week 2 at the 2023 PGF Nationals—the PGF 14U Platinum title— was a tight game that went down to the last inning as the Birmingham Thunderbolts – Alford team loaded the bases with one out and trailing 3-2 in the top of the 7th.

However, Tampa Mustang – Pynes pitcher Addison Allaire—as she had done for most of the game—came up big and got the final two outs on a strikeout and flyout to center to end the game and give the visitors from Florida the championship

Allaire came in the top of the third and earned the win giving up six hits but just one run over the final found and two-thirds inning. The DP also batted in the clean-up spot and helped her own cause by going 1-for-3 with a single and what would prove to the game-winning run to make the score 3-1 when she hit a fielder’s choice in the infield that allowed centerfield Emma Pynes to cross the plate.

Pynes, the second hitter of the top of the 3^rd, hit an RBI single after Yamilette Cordova tripled down the left field line.

The Bolts scored right out of the gate as outfielder Paige Welch led off with a single to center and would come around to make it 1-0 on an Ansley Brown two-out single.

The Mustangs evened the score in the bottom of the first when Emma Pynes stroked a leadoff double to the centerfield fence. She would eventually come around to even the score at 1-1 on a sac fly to right field by Sabrina Boyer.

The Bolts narrowed the score to 3-2 in the top of the 5^th when outfielder Ellie Mitchell led the off the inning with a single through the left side of the inning and scored on a two-out double to the centerfield fence by infielder Madison McHenry but Mustangs hurler Addison Allaire was aided by her defense as a one-hit smoking line drive by Mustangs top-of-the-order hitter Paige Welch was caught by shortstop Asher Thompson who fired the ball to first base to double up the runner and record the double play to close out the inning.

The Bolts threatened in the top of the 7^th and looked to tie the game when the bases were loaded, highlighted by a double from Kennedy Cuthbert, but Allaire got the big strikeout and the flyout to end the game, leading to the celebration by the Mustangs.

Fred Alford’s team from Alabama had 11 hits to the Mustangs six behind Ellie Mitchell’s 3-for-3 game with a run scored. Second baseman Ansley Brown and first baseman Madison McHenry both went 2-for-4 with an RBI by each.

For the winning Mustangs, Pyne went 2-for-3 with an RBI and had the leadoff double to get the team off to an aggressive start.

“Our hitting has been timely, our pitching great and our defense great up to this game,” said Coach Beth Pynes.

There’s also some interesting backstory here as the Mustang team was with the Bolts organization until this year, when Coach Pynes and her daughter, Emma, moved from the Thunderbolts to the Mustangs.

“We played each other previously this year,” Coach Pynes continued, “and they won one and we won one. We know their program well and both sides are good friends.”

On this day, the first year of the Mustangs- Pynes era, the team ended up with a national championship against the org they used to be part of.

Here a video clip of the final out:

After the game, EIS caught up with pitcher Addison Allaire and Head Coach Beth Pynes to get their thoughts on the game:

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PGF 12U Platinum National Championship: Firecrackers – Medina 2, So Cal A’s – Kim/Romero 1

The second title game of the day matched two traditional Southern California powerhouse organizations in the Firecrackers – Medina team and the So Cal Athletics – Kim/Romero team as both battled in what would be a thrilling ITB game that took eight innings before a champion was found.

At times, you’d forget that both teams were 12U, the game was played so well.

It was definitely a pitcher’s duel from the onset as, after 7 complete innings, the teams were tied 1-1 with the Firecrackers leading in hits 6 to 5.

Danica Buchanon led the Firecrackers in the circle, pitching all eight innings and giving up just earned run and five hits while striking out nine opposing hitters and giving up just one walk.

Her counterpart, pitcher Jaiah Romero for SCA – also went the distance and also allowed one earned run with six hits given up while striking out four and allowing now walks.

The first run of the game in the top of the 4^th inning when Magenta De Arteio lead off with a single and went to second on an errant throw back to the SCA pitcher from a defensive player. Buchanon then singled to put runners on first and third with no outs.

Kayla Gutierrez then flied out to center but it was enough to score the first run of the game, but Buchanon was thrown out at third and a strikeout later and the threat was extinguished but it did give the Firecrackers a 1-0 lead which lasted until the bottom of the 6^th.

SCA – Romero’s leadoff hitter Tori Navarro led off that inning with what ended up being a triple, but the throw from the outfield was close at third and it took an umpire’s review to determine that she was indeed safe.

Outfielder Peyton Shilz then hit a flair over shortstop to bring home Navarro and tied the game at 1-1 but Buchanon was able to get out of the inning by striking out the final two batters she faced in the 6^th.

In ITB, the Firecrackers went first and with a runner on second and got runners on first and third after a Cienna Wilson bunt single but a grounder to second and throw to the plate nailed the runner and it looked like SCA would be able to escape the inning.

However, pitcher Buchanon helped her own cause by hitting a two-out RBI single up the middle that drove home what would be the winning run and made the score 2-1.

In the bottom of the 8^th inning, Buchanon recorded the win with a pop up on a bunt attempt, a ground out for first base and a swinging strikeout.

Buchanon not only pitched a masterpiece, she also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Kayla Gutierrez went 2-for-3 with an RBI, giving those two impressive hitters four of the team’s total of six hits.

Pitcher Jaiah Romero went 2-for-3 for the SCA team.

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball